Explore for free within the Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge, part of one of the largest and most productive wetland ecosystems in Michigan. Take its Wildlife Drive 6.5-mile auto tour route from June to October, sunrise to sunset, for up-close viewing from the comfort of your car!

With 1,200 acres and 19 miles of trails that are open year-round, from dawn-to-dark daily, it's hard to believe that admission into and through Chippewa Nature Center in Midland is absolutely free (not to mention experiencing their Homestead Farm, hands-on Ecosystem Gallery, and more). Spend an afternoon (or several) while spending zero dollars!

Take in eight glorious terraces each April - November of more than 300 varieties and 3,000 blossoming beauties at Dahlia Hill. Enjoy artist Charles Breed's working studio and museum featuring original designs in cast paper, bronze, and other media, along with garden sculpture on view year-round.

Gain culture and lasting impressions that won't cost you a thing inside the following local art museums and galleries, to name a few: Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum, University Art Gallery, and Gingerblue Gallery in Saginaw; Golden Gallery and Studio 23/The Arts Center in Bay City; and Creative 360 in Midland.

Boogie down to Motown, let cool jazz speak to your soul. Far beyond what's listed, there's a whole lot of live music here that costs a whole lot of nothing! Discover free summer concert series from Midland's The Commons Live Music Series to Frankenmuth Women's Club Concerts in the Park; Saginaw's Party on McCarty and Friday Night Live; or Bay City's Wednesdays in the Park, Thursdays at Uptown, and more!

Catch artistic film selections projected on the side of a historic building every Sunday at dusk during the Old Saginaw City Lawn Chair Film Festival, and enjoy pre-movie live music for free. Or, make your way to Midland's Movies on Main for classics to newer releases on Thursday evenings throughout the summer months!

With free fitness classes from Zumba to yoga — and no-cost activities including Mini-Golf on Main and Adult Recess with oversized lawn games — be sure to experience Downtown Midland's The Commons Pedestrian Plaza this summer! Soak up the sunshine at provided picnic tables and cozy seating areas, and take in the inviting ambiance, with trees and flowers on live turf areas right in the city streets! Step out in Bay City, too, for Feet on the Street happenings, from free yoga sessions to pop-up shops and live music events!

Wet, wild, and wonderfully free, find spray parks and splash pads throughout our cities that were made for summer fun, minus the admission! Try Frankenmuth Jaycee Spray Park for fully accessible water play, Celebration Square Splash Park in Saginaw with three bays catered to kiddos of different ages, or Longview Spray Park and Gerstacker Spray Park, both in Midland, for free splashing and ear-to-ear smiles from dawn to dusk!