When we tell you that the chance to be immersed in thousands of lush florals (a tropical conservatory, award-winning Children's Garden, and more) costs only $10 for adults, $2 for kids ages 6-17, and is absolutely free for 5 and younger — the only thing left to figure out is how quickly you can get to Dow Gardens!

Finding out that entry to its Whiting Forest within (and the nation's longest canopy walk) is included in your admission? Priceless. Explore 1,400 feet of this scenic walk, stretching four stories high in the forest, and experience three distinct arms, each ending in its own unique viewing platform.

Hopping aboard a 30-Minute River Tour with Frankenmuth FunShips will cost you only $10 (children 12 and younger only $5 and younger than 3 are free) and you'll see sweeping views of Frankenmuth while gliding along the picturesque Cass River and getting local know-how on what else to see and do while here.

Spend a day sunbathing and swimming the 40-acre, spring-fed lake at William H. Haithco Recreation Area for only $5 per vehicle entry, not per person. Throw horseshoes, drop a line, and grill on the hibachis. Rent paddleboats or kayaks for just $5/hour, and enjoy a full day of affordable fun at the beach.

With chances to experience enormous volcanoes, dazzling rings, and storms that would swallow Earth in "To Worlds Beyond", or watch the Northern Lights dance in "Life Under the Arctic Sky", it's hard to believe that admission to Delta College Planetarium & Learning Center is only $7 and just $5 for kids, senior citizens, and military!

Admission into the magical Castle Museum of Saginaw County History is just $1 for adults and $.50 cents for children. The slice of area history you'll experience inside, including riveting photography, lumbering and automotive manufacturing exhibits, and varying traveling exhibits? Worth every penny!

Planned, designed, and built just for kids, have fun while learning a ton inside Saginaw's Mid-Michigan Children's Museum for only $7.50 (just $6.50 for "big kids" over 60 and free for kids younger than 2). Watch your children's faces light up at galleries that include stuffing fuzzy balls into "A-Mazing Airways" and splashing around at "Water Water Everywhere".

Or, take a trip to the nearby Saginaw Children's Zoo, where admission is just $5 (free for infants under 1 and zoo members, and only $3.50 for military). Meeting over 150 animals will make this experience a memorable one, and rides on the hand-carved carousel and miniature train offer add-on fun that's just $1/ride!

For only $7, experience the Frankenmuth tasting room of Michigan's most-awarded winery, St. Julian, and enjoy a guided sampling of six wines, served in a take-home souvenir glass. Cheers!

From summer's Bay City Fireworks Festival to winter's epic snow- and ice-carving competition, Zehnder's Snowfest, the Great Lakes Bay is home to unforgettable year-round festivals, and admission is often free or below $10. Watch for some of our top annual ones, and get going!