By Mary Damiano

Summer officially starts on Saturday, June 21, and while it officially ends in late September, we commonly think of summer as July and August, when kids are out of school and carefree days of summer vacations dance in our heads.

This summer though, with the price of a gallon of gas more than $4 per gallon, many people have had to curtail their vacation plans and adjust their daily lives to cover the added expense of just getting to and from work. As for the fun stuff, once you pay for the gas to get there, there’s not much left over for the price of admission.

That’s where we come in. Below you’ll find a sampling of artsy things to do this summer that don’t cost a penny, concerts, movies, theatre, literary events, gallery walks and museums that you can enjoy for free. It’s by no means a complete list, but it is a good starting point.

In addition to the events and suggestions on this list, get creative. Explore your local library for free films, readings, story-time hours and other events—local branches always have something going on. Check out a book or DVD for free. Log onto your city’s website; you’ll probably find lots of free things to do. Check out local bookstores for events.

Experiencing the arts doesn’t have to break the bank. Peruse our list, and enjoy.

Hot Brass Monkey, one of the musical acts featured at free concerts this summer

Music

Make Music Miami
Saturday, June 21, 618 SW 8 St. Miami.
A free celebration of the first day of summer, featuring music, food and fun. Fête de la Musique is a global music festival that began in Paris in 1982 and has spread all over the world. Features open mic performances, jazz, pop, and electro/pop/punk. For more schedule and more information, the Rhythm Foundation at 305-672-5202.

Starlight Musicals
Holiday Park, 730 N. Federal Hwy., Fort Lauderdale
Bring lawn chairs, picnic baskets and coolers and enjoy free concerts under the stars at Starlight Musicals. Concerts take place on the football field facing E. Sunrise Blvd. Summer date and performers: June 27, Valerie Tyson Band (rhythm & blues); July 11, Jimmy Stowe & the Stowaways (tropical rock and Jimmy Buffet); July 18, Joey Gilmore Band (blues) July 25, The Fabulons (old rock and roll); August 1, Breeze (classic rock); August 8, Hot Brass Monkey (nine-piece show band). http://ci.ftlaud.fl.us/events/starlight/starlight.htm

Fort Lauderdale Jazz Brunch
First Sunday of each month along Riverwalk in downtown Fort Lauderdale.
Picnic by the New River or purchase fabulous food and beverages from area restaurants and vendors at the SunTrust Sunday Jazz Brunch, which features local jazz artists on four stages from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the first Sunday of each month. Well-behaved, leashed pets are welcome. Summer dates and performers: July 6: Ruby Baker, Jazzberry Patch, Mantra and Nucklebusters Quintet. August 3: Valerie Tyson, Night Magic, Carl Ferrari and Friends and Dixie Dawgs Trio. For more information, call the 24-hour hotline at 954-828-5363. http://ci.ftlaud.fl.us/events/jazzbrunch/jazzbrunch.htm

Bee Movie will be featured at the Regal Free Family Films this summer

Films & Movies
Sure, you can plunk cash down for the latest summer blockbuster, but that’s become a pricey proposition. There are, however, lots of free options this summer, with free movies for kids, outdoor movies, and film festivals.

Free Weekday Movies at Regal Cinemas
Evan Almighty, Bee Movie and Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium are just a few of the kid-friendly movies that will be shown for free during the nine weeks of the Regal Family Film Festival. The movies will be screened at 10 a.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Thursdays, depending on the theatre. Get there early, because once the theatre is full the doors close. To find a complete schedule of films, click the link and go to your favorite Regal theatre. The festival runs through the first week of August.
http://www.regmovies.com/nowshowing/familyfilmfestivalschedule.aspx?state=FL

Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival
FLIFF shows free movies for kids at their downtown Fort Lauderdale art house, Cinema Paradiso, on the first Saturday of the month at 10 a.m. www.fliff.com.

Movies Under The Stars at Hagen Park
Hagen Park, 2020 Wilton Dr., Wilton Manors
Wilton Manors Leisure Services and FLIFF present free Movies Under The Stars at Hagen Park on the last Friday of each month. Bring lawn chairs and blankets and settle in for August Rush on June 27 and Across The Universe on July 25. (The August 29 movie has not been announced.)

Hollywood’s mermaid Esther Williams will be saluted in a Miami film fest

Esther Williams: Bathing Beauty Film Series
The Miami Design Preservation League presents a tribute to the mermaid of Hollywood’s golden age, Esther Williams. The series through December, with summer screenings of Bathing Beauty, 1944, on Saturday, July 12, and Easy To Wed, 1946, Saturday, August 9. Both movies begin at 11 a.m. at the Miami Beach Regional Library, 227 22 St., Miami Beach. www.mdpl.org.

Italian Films at the Tower Theatre
Third weekend of each month. Summer dates: June 20-22; July 18-20; August 15-17
Free admission.
La Societa Dante Alighieri, Miami Dade College and the Italian Film Festival hold monthly screenings of classic Italian films at the Tower Theatre, located on SW 8th Street and 15th Avenue. On the third weekend of every month we will be showing three films, one on Friday, one on Saturday and one on Sunday. All the screening are free. No tickets or reservations are required, but arrive early, because seating is strictly on a first come first served basis. For film info, visit www.cinemaitaly.com.

Theatre

Theater by the Book
Sunday July 27, 2 p.m. and 6 p.m., at the Centro Cultural Español de Miami (CCE Miami), 800 Douglas Rd. Suite #170, Coral Gables.
Free Admission. No reservations.
Life’s Dreaming (La Vida es Sueño) by Pedro Calderón de la Barca.
The cast includes Javier Suit, Peter Haig, Phillip Church, Pilar Uribe, and Cecilia Torres. The plot concerns Prince Segismund, heir to the throne of Poland, who has been imprisoned since childhood because of his father's fear of a prediction that may come true. The time comes when he breaks his chains and rises against his king and country in this fantastical play that ponders the meaning of justice, violence, and freedom. For more information, e-mail Rafael@theaterbythebook.org.

GableStage Playreading Series
Monday, June 30, 7:30 p.m. at GableStage, 1200 Anastasia Ave., Coral Gables.
Free, no reservations required.
In Common Hours by Andie Arthur
Directed by Javier Chacin, featuring: Michaela Cronan, Todd Allen Durkin, Laura Turnbull, Miriam Wiener, Erinn Joy Schmidt, Sally Bondi, Elayne Wilks, David Hemphill, and Paul Homza. Set at the cusp of the Civil War, In Common Hours tells the story of Louisa May Alcott's unrequited love for Henry David Thoreau and her quest to find her own place in a patriarchal society that does not value female intelligence, years before she wrote Little Women. www.gablestage.org.

Arsht Center Behind-the-Scenes Tours
Get to know the Arsht Center inside and out with a behind-the-scenes tour, offered free every Monday and Saturday at noon. No reservations are needed, just meet the group in the lobby of the Ziff Ballet Opera House. The tour includes guided visits to backstage areas such as dressing rooms and costume shops.

Author Barbara Parker will be the subject of a free Literary Tea at the Broward County Library

Literary Events

Literary Tea
The Broward County Library presents a free Literary Tea with authors of new books. Authors read from their work, sign books, discuss their work with the audience. Refreshments are served. All events take place at the Broward County Main Library, 100 S. Andrews Ave., Fort Lauderdale. The event is free, but space is limited, so call 954-357-7401 to RSVP. Summer schedule: Tuesday, June 26, 2 p.m.: Barbara Parker, author of Dark of Night; Wednesday, July 2, 2 p.m., Florida Congressman Robert Wexler, author of Fire-Breathing Liberal: How I Learned to Survive (and Thrive) in the Contact Sport of Congress; Friday, August 8, 2 p.m., Daniel Silva, author of Moscow Rules.

Author Appearances
South Florida is a hot stop on book tours, and bookstores have lots of author appearances on their calendars. Barbara Ehrenreich, Rosie O’Donnell, Robert Scheer, Salmon Rushdie, John Dufresne, Nancy Pelosi and Edna Buchanan are just a few of the authors scheduled to make appearances at Books & Books locations this summer. For a complete schedule, visit www.booksandbooks.com. Borders also has author appearances and special activities for children. Go to www.borders.com, click on the store locator for a complete list of events in each store.

Poetry
Books & Books Open Mic Poetry with Jonathan Rose
Last Friday of each month, Summer dates: June 27, July 25 and August 29, 7:30, For more info, e-mail proseguy@aol.com

Ploppy's Poetry Podium
Wallflower Gallery, 10 NW 3rd St, Miami, www.wallflowergallery.com
Third Friday of each month. Summer dates July 18 and August 15, 9:30 p.m. to midnight
Spoken word performances with live music.

Gallery Walks
You can attend an art walk each week somewhere in South Florida. Special exhibitions, receptions, music and food are the norm, so put on your walking shoes and hit the gallery trail.

Coral Gables First Friday
First Friday of each month. Summer dates: July 4 and August 1
The Coral Gables First Friday art walk was started 16 years ago and is the granddaddy of them all. www.artcircuits.com.

Wynwood/Design District Gallery Walk, Miami
Second Saturday of each month, 7-10 p.m. Summer dates: July 12 and August 9
The area bursts with life as galleries stay open late and often feature special openings and receptions for art lovers. www.artcircuits.com.

Hollywood ArtWalk
Third Saturday of each month, 7-10 p.m. Summer dates: June 21, July 19, and August 16
Downtown Hollywood’s ArtWalk showcases the many galleries and restaurants in the area; jazz fills the streets and while participating businesses serve complimentary wine and hors d’oeuvres. www.downtownhollywood.com.

Little Havana Last Friday
Last Friday of each month. Summer dates: June 27, July 25, August 29
Centered on Calle Ocho, Little Havana is the place to be on the last Friday of each month, for a gallery walk that allows art lovers to explore more than 15 galleries and hear musical performances. www.artcircuits.com.

The Art and Culture Center of Hollywood

Museums
South Florida has a wealth of museums of all types, historical, fine arts, hobbies and sports. While some offer free admission all the time, many have hours or days where everyone can enjoy the exhibitions and permanent collections free of charge.

Art and Culture Center of Hollywood
1650 Harrison St., Hollywood, 954-921-3274, www.artandculturecenter.org
Free admission for Family Days on the third Sunday of most months, 1-3 p.m. and
Parent's Night Out on the second Friday of most months, 6-10 p.m
Located in the historic Kagey mansion in downtown Hollywood, built in 1924, the center features painting, sculpture, installation, photography, a library, and outdoor sculpture garden.

BCC Fine Arts Gallery
Broward Community College, 3501 SW Davie Road, Davie, 954-201-6517, www.broward.edu
Admission is free. Hours: Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to -3 p.m.
This gallery offers national artists, installations, printmaking, priestesses, memorials, paintings and pottery.

Boca Raton Museum of Art
Mizner Park, 501 Plaza Real, Boca Raton, 561-392-2500, www.bocamuseum.org
Admission is free Wednesday, 5-9 p.m.
European and American art from the 19th century to today, photography 1850-2000, as well as West African Collections, Pre-Columbian art, and Peruvian textiles.

Buehler Planetarium and Observatory
Broward Community College, Central Campus, 3501 SW Davie Rd., 954-201-6681, http://www.broward.edu/locations/central/planetarium/
Free admission to observatory viewings, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 8-10 p.m.

Making the Desert Bloom, part of the exhibition at the Coral Springs Museum of Art

Coral Springs Museum of Art
2855 Coral Springs Dr., Coral Springs, 954-340-5000, www.csmart.org.
Free admission Wednesdays, 10 a.m to 5 p.m.
Through August 16: Madie Lazenby & Dianne Lazenby Nance: “Mother & Daughter: Coast to Coast”, wool tapestry weavings and watercolors; and “American Spirit: American Folk Art”, from the Collection of Kathryn Birmingham and Gerald Horton

Historical Museum of South Florida
101 West Flagler St., Miami, 305-375-1492, www.hmsf.org
Free admission on the second Saturdays of each month, with special Family Fun Days 1 - 3 p.m. with activities aimed at children 6-12. Environmental History Essentials, Saturday, June 14; Early American Flags, Saturday, July 12; Hurricane Hunger, Saturday, August 9

The Holocaust Memorial in Miami Beach

Holocaust Memorial
1933-1945 Meridian Ave., Miami Beach, 305-538-1663, www.holocaustmmb.org
Admission is free, with free parking south of the memorial. Hours: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
A tribute to the 6 million Jewish victims of the Nazis during World War II. Black granite walls display a brief history of the war from 1933-1945, and bright Jerusalem stone passages lead to a towering 42-ft high bronze sculpture in the plaza's center—a giant hand reaching out of the ground covered with almost 100 bronze human figures. Surrounding the memorial are photographic murals and a reflection pool.

Jewish Museum of Florida
301 Washington Ave., Miami Beach, 305-672-5044, www.jewishmuseum.com
Free admission Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“In Celebration of Israel's 60th Birthday: Back to our Biblical Roots with Four Exhibits”
Through September 14

In the Beginning: Variations from the Menorah by Abraham Rattner, Lithograph 1972, part of the exhibition at the Jewish Museum of Florida

Miami Art Museum
101 West Flagler Street, Miami, 305-375-3000, www.miamiartmuseum.org
Free admission every second Saturday
“Sean Duffy: New Work”: Los Angeles-based artist Sean Duffy, is creating an installation specifically for this exhibition, which is inspired by California pop culture of the 60s, complete with a zebra-striped Toyota Land Cruiser, densely layered logos reminiscent of the era’s custom car culture and fire engine red gas containers that double as music players. July 18 – October 12.

Miami Beach Botanical Garden
2000 Convention Center Dr., Miami Beach, 305-673-7256, www.mbgarden.org
Admission is free. Hours: Tuesday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The gardens specialize in orchids and bromeliads, creating a lush green space of tropical palms, trees and flowers. Walk by the "autograph tree," which has been signed by tour guides over the years, and cross the bright red wooden bridge for a stroll in the Japanese Garden. Promoting a conservation mission is a 12-foot-tall, 30-foot-long "living wall," dedicated to ending deforestation of the Amazon region.

Miami Children's Museum
980 MacArthur Cswy., Miami, 305-373-5437, www.miamichildrensmuseum.org
Free admission the third Thursday of each month, 10 a.m to 6 p.m.
This museum offers kids a hands-on ways to experience art, culture and communication. For children under five, there's The Sea and Me exhibit, an ocean-inspired play area of water and bubbles.

Miami Beach Botanical Garden

Museum of Art/Fort Lauderdale
One E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, www.moafl.org
Free admission Thursdays, 4-7 p.m., sponsored by Bank Atlantic.
“Unbroken Ties: Dialogues in Cuban Art” through August 31.

Museum of Contemporary Art
770 NE 125 St., North Miami, 305-893-6211, www.mocanomi.org
Hours: Tuesday - Saturday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Free admission for residents and city employees of North Miami
Jazz at MOCA concerts on the last Friday of each month are free and MOCA’s galleries are open on concert nights from 7 –10 p.m. by donation. Jazz at MOCA Schedule: Michael Orta, Friday, July 25 at 8 p.m.; Ed Calle, Friday, Aug. 29 at 8 p.m.

Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame
9011 Lake Worth Road, Lake Worth, 561-969-3210, www.polomuseum.com
Admission is free. Hours: Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Polo memorabilia, trophies, art and artifacts; includes the Polo Hall of Fame.

Old Dillard Museum
1009 NW Fourth St., Fort Lauderdale, 754-797-5551 or 754-322-8830 www.broward.k12.fl.us/olddillardmuseum
Free admission. Hours: Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Built in 1924, this nine-room schoolhouse is Broward County's first full-scale museum devoted to black history and culture. Highlights include a permanent Jazz Gallery exhibition, and the museum's library, which houses more than 2,500 books and other reference materials on the African diaspora.

Sand Castle at the Miami Children’s Museum

Palm Beach Institute of Contemporary Art
601 Lake Ave., Lake Worth, 561-582-0006, www.palmbeachica.org
Admission free on the first and third Friday of the month, 5-8 p.m.
As a non-collecting institution they are committed to presenting and exploring the best national and international art in all media.

South Florida Railroad Museum
1300 W. Hillsboro Blvd. Deerfield Beach, 954-698-6620, www.sfrm.org.
Free admission Wednesdays, 6-9 p.m. and the third Saturday of month, noon to 4 p.m.
Located in a 1926 train station, the museum has an extensive model railroad display and sponsors auctions and swap meets for model railroad equipment and memorabilia.

South Florida Science Museum
4801 Dreher Trail North, West Palm Beach, 561-832-1988. www.sfsm.org.
Free admission the first Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 6 p.m., of each month for the summer for Bank of America customers.
Interactive exhibitions show visitors how to create clouds, generate electricity with a bike, marvel at optical illusions, and build and control your own robot. Natural history exhibits feature "Suzie," a 22,000 year-old mastodon found in Palm Beach County as well as authentic and reproduction skeletons of whales, sharks and dinosaurs. Native and exotic sea life from warm waters around the world populate the museum's aquariums, while an acre of naturally landscaped outdoor trails features over a dozen original interactive exhibits.

Domino en la Calle 8, (Dominoes on 8th Street), by Mario Algaze, 1983-1987, cibachrome, part of the current exhibition at the Museum of Art/Fort Lauderdale

Vizcaya Museum and Gardens
3251 S. Miami Ave., Miami, 305-250-9133, www.vizcayamuseum.org
Free Sundays at Vizcaya: June 29, July 27 and August 31, Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m
Vizcaya is a serene and stunningly beautiful retreat in the heart of Miami. Built by agricultural industrialist James Deering in 1916, Vizcaya features a main house, 10 acres of formal gardens, a hardwood hammock, and soon-to-be-restored historic village.

The historic splendor of Vizcaya

The Wolfsonian - FIU
1001 Washington Ave., Miami Beach, 305-531-1001, www.wolfsonian.org
Free after 6 p.m. Fridays
Modern-age eclecticism is the museum's focus, and both permanent and rotating exhibits make use of the Wolf's vast collection of American and European objects and art produced during the height of the industrial age (1885-1945). According to the Wolfsonian, anything from propaganda posters and books to toasters and clocks, is a commentary on, and a product of, the times.

Young at Heart Children’s Museum
11584 West State Road 84, Davie, www.youngatartmueum.org
Free admission on the first Friday of every month, sponsored by Target
This museum lets kids experience art and culture from around the world without leaving South Florida. Watch them create black-light art in the surreal environment of artist Kenny Scharf's Closet or travel through Global Village with self-made passports to exhibits of Japanese houses, Mayan pyramids and African villages.

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