If you can get out of the Spectrum without spending money, you are a woman with willpower! I used to take my little ones to play in the fountains (fun!) and could get by with enough money for a Rubio's fish taco and a couple of kids meals. But now they are older and clued in to the Ferris Wheel, carousel, restaurants, ice cream & other treats, and shopping...not so free. There are fun free things to do (besides the fountains, perusing Barnes and Noble or petting the puppies in Russo's Pets), but if you are expecting "free," you'll have to practice your firm "no" voice.

We brought a big group of little ones on a hot day, and we all enjoyed a shady hike. Gorgeous old oaks, wildflowers, and a creek where the kids could play. It's a cultivated wilderness (benches, rails, concrete in the creek banks), but plenty beautiful. Only bummer was the Nature Center is closed on weekdays, so we didn't get to go in.