In the summertime, central New York is home to numerous outdoor activities, concerts, festivals and other special events. Here are some inexpensive options — less than $20 each — to fill your summer calendar.  

Concert Series at Clay Central Park 

Clay Central Park will host free outdoor concerts every Tuesday evening from June 11 to August 13 at the Ernest N. Casale Amphitheater.  

Mary Ellen Vinette, a secretary in the town of Clay’s recreation department, recommended the annual concert series to people of all ages. 

“It’s a great family event — outside, free music in our beautiful park,” Vinette said.   

Some of the bands that will perform include Thunder Canyon, Menage a Soul and Prime Time Horns. Each concert will run from 6:30 p.m. until 8 or 8:30 p.m.  

Concertgoers can stay in the park following the performances. Starting June 25, there will be fireworks at Great Northern Mall at 9:30 p.m after the concerts.  

Audience members can bring lawn chairs or blankets to sit on. Food from local restaurants will also available for purchase. 

North Syracuse Family Festival 

The North Syracuse Family Festival will be held at Lonergan Park on May 25 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.  

This free event offers a variety of family-friendly activities, including face painting, bounce houses, pony rides, a petting zoo, live music, karate demonstrations and a dunk tank. 

Two bands, Dunes & The Del-Tunes and Grit N Grace, will each perform for two hours. Raffles for prizes will also be available, some of which are free to enter.  

“There’s so much going on, and it’s a very busy day,” said Pat Fergerson, the treasurer of the festival. 

The festival, which has been held annually for 14 years, is supported by donations from local businesses.   

Attendees can purchase food from local vendors at the festival, but admission to the event and parking for the event are free. 

Big Don’s Wild River Outdoor Fun Center 

Big Don’s Wild River Outdoor Fun Center offers nine recreational activities including miniature golf and outdoor laser tag. Miniature golf is $8 and laser tag starts at $15. 

Big Don’s is open Fridays from 3 to 10 p.m., Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 7 p.m. Because all activities are located outside, the hours are weather dependent. 

Danielle Cullen, the operations manager at Big Don’s, said the family-owned business has been in the community for 15 years.  

Some of the activities at Big Don’s include mini golf, laser tag, a maze, a climbing wall and an interactive play area for children ages 3-8. Customers pay for each of the nine activities separately.  

“We have a lot to offer in one place,” Cullen said. 

The Salt Museum  

The Salt Museum, located in Liverpool, just opened for the season. The museum is open on the weekends for residents to learn about Syracuse’s rich salt history.  

Rhoda Sikes, who works in the gift shop of the museum, said what makes the museum unique is that there’s no other museum in the area that’s completely dedicated to salt. She said that there’s a lot of great history to learn and visitors can gain a lot from the experience.  

“We hope that when they leave they are better informed,” she said.  

Amy Nakamura | Co-Digital Editor

Sikes said that the museum has been open since 1933 and answers a lot of misconceptions people have about Syracuse’s salt history.  

The museum is free of charge and is open on Saturdays and Sundays until the beginning of October from noon to 5 p.m.  

Feats of Clay 

Feats of Clay, a ceramics and clay shop in Manillus, offers ceramic painting of small objects. This activity ranges in price from $5 to $15.  

Samantha Varga, the owner of Feats of Clay, said they now offer clay hand building, which they started about two months ago. For $15, customers can get a pound of clay and sculpt it to whatever they want. After the clay is fired by the store, the customers can return and paint their creation. 

Feats of Clay will have a kids summer camp and adult classes. Varga said they will have events all summer and they will be finalized by the end of May. 

Varga said that not only are their clay pieces for decoration, but some creations like mugs and plates can also be usable. She said that people who choose to do clay building by hand can choose to make jewelry and magnets. 

Sky Zone 

Sky Zone, a trampoline park in DeWitt, offers a range of activities for patrons to enjoy. Cost depends on height of the jumper. To jump for an hour, it costs $15 for those over 48 inches tall and $10 for those under 48 inches tall. 

Pam Tuohey, general manager, said activities include the main trampoline area, dodgeball courts, a ninja warrior course, a challenge zone, foam pit, sky slam — which is similar to basketball — and a warped wall.   

The dodgeball courts are sectioned off by age groups, 6-10 years old, 11-15 years old and 15 and older, Tuohey said. She added that everyone can do any activity they want, but they suggest kids under five don’t do the ninja warrior course. 

“The dodgeball courts are always running, we just rotate out depending on the demand of the ages of participants, but it’s mostly the teenagers that like dodgeball the most,” Tuohey said. 

Tuohey said that they have a lot of events this summer including private events and summer camp for kids. They also have $10 Tuesdays where everyone can jump for an hour for $10. 

Published on May 15, 2019 at 12:25 am

Contact Sarah: srslavin@syr.edu