Movies| Fun in general | Bowling | Skating rinks | Outdoors | Museums

MOVIES

Free! Movies in the Park
  Bring a blanket or lawn chair and catch a movie under the stars.
When: 7 p.m., seating; movie begins at dark
Where: Elmwood Park, downtown Roanoke
Cost: Free; concessions available

• June 12: "Star Wars: Clone Wars"
• July 10: "Kung Fu Panda"
• Aug. 14: "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull"
• Sept. 11: "High School Musical 2" and "High School Musical 3"
• Oct. 9: "Twilight"

Contact: 342-2028, ext. 10, or downtownroanoke.org

Free! Movies at Longwood
  Salem's outdoor film series with free, kid-friendly movies. Bring seating.
When: Movie begins at dark
Where: Longwood Park, Salem
Cost: Free; concessions available

• June 13: "Madagascar 2"
• July 11: "Transformers"
• Sept. 12: "Bedtime Stories"

Contact: 375-3057, ci.salem.va.us

Free! Looney Tunes
Old-school cartoons on the big screen.
  When: 10 a.m. June 19 and 20, July 17 and 18 and Aug. 14 and 15
  Where: Grandin Theatre, Roanoke
  Cost: Free; concessions available
Contact: 345-6177, grandintheatre.com

    Free! Hollywood in the Hills
Bedford's free, family-friendly outdoor movie series.
  When: Movies begin at dusk
Where: Falling Creek Park, Bedford
Cost: Free

• June 20: "The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep"
• July 18: "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory"
• Aug. 15: "Hotel for Dogs"

Contact: 587-5681, visitbedford.com

Buchanan Theatre
Kid-friendly movies every week.
When: 10 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. Thursdays starting June 18
Where: 19778 Main St., Buchanan
Cost: $3
Contact: 254-1155, buchanantheatre.com

  Free! Midweek Movie Madness|
A monthly movie for kids and families. Check back later in the summer for more details.
When: 4 p.m.
Where: Vinton Library
Cost: Free admission and popcorn

• June 24: "Inkheart"
• July 23: "Coraline"

Contact: 857-5043

  Free! Family Movies
A monthly movie at Roanoke County libraries for kids and families. Check back later in the summer for more details.
When: 2 p.m.
Cost: Free

• June 11: "Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium" at Hollins, 561-8024
• June 29: "Toy Story" at HQ/419, 772-7507

    Free! Family Film Festival
Free screenings of select G- and PG-rated movies.
  When: 10 a.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays
Where: Regal's Valley View Grande 16, near Valley View Mall, Roanoke
Cost: Free; concessions available

• June 16 and 17: "The Tale of Despereaux" and "Igor"
 
• June 23 and 24: "Mr. Bean's Holiday" and "Inkheart"
 
• June 30 and July 1: "Kit Kittredge: An American Girl" and "The Spiderwick Chronicles"
 
• July 7 and 8: "Horton Hears a Who" and "Madagascar 2"
 
• July 14 and 15: "Space Chimps" and "Alvin & the Chipmunks"
 
• July 21 and 22: "Everyone's Hero" and "Kung Fu Panda"
 
• July 28 and 29: "Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium" and "Star Wars: Clone Wars"
 
• Aug. 4 and 5: "Charlotte's Web" and "Barnyard"
 
• Aug. 11 and 12: "Veggie Tales: Pirates Who Don't Do Anything" and "Monster House"

Contact: 362-5200, regmovies.com

  Free! Summer Movie Mania
  Free movies throughout the summer at Roanoke libraries.
  Cost: Free

• 2 p.m. June 13: "Jonas Brothers 3-D Concert," Gainsboro
• 2 p.m. June 20: "Karate Kid," Gainsboro
• 10 a.m. June 26: "Hotel for Dogs," Main
• 2 p.m. June 26: "Inkheart," Main
• 2 p.m. June 27: "Madagascar 2," Gainsboro
• 6 p.m. June 29: "The Uninvited," Main
• 11:30 a.m. July 7: "Madagascar 2," Williamson Road
• 11:30 a.m. July 9: "The Tale of Despereaux," Williamson Road
• 10 a.m. July 10: "Annie," Main
• 2 p.m. July 10: "Twilight," Main
• 2 p.m. July 11: "Apollo 13," Gainsboro
• 2 p.m. July 11: "Hotel for Dogs," Jackson Park
• 2 p.m. July 18: "WALL-E," Gainsboro
• 2 p.m. July 21: "Inkheart," Jackson Park
• 10 a.m. July 24: "Jetsons: The Movie," Main
• 2 p.m. July 24: "Paul Blart: Mall Cop," Main
• 10:30 a.m. July 25: "Jetsons: The Movie," Jackson Park
• 2 p.m. July 25: "Fantasia," Gainsboro

Contact: 853-2955

FUN IN GENERAL

Salem Red Sox Baseball
Kids Eat Free Sundays: Kids ages 12 and younger get a free hot dog, chips and a drink.

Dollar Mondays: Get general admission tickets for $1 with a coupon from The Roanoke Times or roanoke.com (scroll down the home page and look right). There are also $1 food and beverage specials.

Tuesdays: Get two-for-one admission with a coupon from goodwillvalleys.com.

• Where: Salem Memorial Ballpark
• Contact: 389-3333, salemsox.com

  Putt-Putt Golf and Games
Miniature golf, games, the Bat Zone and more.

Family Night: Two specials every Thursday. Unlimited miniature golf and 20 arcade tokens for $10 per person (5 to 10 p.m.) or a pizza and a pitcher of soda for $10 (5 to 8 p.m.).

Ten Buck Tuesday: Unlimited miniature golf and 20 arcade tokens for $10 (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.).

Super Saturdays: Unlimited miniature golf, 15 arcade tokens, a slice of pizza and a drink for $10 (9 a.m. to 1 p.m.).

• Where: 6801 Peters Creek Road, Roanoke
• Contact: 366-3660, puttputt-roanoke.com

Pump It Up
"The Inflatable Party Zone" offers both private parties and special events for kids to play on the inflatable structures that include an obstacle course and bouncy basketball court.

Summer Break Open Jump: Tuesdays and Wednesdays from June 16 to Aug. 12.

Family Jump Night: Monday nights from 7 to 8:30 p.m. through August.

• Cost: $6.50 per child; parents play for free
• Contact: 345-7867, pumpituppart.com/roanoke

  Thunder Valley
Indoor go-carts, laser tag, miniature golf and batting cages.

Summer arm bands: Unlimited go-cart rides, laser tag and miniature golf for $19.95 per session (noon to 5 p.m. or 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays).

Bonus: Batting cages are $1 for 16 pitches.

• Where: 1865 Dillard Drive, Salem
• Contact: 387-9477

Theme parks
Buy discounted tickets to Kings Dominion and Busch Gardens Europe in advance from Roanoke County Parks, Recreation and Tourism. A complete list of discounts is available online.

Kings Dominion: $30 (a $15 discount) for a day pass July 3 to Aug. 7. In addition, bus transportation is available from Roanoke on June 29 for an extra fee.

Busch Gardens: $47 for adults (a $13 discount) or $37 for children (ages 3 to 9; a $23 discount) for a day pass through Sept. 1. Transportation is available from Roanoke on July 27 for an extra fee.

• Purchase: At Brambleton Center or at the administrative office on Kessler Mill Road. Tickets are non-refundable.
• Contact: 387-6078, ext. 230, or roanokecountyva.gov

SKATING RINKS

Skate Center of Roanoke Valley
Summer Pass: Visit up to 15 times between June 15 and Sept. 3.

• When: 1 to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday; 4 to 8:30 p.m. and 6 to 9 p.m. Thursdays and noon to 10 p.m. Saturdays
• Where: 4121 Brandon Ave., Roanoke
• Cost: $49 includes skating, skate rental and the play zone
• Contact: 989-2000, skateplay.com

  Star City Family FunZone
Dollar Zone Wednesdays: Admission, skate rental, FunZone, pizza and hot dogs are $1 each from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Family Night: For $30, a family of five gets admission to the rink and FunZone, skate rental, a pizza and drinks from 7 to 11 p.m. Saturdays

• Where: 140 Hershberger Road, Roanoke
• Contact: 362-5195, starcityfamilyfunzone.com

Firehouse Sk8 'n Play
Summer deal: Pay just $5 for skate and play area admission from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday. Includes skate rental.

• Where: 1620 E. Washington Ave., Vinton
• Contact: 890-2250, firehousesk8.com

Adventure World Family Fun Center
$2 Tuesdays: Choose between skating, laser tag or scooters from 2:30 to 9 p.m. weekly through July.

Sunday Family FunPack: For $40, a family of five gets admission and rental, a slice of pizza per family member, a pitcher of soda, 10 arcade tokens and a family shout-out by the DJ.

• Where: 200 Midway Plaza Drive, Christiansburg
• Contact: 382-1717, adventureworldonline.com

BOWLING

Lee-Hi Lanes
  99-Cent Mondays: Bowl for 99 cents per game from 9 p.m. to midnight. An additional $3 fee covers shoe rental.

• Where: 1830 Apperson Drive, Salem
 
• Contact: 389-0000, lee-hilanes.com

Vinton Bowling Center
Summer deal: Pay $1.25 per game until 5 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays. Shoe rental is an additional $2 per person.

• Where: 1200 Vinyard Road, Vinton
• Call: 344-2063

NRV Superbowl
Summer Special: Three games for $5.

• When: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. or 9 p.m. to closing Monday through Thursday
• Where: 375 Arbor Drive, Christiansburg
• Contact: 382-5525, nrv-superbowl.com

MUSEUMS

Free! Center in the Square
Supersize Fridays: The History Museum of Western Virginia (1 to 4 p.m., 342-5770, history-museum.org) and the Science Museum of Western Virginia (noon to 6 p.m., 342-5710, smwv.org) host their usual Free Fridays on the second Friday of each month. Two of the summer's free-admission Fridays (June 12 and Aug. 14) will be Supersize Fridays, which features extended hours (noon to 8 p.m.), special performances, free admission to the Planetarium and MegaDome and a history museum scavenger hunt. June 12 with Rainbow Puppets and Aug. 14 with magician Joseph Young.

Where: Center in the Square, downtown Roanoke

 
    Virginia Museum of Transportation
  Summer deal: $1 off admission with a Roanoke Public Library card.

• Museum hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday
 
• Where: 303 Norfolk Ave. S.W., Roanoke
 
• Cost: Regular admission is $8 for adults, $7 for senior citizens and $6 for children
 
• Contact: 342-5670, vmt.org

    Taubman Museum of Art
  The new art museum offers several children's programs weekly including Mommy and Me Mornings, The Art of Storytelling and Comic Capers. Look for the June 18 issue of Inside Out for more information.

• Museum hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays (open until 7 p.m. Thursdays) and Saturdays; noon to 5 p.m. Sundays
 
• Where: 110 Salem Ave. S.E., Roanoke
 
• Cost: Many programs are free with admission ($10.50; $9, senior citizens; $8.50, students; $5.50, children) which includes admission to Art Venture, an interactive gallery.
 
• Contact: 342-5760, taubmanmuseum.org

      Combo tickets
  Virginia Museum of Transportation and the O. Winston Link Museum: $12; $10, senior citizens; $8, children

O. Winston Link Museum and the History Museum of Southwestern Virginia: Free admission to the history museum with a Link museum ticket purchase ($5; $4.50, seniors; $4, children)

• Contact: Link museum, 982-5465 or linkmuseum.org

OUTDOORS

New River Junction
  Tubing, rapids, games, grilling and more

• When: Weekdays are the best value ($7; $5, children)
 
• Bonus: Camping available for as little as $19.50 per night; reservations required
 
• When: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily
 
• Where: 2591 Big Falls Road, Blacksburg
 
• Contact: 639-6633, newriverjunction.com

      Free! Wildwood Outdoor Summer Classroom Series
  Family-friendly multimedia presentations by local historians and naturalists.

• When: 7:30 p.m.
 
• June 11: "Wildwood's Secret World: The Spring Woodland Wildflowers"
 
• June 25: "Slimy Salamanders: The Ecosystem's 'Civil Servant'"
 
• July 9: "Virginia's Black Bears: Population and Human Health Research"
 
• July 23: "Mow is Less: Simple Steps You Can Take to 'Green' Your Yard"
 
• Aug. 6: "Running Amuck: A Turtle's Tale of Water Pollution" Aug. 20: "Mother of Pearl! A Look at Freshwater Mussels" Where: Outdoor classroom, Wildwood Park, Radford Cost: Free Contact: 731-9589

  Free! KIVA
  Kids In the Valley, Adventuring showcases favorite places in the Roanoke Valley to have free outdoor fun with monthly meetings for newborns through children in fifth grade (and their parents).

• When: Next meeting 2 to 4 p.m. June 14, location to be determined
 
• Cost: Free
 
• Contact: kidsadventuring.com

      Virginia State Parks System
  Most local state parks, including those at Smith Mountain and Claytor lakes, offer hiking, biking and picnicking free of charge. Depending on the location, parking costs $2 to $5 and swimming ranges from $2 to $8. There are also places to camp, rent cabins and participate in nature programs.

• Contact: (800) 933-7275, dcr.virginia.gov/state_parks

Need wheels?

Roanoke students ages 18 and younger can ride Valley Metro free of charge. Students ages 11 to 18 must show a valid Roanoke school-issued photo ID or Valley Metro Student Photo ID. Ages 10 and younger must be accompanied by a paying adult passenger.

Also

Check your local library and your county's (or city's) parks and recreation department for more low-cost stuff to do this summer, such as the summer reading programs for kids and teens, daily storytimes and more. Check the Web sites for more information, dates and locations.