Budget-Friendly Activities for Seniors

Local Activities for Seniors that Won’t Break the Bank

National Senior Citizens Day is on August 21st! To show appreciation for our senior readers, we’ve compiled a list of free and affordable activities for seniors to enjoy on National Senior Citizens Day and throughout the year.

Senior Lounge at Balboa Park

Relax, socialize, and enjoy a cup of coffee at the comfortable Senior Lounge, located in the Casa Del Prado at Balboa Park. The lounge is open 7 days a week from 9:30 AM-3:30 PM, excluding city holidays. Activities for seniors include Balboa Park walks, needle crafts, and monthly poetry parties.

Cost: free

Free Third Thursdays at the Museum of Contemporary Art

Admission to the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego is $5 for seniors every day, but check out free third Thursdays for an even better deal. Both the Downtown and La Jolla locations are free on the third Thursday of every month from 5-8 PM.

Cost: $5 every day; Free every third Thursday

Silver Age Yoga

Silver Age Yoga offers free gerontology-based yoga classes designed for seniors of all experience levels and abilities. Offered at over 20 locations throughout San Diego County, you’re sure to find a free class close to home!

Cost: free

Free Live Music at Balboa Park

Some of San Diego’s top jazz artists perform at the weekly Jazz Jam Sessions at Panama 66 in Balboa Park year-round. Up-and-coming jazz artists play from 6-8 PM every Wednesday, followed by the pros at 8:30.

If jazz isn’t your thing, Balboa Park offers free organ concerts every Sunday at 2 PM at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion. People come from all over the world to hear this instrument, the largest outdoor pipe organ in the Western Hemisphere! To enjoy the concert from home, visit the Spreckels Organ Society website or this online livestream channel.

Cost: free

 

La Mesa Senior Softball League

The La Mesa Senior Softball League meets 3 days per week at Sunset Park. Over 200 men and women belong to this league, and they refer to themselves as “The League of Extraordinary Ladies and Gentlemen.” Check out this fun video about the La Mesa Softball League, and visit the San Diego Senior Softball website for information about other leagues in San Diego.

Cost: membership dues vary by league, but typically range from $30-$40 per year

 

Meetup Groups for Seniors

Meetup.com is the world’s largest online network of local social groups. Meetup makes it easy for anyone to find a group that meets face-to-face in their neighborhood. The North County 60s-80s Social Meetup Group has two upcoming events that are sure to appeal to the masses:

• Saturday, August 27, 2016 at 5 PM: Wine Tasting and Fun!
• Sunday, September 25, 2016 at 1 PM: Barbecue, Sunday Football and Friends!!!

Cost: membership dues vary by meetup, but are typically very affordable

Summer Jazz Concerts in North County

The California Center for the Arts in Escondido hosts free Jazz Jam Sessions every Friday night in August. Attendees can enjoy not only free music, but gourmet wine, appetizers, and desserts!

The TGIF Jazz in the Parks series in Carlsbad features local bands performing a mix of jazz, swing, blues, and more every Friday evening through the end of August.

Cost: free

Play Readers Theater Group

The Play Readers Theater group meets every week to rehearse for monthly community performances in Rancho Bernardo and Escondido. Typical programs consist of three to five humorous skits. The group rehearses every Thursday at 2 PM at the Ed Brown Senior Center in Rancho Bernardo, which offers a wide variety of other weekly classes and clubs: Ballroom Dancing, Bingo, Yoga, Knitting, Watercolor Painting, Canasta, Singles’ Club meetings, and much more!

Cost: annual membership fee of $60, or pay $12 per class