Provo FOMO
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Friday · Free & Family
Issue #21 · June 19, 2026
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A free splash pad, $1.75 movies, two always-free museums, and a lazy river for under five bucks

Plus the Provo Library summer reading program and the Freedom Festival's Children's Parade coming June 27.

Good morning, Happy Valley.

School is out and the forecast says hot. Here is a stack of summer outings that are free or close to it, all within a short drive of Provo and Orem.

Splash pads, free museums, cheap movies, the library, and a lazy river. Pick a few and plan the week.

📍 30 seconds in the valley⏱️ 4 min read

💦 Beat the Heat

Palisade Park splash pad, Orem Pick of the week

Palisade Park splash pad, Orem

Orem's splash pad on the old Cascade Golf Course land, with a river channel, spray features, rock seating for parents, and room to run. Free, no wristband, just show up.
🕐Hours: Seasonal, summer daytime hours
📍Address: Palisade Park, 1313 E 800 N, Orem · ~12 min from downtown Provo
💵Cost: Free
⏰Timing: Go in the morning before the pavement bakes and crowds build. Bring water shoes and a towel per kid
Our take
A free splash pad with a real river channel is the move on a 95-degree Friday. Pack a picnic and let them run until they crash for the afternoon nap.
⚠️ Heads up: Splash pads run seasonally and hours can shift through the summer. Confirm it is on and check the day's schedule at orem.gov/palisade-park before you load the car.
Free familiesfreetoddlers
Details →

📚 Free This Summer

Summer Reading
Worth it

Provo City Library summer reading

The library's summer reading program runs through July 31, with reading logs, prizes, and a calendar of free kids events: craft sessions, tween builds, storytimes, and more. Kids 0-3 log 300 minutes, ages 4-12 log 600 minutes to earn the prize.
🕐Hours: Program through Jul 31, events on calendar all summer
📍Address: Provo City Library, 550 N University Ave, Provo · ~4 min from downtown Provo
💵Cost: Free
⏰Timing: Sign up early so kids have the full run to read. Popular programs fill, so check the events calendar and register before you show up
Our take
Free air conditioning, free programs, free prizes for reading. The easiest structure you can hand a kid all summer.
⚠️ Heads up: Spots in popular kids programs go fast. Check the events calendar and register at provolibrary.gov before you show up.
Free familiesfreerainy day
Details →
Freedom Festival Art
Worth it

Freedom Festival Art Exhibit at Provo Library

A Freedom Festival art exhibit hosted at the Provo City Library, running through the festival period as part of America's 250th celebration. Free to walk through while you are in the building.
🕐Hours: Running through the Freedom Festival period, confirm exact end date
📍Address: Provo City Library, 550 N University Ave, Provo · ~4 min from downtown Provo
💵Cost: Free
⏰Timing: Pair it with the summer reading program pickup so you are not making a separate trip
Our take
A free exhibit inside the library you are already visiting for summer reading. Worth ten minutes before or after.
⚠️ Heads up: Confirm the exhibit's run dates at provolibrary.gov or by calling the library before you make a special trip.
Free familiesfreeart
Details →

🎟️ Cheap Thrills

Worth it

Cinemark Summer Movie Clubhouse, $1.75 Wednesdays

Family movies for $1.75 a ticket on Wednesday mornings through early August at Cinemark Provo 16 and Cinemark University Mall in Orem. Discounted snack combos run during the showtimes.
🕐Hours: Wednesdays 9:30am, early June through Aug 6
📍Address: Cinemark Provo 16, 2424 N University Pkwy, Provo, and Cinemark University Mall, Orem · ~7 min from downtown Provo (Provo 16)
💵Cost: $1.75 per ticket
⏰Timing: Buy tickets ahead online rather than at the door. The series sold out at the door last summer
Our take
Under two bucks a head for a morning out of the heat. Stack it with a splash pad after lunch and you have filled a full Wednesday for almost nothing.
⚠️ Heads up: Movie titles and showtimes vary by theater and week. Confirm the week's film and times at cinemark.com before Wednesday.
$ familiescheaprainy day
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🏛️ Always Free

Natural History
Worth it

Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum, BYU

BYU's free natural-history museum, packed with mounted animals from around the world, live reptile shows, and an aquarium. A reliable indoor stop when the heat wins outside.
🕐Hours: Mon-Fri 10am-9pm, Sat 10am-5pm, closed Sunday
📍Address: Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum, 645 E 1430 N, Provo · ~8 min from downtown Provo
💵Cost: Free
⏰Timing: Time your visit around a live animal show. Check the schedule so you arrive before one starts
Our take
A free museum that holds a toddler's attention and a ten-year-old's at the same time. The kind of place you can drop into for an hour with no plan and leave feeling like you did something.
⚠️ Heads up: Hours and the live-show schedule can shift around BYU events. Confirm at lsm.byu.edu before you drive over.
Free familiesfreerainy day
Details →
Art
Worth it

BYU Museum of Art, Provo

A free art museum on BYU campus with rotating exhibitions and free parking near the entrance. Quiet, air-conditioned, and easy to pair with the Bean Museum across campus.
🕐Hours: Mon-Sat 10am-6pm, Fridays until 9pm, closed Sunday
📍Address: BYU Museum of Art, N Campus Dr, Provo · ~8 min from downtown Provo
💵Cost: Free
⏰Timing: Friday evenings run late, so it works as a low-key date night or a calm end to a long day with kids
Our take
Always-free art with free parking is rare. Walk through, let the kids find a piece they like, and you are out before anyone melts down.
⚠️ Heads up: Hours change between school year and summer. Confirm current hours and exhibitions at moa.byu.edu.
Free familiesfreedate night
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🏊 The Best Thing We Found

Best of the week

Provo Rec Center leisure pool

The indoor leisure pool with Zippy's treehouse, three waterslides, a zero-depth entry, and a lazy river. Day passes run $4 for kids and $5 for adults. Climate-controlled, zero weather risk.
🕐Hours: Open swim typically noon-10pm weekdays, 10am-8pm Saturdays
📍Address: Provo Recreation Center, 320 W 500 N, Provo · ~4 min from downtown Provo
💵Cost: $4 kids (3-17), $5 adults
⏰Timing: The zero-depth entry and lazy river are made for little kids. Come on a weekday for thinner crowds
Our take
For five dollars you get a lazy river, slides, and a treehouse that dumps water on everyone. Hard to beat per dollar on a hot Friday or Saturday afternoon.
⚠️ Heads up: Open swim windows shift around lessons, aerobics, and team use. Confirm the day's open-swim schedule at provo.gov before you pack the bag.
$ familiescheaptoddlers
Details →

📌 Heads Up, Happy Valley

Lock the calendar

Freedom Festival Children's Parade, June 27, 10:30am

The Freedom Festival Children's Parade steps off at 10:30am on June 27 from 800 E Center Street and marches through downtown Provo. One of the easiest free family mornings of the summer.
🕐Hours: Sat Jun 27, 10:30am
📍Address: 800 E Center St, Provo, heading through downtown · 2 min from downtown Provo
💵Cost: Free
⏰Timing: Grab a parade spot early and pair it with the Provo Farmers Market at Pioneer Park, which runs 9am-2pm the same morning just a few blocks away
Our take
A free Saturday morning parade through downtown Provo, plus the market before it. One of the best low-effort, high-return mornings of the Freedom Festival.
⚠️ Heads up: Route and start time details at freedomfestival.org. Confirm the morning of.
Free familiesfreeparade
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💙 Good Neighbor

Nominate the Valley's quiet MVPs

Every issue we spotlight one neighbor, teacher, coach, or cause quietly making the Valley better, plus an easy way to pitch in. Know someone who deserves it? Send them our way.

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That's a summer week handled. Hit a splash pad this morning, a $1.75 movie next Wednesday, and a free museum when the heat wins.

Tell us what we missed. Reply with the free and cheap family spots your corner of the Valley swears by and we will pass them along.

Forward this to the parent already counting the days until school starts. We have them covered until then.

— The Provo FOMO crew
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