Friday is FREEDAY at Radisson Hotels and Resorts

Worried about having enough cash for a summer getaway? This might help. Radisson® Hotels & Resorts has launched its Friday is Freeday offer.

From May 15 through Sept. 15, 2009, guests can receive a free Friday night stay when staying two or more consecutive nights (Thursday or Saturday night required).

Friday is Freeday is available  for booking at participating Radisson hotels and resorts properties in North, Central and South America; Asia Pacific;
and at Radisson Edwardian Hotels in the United Kingdom.

Reservations can be made at www.radisson.com/freefriday, by calling 800-333-3333 or  by contacting a travel professional.

Free Lettuce Wraps at P.F. Chang’s

To celebrate the chipping skills of PGA tour pro Briny Baird, P.F. Chang’s China Bistro will offer everyone in America a free order of the restaurant’s signature lettuce wraps with the purchase of an entrée.

Simply go to the company website and type in your email address.

FREE Family Film Festival This Summer!

I’m already strategizing about how to keep the kids entertained for part of the summer. I just found a great deal that makes it a little easier.

Selected Regal movie theaters, including two in Asheville: the Beaucatcher 7 and the Biltmore Grande Stadium 15, will offer FREE G and PG rated movies on Tuesdays and Wednesdays during the festival.

All the details are listed here. The FREE movies begin at 10 a.m.

Beaucatcher 7 schedule:

Biltmore Grande Stadium 15 Schedule:

$1 Flip Flops at Old Navy Stores

This tip from our friends at Palm Beach On the Cheap

Visit Old Navy stores on Saturday, May 23, 2009 and pick out a pair of solid colored flip flops for a buck. This offer is good in-stores only and does not include online orders.

FREE Tuesdays at the Cradle of Forestry

The Cradle of Forestry, located on Highway 276 near Brevard, N.C., offers FREE admission for EVERYONE on Tuesdays! It’s also FREE all the time for kids ages 15 and younger, except during special events like Smoky Bear’s Birthday Party, which is scheduled for August 8, 2009 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission on that day is $3.00 for kids 15 and under, and $6.00 for everyone older than 16.

Regular admission rates for visitors older than 16 are $5.00 per person. It’s a great place to explore!

Front Porch Series at Thomas Wolfe House

Famed author Thomas Wolfe grew up in Asheville. His mother, Julia, ran a boarding home which is open for tours for the remarkable bargain rate of $1 for adults and 50 cents for kids.

But there’s more than just history here. This summer, the “Old Kentucky Home” will feature its FREE Front Porch Events Series from May – October (except September.

The website says:  ”Bring a bag lunch and join us on the front porch of the Old Kentucky Home for this cultural events series featuring local musicians, poets and writers. FREE.”

First Friday of each month features area musicians:

June 5:  2-4 pm:   The Buddy Davis Band
July 3:   2-4 pm:   Brook and George Buckner
Aug 7:   2-4 pm:   Clearwater Connection
Oct. 2:   2-4 pm:   Don Lewis

Third Friday of each month features local poets and writers:

June 19:   12-1 pm:   Thomas Rain Crowe
July 17:   12-1 pm:    Glenis Redmond
Aug 21:   12-1 pm:   Keith Flynn
Oct  16:   12-1 pm:   Laura Hope Gill

Savoy Restaurant offers Twitter Treats

Savoy Restaurant in north Asheville has a deal for folks who follow them on TWITTER. Simply follow @savoyrestaurant, then mention you are following them when you dine in and they will give you a FREE appetizer or dessert of your choice.

Savoy has not returned our tweets asking how long this promotion will last, so it might be wise to call before you go.

FREE Ice Cream May 30 at Wal-Mart

On Saturday, May 30, 2009, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. select Wal-Mart stores across the country will be giving away free ice cream while supplies last. I typed in my 28804 zip code, but it revealed the only WNC Wal-Marts offering free ice cream as the store at 250 Highlands Square in Hendersonville, NC, and the store at 197 Plaza Drive in Forest City, NC.

Check your own zip code here.

One ice cream sample per customer.

Summer is Bargain Time at Asheville’s Biltmore Estate

Asheville’s famed Biltmore House and Gardens offers a family-friendly summer savings plan. From May 22 to September 7, 2009, Kids ages 10 to 16 receive FREE admittance with a paying adult. Kids ages 9 and under are ALWAYS admitted FREE with a paying adult.

This offers a great chance to visit the home George Vanderbilt created in the late 1800s which remains America’s largest private residence. If you caught CBS Sunday Morning on May 17, 2009, then you saw Charles Osgood’s taped broadcast from various spots in the house and around the gardens.

FREE Kids Meals at Fuddruckers

I took my daughter out for a free kids meal at Fuddruckers on Charlotte Street in North Asheville tonight. The restaurant offers FREE kids meals Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 4 p.m. to closing.