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11 Free Things to Do in Fayetteville, NC (in 2024)

Market House, one of the free things to do in Fayetteville, NC
Free things to do in Fayetteville, NC

If you want to have fun without spending anything, I’m sure you’ll like the free things to do in Fayetteville, NC.

Fayetteville is a great city to visit and there are many amazing things to do and to see. What’s great is that there are also a lot of activities that you can do without spending a dime. From visiting great museums to going to fun events, I’m sure the free activities in the city will surprise you.

I made this Fayetteville free things to do guide to help you find great activities if you’re on a budget in the city.

Free things to do in Fayetteville, NC

Visit the Airborne & Special Operations Museum

Interior of the Airborne & Special Operations Museum
Inside of the Airborne & Special Operations Museum – refrina / Shutterstock.com

The Airborne & Special Operations Museum is a great museum in Fayetteville that you can find at 100 Bragg Boulevard and admission is free.

At this museum, you can learn about the U.S. Army Airborne and the Special Operations Forces. The museum covers the history and culture of the Airborne and Special Operations Forces from the year 1940 till the present day.

The main exhibit of the museum covers history in a chronological way, from World War II to the Cold War to the present day.

The exhibits contain photos, outfits, weapons, and many other items. In addition to that, there are physical depictions of certain military operations through which you can get a better idea of what each military operation looked like.

Visiting this museum is also one of the best things to do in Fayetteville. Sometimes, there are also events at the museum that you can attend, including lectures.

Address: 100 Bragg Blvd, Fayetteville, NC 28301

Go to the Fascinate-U Children’s Museum on Wednesday

Fascinate-U Children's Museum from the outside
Outside of the Fascinate-U Children’s Museum – refrina / Shutterstock.com

The Fascinate-U Children’s Museum is a museum where children can learn new things in a fun, playful way. A visit to the museum is great when you are looking for things to do with kids in Fayetteville, and when you want to go here for free you can go here on Wednesdays.

Every Wednesday from 1 pm to 5 pm, there’s no admission and you can donate how much you like.

You can find many exhibits at the museum that let children learn about professional careers. There is a miniature version of the real world at Fascinate-U Children’s Museum.

For example, there is an exhibit of a farm where children can learn about farming and food.

There’s also a grocery store where children can use the cash register and organize items.

Address: 116 Green St, Fayetteville, NC 28301

Learn New Things at the Museum of the Cape Fear

The Museum of the Cape Fear is a museum where you can learn about the history and culture of southern North Carolina.

There is a permanent gallery with exhibits that relate to different periods of the region’s history.

For example, there is a permanent exhibit where you can learn about the Civil War.

There’s also an exhibit that is about the settlement of the region.

In addition to the museum’s permanent exhibits, you can also often see temporary exhibits at the Museum of the Cape Fear, and sometimes there are events that you can attend.

The museum is great if you’re looking for free things to do in Fayetteville as it’s always free to visit, but the museum accepts donations.

Address: 801 Arsenal Ave, Fayetteville, NC 28305

Attend the Free Spring Fling Event at the Segra Stadium

Large sign of the Segra Stadium
Sign of the Segra Stadium – refrina / Shutterstock.com

The Fayetteville Woodpeckers are a Minor League Baseball team that is based in Fayetteville. The team plays its home games at the Segra Stadium. Seeing a game of the team is one of the best things that you can do in Fayetteville, but that’s not free.

A free event that you can go to is the Spring Fling Event. This is an annual event that takes place at the Segra Stadium.

You can enter the stadium for free and enjoy a variety of activities.

For example, there is a petting zoo, there is face painting, and there are several other types of activities.

Address: 460 Hay St, Fayetteville, NC 28301

Do a Free Guided Tour of the 1897 Poe House

The 1897 Poe House is a historic building that is located in Fayetteville and belongs to the Fayetteville History Museum. The house used to be the home of the Poe Family. E.A. Poe was a local businessman.

At the house, you can learn about history. By doing a guided tour of the house, you can learn about what life was like at the beginning of the 20th century.

During the tours, you can see the house from the inside and get interesting information about society during the first decades of that century. For example, you can learn about the roles of children during that period in time.

The tours of the house are free so this can be great if you’re looking for an interesting free thing to do in Fayetteville, but there is a suggested donation of $2 per adult.

Address: 206 Bradford Ave, Fayetteville, NC 28305

Go to the North Carolina Veterans Park

North Carolina Veterans Park in Fayetteville
North Carolina Veterans Park – Rex K. Williams / Shutterstock.com

When you are in Fayetteville, you can go to the North Carolina Veterans Park. This park, which you can find in downtown Fayetteville, is a state park that is dedicated to veterans from all of the branches of the Armed Services.

Inside the park, you can see all kinds of monuments for the veterans of the Marines, Army, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard.

In addition to that, you can go to the visitor center where there are several exhibits through which you can learn about military history and heritage.

It is a great place to honor military veterans and it is also a place where you can learn new things

Address: 300 Bragg Blvd, Fayetteville, NC 28301

Attend a Free Concert at Festival Park

Festival Park is a park that you can find in downtown Fayetteville. The park has a main stage where all kinds of events take place throughout the year.

The types of events that you can attend here vary by season.

For example, during the summer season, there are often free concerts that you can attend. These are part of the Fayetteville After Five series during which you can listen to live music for a few hours. There are also food trucks where you can get delicious food.

In addition to these free concerts, there are also other types of paid events that take place at Festival Park.

See the Market House

Outside of the Market House
View of the Market House – refrina / Shutterstock.com

You can see the historic landmark the Market House for free when you are in the city.

The Marke House is a historic market house and town hall that you can find in Fayetteville’s city center.

The building dates back to the year 1838 and was in use until the start of the 20th century. The building now also is a National Historic Landmark.

Go to the Fayetteville History Museum

The Fayetteville History Museum is a museum that you can find at 325 Franklin Street inside of a historic railroad depot.

The museum is dedicated to telling the history of the city of Fayetteville, and you can find many different exhibits related to that here. The museum has two floors of exhibits.

The exhibits of the museum cover a period from the prehistory till the 20th century. Some of the objects that you can find here include historic vehicles and aircraft. Through these historic vehicles and aircraft, you can learn about the area’s history.

The museum has no admission fee, and you can visit the museum for free from Tuesday through Saturday.

If you’re looking for free activities in Fayetteville, you can also check out the events at the museum as there are often free events. For example, there are free events during the holiday season.

As this is an indoor activity, this is also great if you’re looking for rainy day activities in Fayetteville.

Address: 325 Franklin St, Fayetteville, NC 28301

Go to a Free Event at the Cumberland County Public Library

Building of the Cumberland County Public Library
Exterior of the Cumberland County Public Library – refrina / Shutterstock.com

A great place to go if you want to attend a free event is the Cumberland County Public Library, which is the city’s public library system.

The library has several branches where you can attend the events, and there’s likely one that is near you.

At the library, there are many different types of events and events for all ages that you can attend for free.

For example, for children, there are great story time events, LEGO free play events, and many other types of events.

For adults, there are often interesting workshops, there are book club meet-ups, and there are many other types of events.

The library system has a clear calendar, which makes it easy to decide which event you want to go to.

Address: 300 Maiden Ln, Fayetteville, NC 28301

Go to One of Fayetteville’s Art Galleries

Fayetteville is home to many art galleries and you can find several great ones in downtown Fayetteville.

At these art galleries, you can see all sorts of types of art made by local artists. For example, you can see interesting works of fine art here.

You can visit the art galleries for free and if you like a work they are available for purchase.

The Arts Center Gallery of the Arts Council of Fayetteville is a great place to see art as well. This is a small museum where you can see many different types of art for free. At this place, you can see both local as well as international art. Going to this museum is also one of the best date ideas in Fayetteville.

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Weekend trips from Fayetteville

Fayetteville Free Things To Do Tips

Planning to do something of this Fayetteville free things to do guide next week but you don’t know which day of the week? Some places in Fayetteville are free during some days of the week, so you should keep that in mind when deciding when you are going somewhere! I also recommend checking the calendar of a place that you plan on visiting to see when there’s a free event taking place.

Monument at the North Carolina Veterans Park
Monument at the North Carolina Veterans Park in Fayetteville – refrina / Shutterstock.com

Free Things To Do in Fayetteville Map


As you see, there’s a lot to do in the city if you don’t want to spend anything. I hope you liked the free things to do in Fayetteville, NC!

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