Frugal families know and like inexpensive (or even free!) places to spend quality time together and maybe even throw in a little education as well.

Riverside and San Diego counties have some great places to spend an afternoon with the kids without breaking the bank.

There are several family-friendly spots in Riverside County and Carlsbad that will brighten your day and not put a dent in your wallet.

If you have a Bank of America card you can get in free to select museums in Escondido, San Diego and Riverside on the first Saturday and Sunday of March and April.

Admission is free for the California Center for the Arts in Escondido, the Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institute in San Diego and the Riverside Art Museum in Riverside (the museum is closed on Sundays).

Civil War history buffs will love the Lincoln Memorial Shrine in Redlands, located behind their gorgeous library.

The museum has manuscripts, diaries, photographs and artifacts from the American Civil War and is the only museum west of the Mississippi River dedicated to the study of Abraham Lincoln.

It is open from 1 to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and is free. The museum is closed on Sunday and Monday and is at 125 W. Vine St. in Redlands.

California Citrus State Historical Park is a lovely state park at 9400 Dufferin Ave. in Riverside.

There are orange, lemon, and grapefruit groves and everyone can enjoy the amphitheater, picnic area, demonstration groves, activity center and interpretive structure where you can see the history of Southern California and Riverside recreated with delightful sets, murals and reproductions.

Part of the park was designed to look like a turn-of-the-century small-town park where families would regularly gather for summer picnics and listen to band music.

The visitor’s center is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. The rest of the park is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday through Saturday until April, when the park is open until 7 p.m.

Parking is $4 and the visitor’s center is free for children and $2 for adults.

In Carlsbad Advertisement

Diamond 8 Cinemas you can spend hours immersed in beauty at the Flower Fields of Carlsbad. The fields are open to the public from March 1 to May 10 seven days a week.

There is a miniature rose garden, wagon rides ($5 for moms and dads, $3 for kids ages 3 to 10), a maze made of sweet pea plants, a huge American flag made of flowers and acres and acres of the most beautiful blooms you’ve ever seen.

On March 28, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. the Flower Fields is having their annual Kids’ Day.

There will be science adventures, face painting, animal balloons, hands-on tables from Legoland and even snow and sledding at Santa’s Playground beginning at noon.

Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Boys & Girls Club members, AWANAs and Campfire kids who wear their uniforms or bring identification get flower seeds, pots and soil for planting their own blooming plant for free!

Admission to the Flower Fields is $10 for adults and $5 for children 3 to 10. Season passes are $20 for adults and $10 for children 3 to 10.

Once you see (and smell) how wonderful the Flower Fields are you’ll want to come back again and again, so the season passes are a great deal.

The Flower Fields are at 5704 Paseo del Norte in Carlsbad.

For photo buffs, there is the California Museum of Photography in Riverside.

An extension of the University of California, Riverside the museum is free from noon to 5 p.m. on the first Thursday of every month and the first Sundays of February, March, April, May, October, November and December.

Currently there are exhibits featuring photographs of Marilyn Monroe, "The Screen of Nature: Early Photography of the West" and works by Andy Warhol. These exhibits end April 4.

Permanent collections include old Kodak Brownies and Zeiss Ikon cameras as well as hundreds of remarkable photographic works of art.

Admission is regularly $3 for adults, but students with ID, kids under 12 and seniors (60-plus) are free all the time.

The California Museum of Photography is at 3824 Main St. in Riverside.