If your home is lacking in New World deer decorum, then I've got great news for you. For what I'm guessing is a very limited time, you can sign up here and receive a free Moosejaw flag. This will look great up on the mantle next to my reindeer banner.
Outdoors
Request free outdoor samples and freebies for your garden, hike, or next trip to the park. Common freebies include sunscreen, seeds, park admission, and more!
Free State Maps & Travel Guides
Below you'll find a full list of free state maps available from most state tourism departments. As a backup, I've also linked to any state Department of Transportation that give away free maps, both online or physically mailed to your house.
Almost every state offers a full map in their visitor's guide. For the DOT links, virtually all of them offer multiple free, highly detailed online .pdfs of their highways, roads, and other travel methods.
On top of that, many DOTS (I'd guesstimate 40ish) also have some sort of “click here to order a physical map” link. If you're looking for a highway map you can stash in your car's glovebox, this is the link you want to look for on your state's DOT site. You might have to click “highway map” or “road map” before the order form will appear. You might even want to click “Maps” in the menu bar and do a fresh search, because like I said, it's an option for most states!
If you manage to find a dot map or order form that I missed, please let me know. Here's to never getting lost again!
Free Alabama State Map – This is the first .travel website I've ever seen. Cool story, huh? (al dot map)
Free Alaska State Map – Here's the first case of “so, does this come with a map?” (ak dot map)
Free Arizona State Map – Their site promotes “Old West activities.” The heck is that? Like riding around on a horse and shooting pistols in the air? If so, then Arizona here I come! (az dot map)
Free Arkansas State Map – They have a plethora of travel brochures and even a Living in Arkansas guide for those considering moving there. Wait, where are you going? (ar dot map)
Free California State Map – It's no wonder they offer a free map given how many freaking tourism commercial they run! (ca dot map)
Free Colorado State Map – Their site tagline is “come to life.” Sounds like they're reanimating the dead out there. (co dot map)
Free Connecticut State Map – They don't update their site too often, but at least they finally offer a free map with their tourism guide. (ct dot map)
Free Delaware State Map – The only thing I know about Delaware is that Vice President Biden lives there and it's the only state without a commercial airport. No wonder people are looking for highway maps here! (de dot map)
Free Florida State Map – When I first made this list in 2009, there was an “Authentic Florida Expert” everywhere on the site. She looked like a stereotypical grandma, but now she's nowhere to be seen. Uh oh, you know what that means… (fl dot map)
Free Georgia State Map – If I know Georgia, they'll also send you a peach. (ga dot map)
Free Hawaii State Map – Screw the map, their site has some cool pictures of volcanoes and lava! (hi dot map)
Free Idaho State Map – Not only do they have free maps, but Idaho even offers a free children's brochure. It's just a single page that says “hope you like potatoes,” but at least it's something. (id dot map)
Free Illinois State Map – Every time I visit Illinois, I lean into their state name and always drop the S at the end of words. It drives my friends bananas. (il dot map)
Free Indiana State Map – Indiana earns the distinction of being the first state site I've seen with a prominently displayed “free things to do here!” section. I guess that's what it takes to get people to come to anywhere in Indiana outside of Pawnee. (in dot map)
Free Iowa State Map – Just the place to go if you're really excited Presidential elections a full year ahead of time. (ia dot map)
Free Kansas State Map – Quick, can you name three cities in Kansas?! Neither could I. (ks dot map)
Free Kentucky State Map – Their state logo is by far the best I've seen yet. (ky dot map)
Free Louisiana State Map – I have nothing bad to say about Louisiana because New Orleans lets you walk around with alcohol TO GO. (la dot map)
Free Maine State Map – While signing up they want you to “be sure to indicate which regions of Maine and activities interest you.” Uhhh, does eating lobster and telling people I've been to Maine count as interests? (me dot map)
Free Maryland State Map – I can't tell you the number of times the state of Maryland has screwed me over, so visit with caution. I hated Baltimore years before The Wire ever aired. (md dot map)
Free Massachusetts State Map – I've still yet to ever correctly spell this state's name. It's the only item on my Bucket List I doubt I'll ever accomplish. (ma dot map)
Free Michigan State Map – Michigan's page has a section called “Air Zoo.” We can finally see when pigs fly! (mi dot map)
Free Minnesota State Map – Minnesota has over 11,000 lakes. I want maps for each and every one of them. (mn dot map)
Free Mississippi State Map – I always forget how to spell this state. What comes after the M again? (ms dot maps)
Free Missouri State Map – Their site advertises that internships are available. For the whole state? (mo dot maps)
Free Montana State Map – They offer a free winter guide in addition to the state map, but I can give you said guide right here. Step 1: stay inside. Step 2: go outside once spring arrives. (mt dot map)
Free Nebraska State Map – Nebraska wants us to “share the road trip.” See, even their own tourism board thinks the best part of Nebraska is driving away from it! (ne dot map)
Free Nevada State Map – Fill out the form you'll get a free state maps for the price of none! (nv dot map)
Free New Hampshire State Map – Their phone number is 800-FUN-IN-NH. I wonder how many people call it looking for 800-DUNG-ON-I. (nh dot map)
Free New Jersey State Map – “It's never too early to begin planning your next New Jersey getaway vacation!” Really? Fine, I want to book a room for August 10-12, 2081. (nj dot map)
Free New Mexico State Map – NM should capitalize on Breaking Bad and change their slogan to “Come for the meth. Stay for nature.” (nm dot map)
Free New York State Map – I always thought the “I Heart NY” campaign was for the city, not the state. Shows what I know. (ny dot map)
Free North Carolina State Map – They offer a free winery and Civil War travel guide. It's as if they were targeting me alone. (nc dot map)
Free North Dakota State Map – I heard North Dakota exists, guess it's not a myth! (nd dot map)
Free Ohio State Map – Their website used to be called DiscoverOhio.com. But then Ohio 2 was discovered and they've been awfully quiet ever since. (oh dot map)
Free Oklahoma State Map – I'm kind of interested in their additional “Agritourism Map.” Is this a tourist industry that Oklahoma made up? (ok dot map)
Free Oregon State Map – I love that they also offer an official kid's guide to Oregon. Like it's that complicated. “Hey kids! Are your parents coming here? Then so are you! Now shut it.” (or dot map)
Free Pennsylvania State Map – The last time I drove through PA, I paid around $12 trillion dollars in tolls. This is me right now thinking about my next road trip through the state. (pa dot map)
Free Rhode Island State Map – Their site says “put down that spreadsheet, tear yourself away from your inbox for a second, and fill out this form.” Uhhh … RUN, THEY'RE WATCHING US THROUGH OUR COMPUTERS!! (dot maps)
Free South Carolina State Map – Home state, represent! Don't be fooled by the domain name, it's legit. We're a sneaky bunch, just ask Major Robert Anderson. (sc dot map)
Free South Dakota State Map – Ok, wait a minute here. South Carolina's slogan: Smiling Faces, Beautiful Places. South Dakota's slogan: Great Faces, Great Places. It's like South Dakota wasn't even trying! (sd dot map)
Free Tennessee State Map – I doubt their slogan of “we're playing your song” is accurate. I didn't hear any polka music being played. (tn dot map)
Free Texas State Map – Their travel guide is 272 freaking pages long! That's not a guide, it's a book. (tx dot map page)
Free Utah State Map – I'm extremely disappointed Utah removed the separate checkbox for German visitors, as it completely ruined my Utah being a vacation mecca for Germans joke. Their DOT only has a high-res map to view, but you can still get a highway map from the first link. (ut dot map)
Free Vermont State Map – I'm not sure how all the seasonal maps differ from each other, but it's nice knowing that I have so many options with them. (vt dot map)
Free Virginia State Map – I once living in Virginia. It was as exciting as this story. (va dot map)
Free Washington D.C. Map – Our nation's capital isn't quite a state (even though it should be!), but you can get a free map via their visitor's guide. (dc dot map)
Free Washington State Map – As a Mariners fan and frequent traveler to the Pacific Northwest, I must say I absolutely love this section of the world. (wa dot map)
Free West Virginia State Map – I image WV looking like a scene from Justified but with more coal and moonshine. (wv dot map)
Free Wisconsin State Map – I spent some time in Wisconsin once. Believe the hype. They've got some good cheese. (wi dot map)
Free Wyoming State Map I updated their slogan to “Wyoming: Forever west. Until continental drift takes care of that.” (wy dot map)
Free National Park Maps – This website has over 1,600 high-res scans of national parks! You can search by state or alphabetically, as well as download many of them.
That took a lot longer than I thought it would. I need a vacation.
Free La Roche-Posay Sunscreen
Here's a new signup form that offers some free La Roche-Posay sunscreen. This Anthelios Clear Skin oil-free SPF 60 sunscreen is intended for your face, which is super convenient because that's where the sun shines a lot.
They also claim to “help absorb excess oil and reduce shine,” which totally sounds fake. It also has a “powerful antioxidant complex to help protect skin from free radicals caused by UV rays.”
Mmmhmmmm.
Previous Freebie β May 2020
This freebie only lasted two days last time around!
I could have used this during my last vacation. Let's just say it's real easy to lose track of time drinking and relaxing while in Portugal π My beard was the only thing that kept my full head from turning bright red by the end of my trip! Luckily, I managed to escape just before the giant heat wave hit.
Free Aloe Up Sunscreen Lotion
Fill out this short form and receive 2 free sample packs of Aloe Up Sport SPF 30 Sunscreen Lotion. These freebies should ship within 2-4 business days.
Free Vegetable & Food Seeds
Alpha Foods is running a “grow your own meat” campaign where they'll send us free packets of food & vegetable seeds! There are three packages of seeds and I think they're going to send us all three!
GROW YOUR OWN POT PIE
- Green Pepper Seeds
- Onion Seeds
- Garlic Cloves
- Sunflower Seeds
- Soy Seeds
- Wheat Seeds
- Tomato Seeds
GROW YOUR OWN BURRITO
- Sunflower Seeds
- Corn Seeds
- Onion Seeds
- Soy Seeds
- Wheat Seeds
- Green Pepper Seeds
- Cayenne Pepper Seeds
GROW YOUR OWN CHIKβN NUGGETS
- Corn Seeds
- Onion Seeds
- Sunflower Seeds
- Soy Seeds
- Wheat Seeds
- Garlic Cloves
I can't wait to plant a few of these in my windowsill. I've got the cutest little potting plants that my cat will love to knock on the floor at 2am!
Free NASA Autographed Astronaut Photo
According to NASA's Kennedy Space Center FAQ page, you can get a free autographed picture of an astronaut simply by asking!
Q. How can I obtain an autographed picture of an astronaut?
A. You may write or fax your request to the following address for astronaut autographed pictures:NASA Johnson Space Center
CB/Astronaut Office
Houston, TX 77058
Here's an official list of active astronauts with direct links to their social media pages. Who knows, maybe you're about to discover your newest favorite spacefaring human!
Free Wildflower Seed Card
Arm & Hammer is giving away a free wildflower seed card to the first 155,000 people to sign up. They're only at 85,000 right now, so you've got a little time.
Seed cards are basically biodegradable business cards with little seeds in them. You then plant the card, the paper breaks down into plant nourishment through a complicated process that one scientist referred to as “no comment Goob, stop calling my home phone,” and then a few months later you've got a free plant!
You might have to copy and paste the link for it to work, so here ya go.
https://www.armandhammer.com/en/earthdaygiveaway
Your free seed card should arrive in 4-6 weeks.
Free Wildflower Seeds
Airwick is running a new giveaway where they'll send free seeds to plant in your yard. I'm guessing they want us to help make the air smell better.
Hey, wait a minute, that's Air Wick's job! π
Other Free Seeds
In 2016, Bayer ran a campaign giving away flower seeds so we could help our local bees. That offer has long since expired, but luckily I found a new offer today for free wildflower seeds aiming to help both bees and butterflies!
Choose from either Black-Eyed Susans or Butterfly Milkweed seeds and plant them in your yard. Once grown, they'll help keep your local bees & butterflies find pollinator-friendly plants. It's a tough world out there for bees. First they have to deal with colony collapse disorder, then there was that whole weird Seinfeld movie, and yet now their worst nightmare has come true as they can't find flowers to pollinate!
They also released this little video. It's a bit old now, but it's cute and has upbeat music and isn't that all we really need right now?
Free Cigarette Butt Pouches
Marlboro isn't the only tobacco company giving away freebies! American Spirit is once again offering free cigarette butt pouches to help keep from littering the Earth with your used butts. Annnnnnd now I'm giggling like an 8 year old.
These portable litter devices help keep the environment clean while letting you smoke on the go without leaving a trace behind. You can also request them every two weeks!
If you're having trouble, log into American Spirits, then click the link above and click the “Butt Pouches” header nav link. You should now see a “GET FREE BUT POUCHES” link.
These freebies are typically available this time of year in celebration of Earth Day, but they also randomly restock throughout the year.
Free Lowe’s Garden-to-Go Kits – Free Tree Sapling this week!
In addition to their free monthly kid's DIY kit, Lowe's is also offering free Garden-to-Go kits during the month of April. Each week at midnight ET Thursday, you can reserve a kit. Then you'll pick it up curbside at your local store.
Beginning April 1, customers can register on Lowes.com for free Garden-to-Go kits. The first curbside event will be held on April 8 and then occur each Thursday through the rest of the month. These family-friendly activity kits can be reserved on Lowes.com starting one week before each event and kits include:
April 8: Garden-to-Go kit sponsored by Miracle-Gro with exclusive recipes from professional cook and food stylist Amanda Frederickson.
April 15: Lowe's Mystery Garden Pinata with mystery seed packets.
April 22: 500,000 tree saplings given out in honor of Earth Day. βͺ This week's freebie! Registration opens on Thursday, April 15 at 12am ET. You'll need to pick up your free sapling curbside on Thursday, April 22, between 5-7 p.m.
April 29: Lowe's Butterfly Quest which helps families create a butterfly garden.
My brain initially read “sponsored by Miracle-Gro” as “sponsored by Miracle Whip” and BOY'd Crowder was I confused for a hot minute.
Free National Park Trip Planning Kits
Today I found these free National Park trip planners for places like Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Grand Canyon, Black Hills, and more! These are great freebies to pair with your next free National Parks Admission day trips!
These guides include trip planner publications, park maps, email newsletters, and travel information and deals from their preferred travel partners. Some of the parks offer unique travel guides on road tripping to visit them. For instance, the Yellowstone guide includes places to check out while driving from Salt Lake City, Chicago, or Denver.
- Free Badlands & Black Hills trip planner
- Free Colorado National Park trip planner – This is for Rocky Mountain National Park, Great Sand Dunes, Black Canyon of the Gunnison and Mesa Verde
- Free Glacier National Park trip planner
- Free Grand Canyon trip planner
- Free Grand Teton trip planner
- Free Great Smoky Mountains trip planner
- Free Olympic National Park trip planner
- Free Rocky Mountain National Park trip planner
- Free Utah National Parks trip planner
- Free Winter Glacier trip planner
- Free Yellowstone trip planner
- Free Yosemite trip planner
According to National Park Trips, each guide should include the following:
- Our favorite road trips to the parks launching from cities with major airports and other popular launching points. Some road trips include itineraries for multiple parks.
- Overview of national park entrances and their closest gateway towns.
- Basic national park maps so you can get your bearings.
- Guides to lodging inside the parks
- Wildlife-watching field guides.
- Itineraries of the best things to do in the parks.
- A packing list
- Park entrance fees
- And more
Ohhh, I love “and more!”
Free 2021 National Parks Admission Dates – Next is August 4!
The next free National Parks admission day is right around the corner. These 5 annual freebie go great with our free highway maps list!
So get out there, breathe in some fresh air, and report back to me how relaxing and peaceful it is. Just don't take your family! I went with mine last year and long story short, they left me behind. Unfortunately for them, I'm like one of those cool dogs from a Reader's Digest story and I walked all the way home in just under a week.
2021 Free National Park Admission Dates
- January 18: Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.
- April 17: First day of National Park Week
- August 4: One year anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act
- August 25: National Park Service Birthday
- September 25: National Public Lands Day
- November 11: Veterans Day
I've written about these free National Park Admission days since they debuted in 2009 and the numbers are finally in. Hiffers love them! Maybe you could even end up like Mikah Meyer and visit all 419 National Parks! It only took him 3 years. π
If you can't make it out to your local National Park, you can do the next best thing and read up on some parks! Sure, it's not the same as actually visiting, but it has significantly fewer mosquitoes and poison ivy patches.