By Maryann Hammers

 

Everyone loves a bargain. We’ve rounded up a batch of exceptional offers — with prices starting at free — on attractions, activities, and accommodations. Most of the deals are limited to active duty servicemembers, but some extend to retirees and veterans.

 

Northern California Guest Ranch

 

A stay at Coffee Creek Ranch in the beautiful Trinity Alps wilderness means horseback riding, gold panning, and line dancing — or as the website describes the experience: “A taste of southern hospitality blended with Old West culture … from howdy to adios.”

 

Active duty servicemembers and their families get 50 percent off the all-inclusive rates (includes three all-you-can-eat meals daily, plus activities from Bingo to barbecues, bonfires, boating, badminton, and daily horseback riding). Regular rates are $275 a day or $1,375 a week (all-inclusive), so if you’re an active duty servicemember, cut those prices in half. Veterans get the same half-off deal during Memorial Day weekend (be sure to book by March 27) and veterans’ week (Nov. 7-13 — book by September 12). Call (800) 624-4480 for details or to make reservations.

 

The Players Championship in Florida

 

Like golf? Don’t miss The Players Championship, May 5-10, 2015, with free admission and more for servicemembers (active duty, Reserve, retired, and dependents). Non-retired veterans get discounted tickets starting at $15. Other military perks include:

 

• Receive complimentary, unlimited food and drink at the Birdies for the Brave Patriots’ Outpost;
• Military Appreciation Day (Tuesday, May 5, 2015) is dedicated to those who have served;
• The Military Job Fair offers access to dozens of companies with hiring opportunities; and
• Operation Shower is a group baby shower for military moms-to-be whose husbands are deployed.

 

To get your free tickets, here.

Florida Aquarium

 

Clearwater Marine Aquarium, a nonprofit working marine rescue center, is home to rescued dolphins, sea turtles, river otters, stingrays, nurse sharks, and more. Active duty servicemembers get free admission (regular rate is $19.95), and retired servicemembers can purchase tickets through MacDill AFB for $5.

 

“Many military [members] have found inspiration in visiting [the aquarium], as this is home to Winter the dolphin, who has a prosthetic tail,” says Amy Binder, the aquarium’s spokesperson. “Also, the gel that Winter uses for her prosthetic to make it more comfortable is now being used on humans, and many wounded military use Winter's gel with their human prosthetics.” Call (727) 441-1790 for more information.

 

Resort in San Antonio, Texas

 

The active duty servicemember rate at the luxurious four-diamond JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa is $115 — about half the standard $229 nightly rate. An additional resort fee is optional. With two championship golf courses, a water park, lazy river, and water slides, this resort will please everyone in the family. Book online, and click on Government Military. Call (888) 236-2427 for more information.

 

Vermont Skiing

 

If you live in Vermont and currently serve in the military, you and your immediate family can ski free at Jay Peak with a free season pass, plus a 50-percent discount on equipment rentals and free skiing or riding lessons in the afternoons. Get your free passes at the Customer Service Center at Tramside, just beneath the tram station.

 

Upscale And Boutique Hotels, Nationwide

 

From Beverly Hills to Boston, the management company Gemstone Hotels and Resorts owns and operates luxurious and upscale urban hotels and resorts nationwide. The company recently launched a "Military Honors" Program offering active duty servicemembers a 50-percent discount for up to two rooms at Gemstone-owned or -operated hotels or resorts. Servicemembers who have returned home from any overseas deployment within the past six months get a room rate of $65 with the company’s "Welcome Home" program. (Military orders of transfer from an overseas location are required at check-in.) “It is our sincere hope that returning warriors will use this offer to reconnect with their loved ones," says Paul D'Andrea, a retired Army veteran and Gemstone's regional vice president. For more information and a list of participating hotels, click here.