Sure, money is tight these days. But that doesn’t mean you have to give your cultural life the boot.

Indianapolis and the surrounding area are filled with free ways to explore the local arts scene, from street fairs to museums to music.

Here is your guide to some of the best deals we found this week and beyond:

Today is your last day to take in the spectacle that is the Talbot Street Art Fair. Now in its fifth decade, fans of art, jewelry and crafts can browse through the works of more than 260 artists along several city blocks on the Near Northside. Proceeds from the sale of art help provide college scholarships.Extra:Learn more about the fair and its co-chairwoman Joan Kisner on Page 6.

Details:Free admission, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. today. Talbott Street (16th to 20th, Pennsylvania to Delaware streets). www.talbotstreet.org, (317) 745-6479.

Forget Ben Stiller. Why not treat your kids to a night at The Children’s Museum? Staples such as the Dinosphere, ScienceWorks and Fireworks of Glass are still there, as is a limited exhibition focusing on “Star Wars.” You can’t go wrong. Even parking is free.

Details:Free, 4 to 8 p.m. the first Thursday of every month. The Children’s Museum, 3000 N. Meridian St.; www.childrensmuseum.org, (317) 334-3322.

Join Mindy Taylor Ross, director of public art for the Arts Council of Indianapolis and producer of the public art exhibition “George Rickey: An Evolution,” for three free walking tours of this Downtown sculpture show. (Meet at “Annular Eclipse V” by Chase Tower at the corner of Monument Circle and East Market Street.)

Details:Free, noon June 24, 3 p.m. July 19, 3 p.m. Aug. 16, www.paindy .org/rickey or (317) 631-3301.

Free concerts will be a draw when Spanish-language radio stations WEDJ-FM (107.1) and WSYW-AM (810) present the ninth annual El Da de la Familia (Family Day) Festival on Saturday at White River State Park’s Military Park. WEDJ’s syndicated morning host, Raul Brindis, is scheduled to introduce popular acts Los Amos de Nuevo Leon, El Guero y Su Banda Centenario, Dezatados and Dinastia Nortea. Food vendors will sell cuisine associated with Mexico, Colombia, El Salvador and Puerto Rico.

bDetails:/b Free, noon to 11 p.m. Saturday. Military Park, New York and West streets, www.wedjfm.com, (317) 924-1071.

Jazz music, wine and a garden. That’s what you get at Easley Winery every Tuesday and Saturday during its Groovin’ in the Garden series. Each May through September, the winery hosts live bands, people enjoying the tunes and great drinks. If you need food with your music, several Downtown restaurants will deliver right to your table. On Tuesday, groove to the sounds of the Second Wind Trio.

bDetails:/b Free admission (food and drinks cost); 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesdays, 2 to 5 p.m. Saturdays. Easley Winery, 205 N. College Ave., www.easleywinery.com, (317) 636-4516.

Children will have loads of fun during WFYI’s annual Let’s Meet PBS Kids in the Park event June 27 at Veterans Memorial Plaza and American Legion Mall. Fans will get the chance to meet more than a dozen of their favorite PBS characters, including Cookie Monster, Clifford, Arthur, Maya Miguel and Curious George. Interactive themed areas, food and live music will also be part of the day’s events.

bDetails:/b Free, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 27. Veterans Memorial Plaza and American Legion Mall, www.wfyi.org.

Looking for a place to check out awe-inspiring art for free? Look no further than the Indianapolis Museum of Art. From installations to paintings to sculptures, it’s all here. Right now, view Light and Space III, a three-story fluorescent light installation by Robert Irwin; 25 examples of fashions that feature flower motifs in the exhibition Fashion in Bloom; and other works of art.

bDetails:/b Free admission, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday and Friday, noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. 4000 Michigan Road; (317) 923-1331, www.imamuseum.org. bNote:/b The museum does charge for special exhibitions.

There are plenty of opportunities to move to the sounds of local musicians while Downtown — from the Indianapolis City Market’s Lunchtime Concert Series to the Indiana Historical Society’s Concerts on the Canal. Here’s a look at a few of the concerts coming up.

bCity Market:/b Wednesday, Greg Ziesmer; Friday, Xenobia Green; June 24, Bomar Ritter.

bIndiana Historical Society:/b Thursday, Indy Jazz Fest warmup with the IUPUI Jazz Ensemble and special guests; June 25, Music of the Americas with In-Fusion Latin Jazz.

bDetails:/b Free admission. City Market’s midday series is from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays on the West Plaza. The Indiana Historical Society’s concerts are every Thursday from 6 to 8 p.m. along the Canal Walk (401 W. Michigan St.). For more Downtown summer concerts, visit www.indydt.com/summer concerts09.cfm.

Since 1995, the Indianapolis Artsgarden has been a Downtown landmark, stretching over the four corners of Washington and Illinois streets. The glass dome has been the site of many free concerts in a variety of genres.

Here’s a sample of what’s coming up in hourlong concerts on the Artsgarden stage this week:

Chronicle, a folk-rock sextet led by Gary Antelept, performs at 2 p.m. today.

The Artsgarden Chamber Ensemble performs classical chamber music at 1 p.m. Wednesday.

Veteran jazz guitarist Bill Lancton brings in his quartet for standards and contemporary jazz at 12:15 p.m. Thursday.

The Circle Trio offers more jazz at 12:15 p.m. Friday.

bDetails:/b Free, various times. Indianapolis Artsgarden, Washington and Illinois streets, www.indyarts.org, (317) 624-2563.

It’s not every day that Indianapolis fine art shows feature photography — and even fewer exhibitions focus exclusively on what can be done with a well-trained lens. Check out some of the best photographers in Indianapolis as they focus on the purest form of their art with a show made up completely of black and white images.

bDetails:/b Free, 5 to 9 p.m. July 3 (opening reception). Dean Johnson Gallery, 646 Massachusetts Ave., www.dean johnson.com, (317) 634-8020. Exhibition runs through July 30.

Bargain hunters can catch more than a dozen musical acts on two stages for free at CarmelFest on Independence Day weekend. The Wright Brothers, Healing Sixes and Gordon Bonham Blues Band are part of the lineup. Don’t miss the Fourth of July parade or fireworks, either.

bDetails:/b Free, noon to 10 p.m. July 3, noon to 11 p.m. July 4. Carmel Civic Square, 1 Civic Square, www.carmelfest.net, (317) 571-2400.

Known as an unofficial kick-off to Indiana Black Expo’s Summer Celebration (which is scheduled July 9-19 this year), the fourth annual Blues and Bar-B-Q Family Reunion unites fans of food and music on Indiana Avenue. Guitarist and Alligator Records artist Michael Burks headlines a free blues lineup July 10 that includes the W.T. Feaster Band, Harvey and the Bluetones and the Stella Bass Band.

bDetails:/b Free, 4 p.m. to midnight July 10. Between the Madame Walker Theatre Center, 617 Indiana Ave., and the Indianapolis Urban League, 777 Indiana Ave., www.indybluesbbq.com, (317) 236-2099.

White River State Park is the place to be this summer when the 2009 Family Arts Series kicks into high gear. Themed Free Shows Where the Grass Grows, the series is filled with performances the entire family can enjoy.

Here’s a look at the schedule:

July 11, 6 p.m. FUNtastic Classic performance headlined by Bill Harley, Grammy Award-winning storyteller, with local storyteller Bob Sander and the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra.

July 25, 6 p.m. Dance Kaleidoscope performs two works plus an interactive educational session. Preceded by a community drumming circle at 5:15 p.m. featuring the Bongo Boy Music School.

July 31 and Aug. 1, 8 p.m. Heartland Actors’ Repertory Theatre production of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing.

Aug. 29, 7 p.m. Jazz in the Park with Cathy Morris, on electric violin, and Friends.

bDetails:/b Free. Performance times vary depending on the day. White River State Park, 801 W. Washington St., www.inwhiteriver.org.

Grab your lawn chair, picnic basket and a few of your best friends and head to the American Legion Mall on July 19 for a night of real RB music. Maze featuring Frankie Beverly will headline this free concert — part of Indiana Black Expo’s Summer Celebration. Fans can groove to several of the band’s classic songs, including Can’t Get Over You and Back in Stride. But the night will begin with the contemporary RB sounds of singer Musiq Soulchild.

bDetails:/b Free, 6 p.m. July 19. American Legion Mall, 401 N. Meridian St., www.indianablackexpo.com, (317) 925-2702.