International Museum Day is upon us! And for this reason, May 17 and 18, 2012, are great days to get out and enjoy the local museums.

Friday, May 18, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Seattle Art Museum and Seattle Asian Art Museum are open to the public for free! All exhibits in both buildings are open for this deal.

Tacoma Art Museum is combining International Museum Day with its monthly Third Thursday event. On Thursday, May 17, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., TAM admission is free and there will be some special events centered around Tacoma's Bike Month, including free posters and a film screening.

Museum of Glass in Tacoma is also open for free for Third Thursday from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m.

Summer camp is one of the best things to do for kids over the summer. Most summer camp programs last a matter of days, while others last a couple weeks. Most are day camps, requiring little more than dropping the kids off in the morning and picking them up in the afternoon. Most have options of full days or half days. Still, if you want your kids to have that quintessential away-from-home overnight summer camp, there are those as well. Specifically, look to Wilderness Awareness School or the YMCA.

No matter what your kids are into, summer camps in the Seattle area can accommodate. Learn about theatre or performing arts at Seattle Art Museum or Camp ZinZanni. Kick a soccer ball around with the Sounders Summer Camp program, or shoot some hoops with the Seattle Storm programs. Or even learn how to program a computer or write a play with the University of Washington's many courses available to kids and teens!

On May 12 and 13, Pike Place Market ensures you won't go empty handed if you need flowers for Mother's Day.

The market always has some of the most beautiful flowers in town, but the Pike Place Market Flower Festival brings out about 40 bonus tents, filled with flower merchants and an eye-popping display of color. There is also a free Card Making Booth where everyone can create a personalized card for Mom.

The festival lines Pike Street between Pine and Virginia. The festival hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday.

New Content Alert: Seattle Events for July 2012

Gig Harbor is a small town just on the other side of the Narrows Bridge from Tacoma. In May 2012, this town of just over 7,000 residents right along the shores of the Puget Sound was voted as one of the 20 Best Small Towns in America by Smithsonian.com.

What makes Gig Harbor so special? For starters, the harbor area is adorable. Shops and art galleries line the streets along the water. Restaurants join in as well, providing casual eateries and fine dining, both with water views. Try the Tides Tavern, the local Anthony's, or Morso, a wine bar with its own gallery space.

Away from the harbor, the town is largely residential with ample park spaces and towering evergreens lining its winding streets. To see Gig Harbor from another view, park at War Memorial Park in Tacoma and walk across the Narrows Bridge.