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New Zoo Revue: These Halloween animal (and uh, alien) masks aren't free, but they can be, if you act now and take advantage of what's known as "the five-finger discount." Wait, There's More... Museums and Stuff Coyote Point Museum Off Highway 101 near the Dore exit, San Mateo; admission is free the first Wednesday of each month; 650.342.7755 Herbert Hoover Memorial Exhibit Pavilion Hoover Tower, Stanford; Tue-Sat, 11am-4pm; 650.723.3563 The pavilion hosts rotating exhibits of historical materials from the Hoover Institution Archives documenting aspects of modern history. Lathrop House 627 Hamilton St., Redwood City; 650.365.5564 This restored historic home once served as the resident of Benjamin G. Lathrop, an early government official in San Mateo County. Museum of Pez Memorabilia 214 California Dr., Burlingame; Tue-Sat 10am-6pm; 650.347.2301 A display of the famed candy dispenser. Moss Beach Distillery 140 Beach Way (off Highway 1), Moss Beach; Mon-Sat noon-8:30pm, Sun 10am-8:30pm; 650.728.5595, www.mossbeachdistillery.com. Prohibition days linger in the memory at the historic distillery, which displays photos of that bygone era. A full menu is served, but taking a look around is free. Pigeon Point Lighthouse 210 Pigeon Point Rd., Hwy. 1, Pescadero; Sat-Sun 10:30am-4pm; 650.879.2120 The lighthouse proper is being repaired, but visitors can tour the grounds. Sunset Magazine Gardens 80 Willow Rd., Menlo Park; Mon-Fri 9am-4:30pm; 650.321.3600 The display gardens, originally designed by Thomas Church, are a constant source of inspiration to regional gardeners. U.S. Geological Survey 345 Middlefield Rd., Menlo Park; Mon-Fri 8am-4pm; 650.329.4000 Displays about the work of this earth-science agency are open to the public. The Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley 3027 Penitencia Creek Rd., San Jose; 408.929.9453, www.wcsv.org It doesn't cost anything to volunteer, and since it's baby-animal season, the center could use some extra help. Services for Nada Yahoo Yahoo offers a useful free email service: http://mail.yahoo.com/?.intl=us. Also, try http://www.all-free-isp.com (you can search by area code for a list of free--or free-trial--email account services). craigslist.org Most listings (looking for a rental, that kind of thing) are free. Check www.craigslist.org for details. Also look for South Bay swap list at www.craigslist.org/sby/bar Linux Linus Torvalds' operating system is still free. www.linux.org Los Altos Rancho Shopping Center Free concerts are held Wednesdays, 6-9pm, in July and August at the shopping center. Check www.rancholosaltos.com for details. Secondhand Smoke Helpline 408.999.0500, www.lungsrus.org/Tobacco/Second%20Hand%20Smoke/ secondhandsmokehelpline.html No-cost assistance for Santa Clara County residents; the helpline is staffed weekdays 9am-5pm. Santa Clara Valley Software Quality Association http://www.ventanatech.com/ssqa/index.htm The association meets the second Tuesday (6:30pm) of every month to talk about subjects of interest to quality engineers and software developers. Meetings take place at Sun Microsystems, 3975 Freedom Cir., Santa Clara and are free and open to the public. Santa Clara City Library The library offers a wide range of free programs; see www.library.ci.santa-clara.ca.us/about-the-library/programs.html internet for details Nova Youth@Work www.youthatwork.org A free website designed to help teens find job opportunities in Santa Clara, San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties. From Us to You Metro has been free since 1985. We offer instant dining reservations on SanJose.com and you can place a free auto line ad by calling our Classifieds Department at 408.200.1305. Send a letter to the editor about this story to letters@metronews.com. [ Silicon Valley | Metroactive Home | Archives ]