Update: I’ve bumped this post up to today, Veteran’s Day, to remind you all about all the opportunities from businesses to thank our men & women who have served (or are currently serving) our country. And I want to give a big thank you to all of you who are active-duty military, reservists, retired & veterans of the military – as well as all the military spouses & families – thank you for your dedication & service to our country! And I want to give a special thank you to my husband Ben for his service in the Coast Guard (active & reserves), my dad for over 3o years in the Navy & my father-in-law John for his service in the Air Force.
Veteran’s Day is coming up this next week on Thursday November 11th, so I wanted to highlight all of the different offers available for active duty military, retired military & veterans. This an opportunity for businesses to say thank you to the men & women who are currently serving or who have served our country in the past, who have sacrificed their lives for our freedom!
National Freebies:
- National Parks – FREE Entrance at more than 100 National Parks on Thursday November 11th (this is available to anyone, not just veterans)
- Colonial Williamsburg (for my East Coast readers) – They offer FREE admission from November 6th – November 11th for all active duty, retired & veterans & their dependents
- Knott’s Berry Farm: Active Duty & Veterans can get FREE admission for you & one guest & purchase up to 6 discounted admission tickets for $15/ea (with valid military ID). This is valid from November 1st – Thanksgiving Day
- Outback Steakhouse – Free Bloomin’ Onion & Beverage from 11am – 11pm at participating Outback Steakhouse Restaurants for veterans & active duty military
- BJ’s Restaurant – FREE lunch entree or one topping mini pizza for dinner for active-duty military & veterans on Thursday 11/11 all day.
- McCormick & Schmick’s – FREE Entree (lunch or dinner) from a select menu on Sunday November 7th at participating restaurants for veterans & active duty military. They strongly recommend calling ahead for recommendations as space is limited. Bring military ID
- Krispy Kreme – Free doughnut from participating Krispy Kreme stores for all active-duty, retired & veterans on Thursday November 11th. You will be able to choose from a number of different varieties
- Applebee’s – Free entree from select menu on Thursday November 11th at participating locations for active duty military & veterans
- Chili’s – Free entree from select menu on Thursday 11/11 at participating locations for active duty & military. Must show proof of military service
- Golden Corral – Free meal for active duty & veterans on Monday November 15th from 5pm – 9pm
- Subway – Select Subway stores will offer a FREE 6″ sub for all active duty military or veterans. Definitely call ahead to confirm as this will vary by franchise
- Build-A-Bear Workshop stores – 20% discount from November 11 – 15th for active-duty military
- Sleep Number Stores – Offering a FREE travel pillow to all active-duty military & retired thru November 14th. You just need to head into any store & find your “sleep number” setting
- Sport Clips – Offering a FREE haircut to active-duty military & veterans at select locations. Call your location ahead of time to see if they’re participating.
- Cabela’s – Offering their employee discount to all veterans, active-duty military and reserves, law enforcement, fire and EMS personnel on Nov. 11-12. Discounts vary from 5% to 50%, depending on the item. {I have not confirmed this online; however, this is information that has been distributed by the military to their members}
- Sam’s Club – Over 36,000 Hugo canes will be given out to veterans in need of mobility assistance. This will take place on November 10, 11, & 12th. You don’t need to be a member of Sam’s Club, but supplies are limited. Check with your local store for more details.
- Lowe’s & Home Depot – Extra 10% off discount for all active duty military, retirees & veterans on Veteran’s Day. Just make sure to bring valid military ID. {This extra 10% off is actually available at all times for military,retirees, their immediate family members & disabled veterans. And then it’s available to all military veterans on Veteran’s Day, Memorial Day & 4th of July as well.}
- Dollar General- 10% discount on your entire purchase for active-duty military, veterans & reservists & immediate family members on Veteran’s Day.
- Fashion Bug – 20% off all plus-size and misses clothing purchases with a copy of military ID or spouse’s military ID on Veteran’s Day, 11/11
Northwest Freebies:
- Famous Dave’s restaurant – Famous Dave’s is offering different types of promotions depending on the location. Go HERE for the list of all the different promotions by state. For WA & OR, they are offering a FREE meal off of a special menu {Rib & Meat Combo or a Sandwich (pork, brisket, BBQ chicken or tri-tip) and one side}. This is also supposed to work for to-go orders. Available at Everett, Tukwila, Kennewick, Puyallup, Silverdale, & Tacoma. Also the Tualatin, OR restaurant. Thanks Maygan!
- The Ram Restaurant – They are offering Buy 1 entree, get 1 FREE for active-duty military & veterans on Thursday November 11th
- Brown Bear Car Wash– FREE Car Wash at all Brown Bear Tunnel Wash locations. Just identify yourself as active duty or a veteran to the wash attendant & you’ll get a free wash. Find a location near you. Thanks Thrifty & Thriving!
- Dick’s Drive-In – Free hamburger or cheeseburger at all 5 Seattle Dick’s Drive-In locations on Thursday November 11th from 10:30am until closing time. This is available for all veterans & active-duty – just bring some form of military ID or wear your uniform. Thanks FB Fan Nichole!
- Oregon Zoo – FREE admission to the Oregon Zoo on Thursday November 11th for active-duty military & veterans with proof of military service
- Point Defiance Zoo – Free admission to the zoo for retired military. Dependents can receive $3 off general admission. Valid on Thursday November 11th only. Veteran ID required
- Northwest Trek – Free admission on Thursday 11/11 to retired military (but it also says Veterans at the top of the page, so I’d call about that). Accompanying family members can receive $3 off admission.
- Museum of Glass, Tacoma Art Museum, & the WA State History Museum (in Tacoma) – offering FREE admission to active-duty, veterans & retired military
- Fred Meyer – Extra 10% off for active-duty & veterans on Thurs 11/11 in a number of different departments. See all the details HERE.
You can also head to Military.com to find additional discounts & freebies being offered for active-duty military & veterans!
Thanks to my mom for this great list that she got at the Navy Base while volunteering. Let me know if you hear of any other local or national freebies for Veteran’s Day!
For locals, NW Trek is also free for military members with 3 dollars off other family members.
This is a Great list, Jen. I will be linking to it for sure!
Great list! Thanks for this list, i love outback steakhouse. The blossom fries are the best.
Thanks Meg – I’ll add that in there. I just found another source with quite a few more NW freebies.
Don’t miss Fred Meyer! Heading out in the morning with Hubby (vet) in tow to comine the extra 10% off with Doorbusters! With the $30 off $150 plus 10% off in electronics I suspect there are some deals to be had! ;) https://fredmeyer.inserts2online.com/customer_Frame.jsp?divID=701&drpStoreID=00604SP1
Hey, Jen,
I just realized the Seattle PI blog article is actually from 2009.
Probably still has good info. but folks might want to check. Thanks again for the amazing list!
Krispy kreme will be giving a free glaze d-nut to vets in the washington oregon area for sure….. not sure about other areas just show military ID.
Meg- Thank you for catching that! I went ahead & took down the link to that post!