5 Places to Find Free Wireless Web Access

For years now, cities throughout the U.S. have attempted to launch Wi-Fi Internet projects that offer fast web access on the cheap, but many have failed. Philadelphia, for example, will have to scrap its citywide Wi-Fi service come June 12 after network provider EarthLink (ELNK) failed to attract enough subscribers to the service.

For travelers, such delays and false starts can prove costly. Hotels, for example, can charge as much as $15 a day for Wi-Fi access. "Paying for Wi-Fi on the road is not the best value for your dollar. That's why some people work so hard to find someplace for free," says Craig Settles, a wireless business strategist in Oakland, Calif.

Online hotspot directories such as Wi-Fi HotspotList, WiFi411 and Wifi Free Spot can help travelers sniff out free web connections at their destination. "These [sites] are probably the best way for someone coming in from out of town who doesn't know the area. Otherwise you're in hope and hunt mode," says Settles.

Even without the help of these sites, finding free wireless internet doesn't have to entail hours of wandering strange city streets. You just need to know where to look. View our slideshow to find out where you can surf for free:

Starbucks isn't the only java shop in town to turn to, however. Other chains, as well as independently-owned coffee shops, offer free Wi-Fi. Minneapolis-based Caribou Coffee (CBOU) provides free access at nearly half of its stores, for example, and San Francisco-based Peet's Coffee & Tea (PEET) is rolling out free service at some of its California locations this summer.

All of Boston's public library branches, for instance, offer free wireless service, as do Seattle's. If you're on the road and "can't find anything else, or you just want a quiet place to work, check the city's library [for Wi-Fi],"says Glenn Fleishman, editor of Wi-Fi Net News, a Wi-Fi networking news site.

For those traveling a longer distance, Greyhound's new BoltBus line, which serves Washington, D.C., New York, Philadelphia and Boston, includes Wi-Fi access in the price of a ticket.

Smaller, city parks tend to be a great place to find wireless web connections. In New York, for example, there are 17 designated hotspots in the city's parks. And as part of a six-month pilot project started in February, Miami-Dade County has made Wi-Fi available at four of its parks.

But find yourself at San Jose Airport (Calif.), Harrisburg International Airport (Pa.), Las Vegas's McCarran Airport or Portland International Airport (Ore.), and you can go ahead and surf all you want — it's on the house. In addition, many airline club lounges offer free access, either in the entire airport or at specified terminals or waiting areas.

Corrected on June 9, 2008.
The original version incorrectly stated that visitors to many of California's state parks and certain Amtrak stations could access Wi-Fi for free. In fact, they must pay a fee for the services.