Hard to believe it’s already the last weekend in July. Where has the summer gone? Even though we are starting to see “back to school” commercials, there are still a bunch of great summer activities to savor. And if you enjoy music, there’s a wide variety of shows to choose from this weekend. Whether you prefer the air-conditioned setting of a classic venue or hanging outdoors taking in fresh summer sounds, there is almost something for everyone and every budget.

If free and family is your thing, Thursday, July 28 from 6 to 9 p.m. check out the last Summer Concert Series offering at The Shoppes at University Place, located at the corner of Highway 29 and Harris Boulevard. Enjoy an entertaining evening by the lakeside with Soul Watt, an ’80’s and ’90’s cover band. (Note: This free concert is weather permitting.) Or, at the U.S. National Whitewater Center River Jam, also July 28th, hear Lindy Dobbins and the Red Velvet Manx at 7 p.m. for free as well.

NC Music Factory is offering its fun Friday Live at the Factory outdoor summer jam with the band Simplified. Get your $5 ticket in advance for this Friday, July 29 show that runs from 7 to 11 p.m. (All of these previously mentioned venues offer free parking.)

If funk is your thing, check out On Q Productions “The Sound of Music Concert Kickoff,” featuring Rudy Currence, on Friday, July 29 at 8 p.m. This show in the vintage McGlohon Theater of Spirit Square surely will be a hopping time, with previews of  its upcoming season performances inspired by music. Best of all, the tickets are only $10. (But parking uptown is not usually free.) If you want to go in a completely opposite musical direction, check out “Southern Culture on the Skids” at another really cool venue, the Visulite Theatre. They’re performing Friday, July 29 at 9 p.m. and tickets purchased in advance are $15. There is free parking in the Elizabeth Avenue area.

If big is your scene, then don’t miss  Sade with John Legend at the Time Warner Cable Arena uptown on Sunday night, July 31 at 7 p.m. But this musical powerhouse show will run you a lot more than $15. Tickets start at $101.50 and go up from there. If you want to avoid uptown traffic, make your night easier by taking the light rail from a free parking station outside of uptown, and enjoy an easy ride that will drop you off almost at the door of the arena.

Don’t forget that all of this information and so much more can always be found on CharlotteCultureGuide.com. This online culture guide is yet another great project from the Arts & Science Council, which is a Knight Arts Grantee. The culture guide covers arts and entertainment, culture, history and other stuff, too in the Charlotte area. It’s always being updated, so check back often. You can also sign up for its Culture Picks weekly e-mail. See for yourself at CharlotteCultureGuide.com.