Shoppers check out the deals at Sunflower Outdoor and Bike Shop, 804 Massachusetts St., during the Downtown Lawrence Sidewalk Sale, Thursday, July 16, 2015.

The 56th annual Downtown Lawrence Sidewalk Sale is Thursday. Here’s some basic information, if you’re planning on heading downtown to shop.

Time and Place: Sunup to sundown — roughly 6 a.m. to 8:45 p.m. — though some stores will open before sunrise. More than 100 businesses in downtown Lawrence participate. Check out our block-by-block guide.

Parking: There are two parking garages. Free parking is available on the top floor of both the New Hampshire Parking Garage (midblock between Ninth and 10th streets) and the Vermont Street Parking Garage (midblock between Seventh and Eighth streets). Otherwise, both garages have two-hour free spaces and $1 spaces. The Vermont Street Parking Garage accepts credit and debit cards as payment.

There are seven two-hour free parking lots downtown, two of which are along New Hampshire Street between Seventh and Ninth streets, and the others are along Vermont Street between Seventh and 11th streets.

There are metered spaces throughout downtown. Meter hours are 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. The City of Lawrence has a parking map on its website at www.lawrenceks.org/parking.

Weather: The sale goes on rain or shine. The day promises to be a hot one. The National Weather Service forecasts mostly sunny with a high of 94 degrees.

Free water: There will be five cooling stations where shoppers can sit down indoors and have free water.

Eldridge Hotel, 701 Massachusetts St.

Peoples Bank, 745 New Hampshire St.

Pickleman’s Gourmet Cafe, 818 Massachusetts St.

The Granada, 1020 Massachusetts St.

Watkins Museum of History, 1047 Massachusetts St.

If you need a break: Both Watkins Museum of History (also a cooling station) and the Carnegie Building have exhibits open. Learn about the history of Lawrence and Douglas County with the core exhibit at Watkins (on the second floor) or check out its five temporary exhibits. Carnegie is hosting the Freedom’s Frontier exhibit, which covers the region’s history from the pre-Civil War era through the civil rights movement.

Watkins, 1047 Massachusetts St.

Hours: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Carnegie Building, 200 W. Ninth St.

Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

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