How To Be A Tourist in Your Own Town
Travel doesn’t have to take you far from home. Here are some of my best tips for how to be a tourist in your own town!
Stuck at home? Don’t worry. You can still be adventurous. I have traveled all around the world, but some of my favorite travel experiences happened close to home.
Thanks to the pandemic, I have had to reduce my international travels over the last year or so. But the silver lining is that this has allowed me to explore my home state of Georgia in depth.
Now you may be thinking – okay, I want to explore my own city. But how? That’s where I come in.
In this post, I will give you actionable tips for finding exciting adventures near you. I guarantee you will have some fun ideas by the end.
1. Get help from Google or your favorite search engine
This may seem super obvious, but hear me out. Have you ever typed “Best things to do in [YOUR CITY]” in the search bar? I would bet that most people haven’t.
We tend to dream about far-away locations and forget that our hometown has its charms, too. So try the following searches:
- best things to do in [your city]
- [your city] top attractions
- guide to [your city]
Read the first few search results. If you live in a decently large town or city, travel bloggers have probably put together a fun itinerary. If you’re in the country, don’t despair: newspapers and historical societies often share fun activities.
Last summer I googled “Best things to do in Atlanta” and I discovered the beautiful street art in the Cabbagetown district. Now this is one of my favorite places to take first-time visitors to the area!
2. Enter “attractions near me” into your maps app
One of the very best ways to be a tourist in your own town is to use your maps app on your phone. Open up Google Maps or Apple Maps or both and get started.
Try searching
- attractions near me
- museums near me
- historical sites near me
This pulls up so many things, from major attractions to roadside oddities. Even if you live in the middle of nowhere, I’m sure there is a famous tree or a mysterious graveyard or something.
In my case, I discovered a range of cool destinations I had never heard of. For instance, there was an ancient Native American site only an hour from my hometown. Day trip time!
(Don’t have a smartphone? No problem. Just open up Google Maps on your desktop.)
3. Ask friends and family for their favorite places in town
Give your grandmother a call and find out what her favorite attraction or restaurant is. Chat with your friends and learn what hidden gems they have discovered. Next time you’re trying to make small talk with your coworkers, ask about their local travel adventures.
Last summer my mom and I were busy planning a mini-adventure when my uncle stopped by. When he heard where we were heading, he had a recommendation for an awesome roadside attraction. It turns out there is a giant iron horse sculpture in a cornfield in rural Georgia!
So ask around. You will not only get some good ideas, but you will also have a chance to catch up with your friends and family. It’s a win-win situation!
You can even invite friends and family to come along with you. One of the advantages of being a tourist in your own town is that it’s easy to include others in your travel plans.
No need to worry about taking time off and saving up money – just hop in the car (or on the bus) and have a lovely day trip. I think this is one of the reasons I love local travel so much. I get to share it with my favorite people!
4. Read your city’s Wikipedia page
Most of us are on Wikipedia constantly, especially now that it has become such a reliable source of information. But have you ever read the page on your hometown?
No? Well then go do it now! You’ll learn some cool history and maybe find new places to visit.
When I looked up Duluth (my hometown near Atlanta), I discovered we had the FIRST EVER female mayor in Georgia back in 1921. And her house still stands!
5. Head downtown and simply stroll around
How much attention do you pay to your surroundings as you go about your daily business? When was the last time you really looked closely?
Most towns, even the smallest, have a quaint shop or cute mural or something that is worthy of note. When my husband came to visit my hometown, I stopped to look with care for the first time in years.
It was amazing! I discovered so much just wandering around the city center with him. My favorite finds were a new donut shop and a mosaic depicting historic town buildings.
So head downtown and stroll around like you’re a tourist in your own town.
6. Visit your town’s website or the nearest tourist information point
Tourist information points are a great source of brochures, magazines, and other exciting materials. But depending on its size, your hometown may not have a tourist information point. (Mine doesn’t.)
Your town most likely does have a website, though (even if it’s an old, poorly updated one). And most small towns love to showcase their attractions.
When I was planning a day trip to Cornelia, Georgia (only 4,000 residents), I decided to take a peek at their website. And I’m so glad I did, because I learned about an awesome granite fire tower with a spectacular view!
So go take a look at your hometown’s website. Or head to the tourist information point, if you’re in a big enough city.
Go be a tourist in your own town!
Now you know what to do, so it’s time to act. Get out there and explore.
Pretend that you are writing a blog post about your hometown for a visitor from out-of-state or out-of-country. Pay close attention to everything so you can give a full report.
Just because you can’t travel far from home (because of the pandemic or finances or health or whatever) doesn’t mean you can’t have fun. Go be a tourist in your own town, city, or state!
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It is so easy to forget that you can find fun things in you own area. I know we take our area/city for granted. Thanks for the reminder.
You are welcome! I hope you find lots of fun things to do near you 🙂