Explore Your Home
Whether you're strapped for cash or simply want to find a newfound appreciation for where you live, being a tourist in your hometown has a lot more benefits than you might think. And no, you won't be annoying! Helping you to fall in love with where you've chosen to live again, here are 20 amazing ways to act like a tourist without actually going anywhere.
1. Take A Bus Tour
Those double-decker tour buses you often see whizzing down the street in the busiest parts of your city? Why not ride one for a change? If you really want to see your hometown with a fresh set of eyes, joining one of these guided tours can provide a fun and new experience you never thought to try before.
2. Ask Locals For Recommendations
Sure, you might be familiar with all the popular local spots and have a list of your personal favorite locations, but if you want to try something new, you need a different opinion. You don't need to feel embarrassed! Trying a friendly local's recommendations might just introduce you to your new favorite places in town that you never heard of before.
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3. Book A Staycation
Who said you have to travel out of town in order to spend a fun night out? Staycations have grown popular in recent years, encouraging people to explore their own city and book hotels even if they live in the area. After all, it never hurts to pamper yourself and have a fun weekend staying some place else!
4. Try New Mom and Pop Restaurants
If you really want to get a taste of what your city has to offer, stop visiting the big franchises and highly-rated, long-line-up restaurants. Head over to some small mom and pops where interacting with the workers is half of the experience! These spots always have amazing, friendly service, and the food will taste like a big warm hug.
5. Walk Down Different Streets
The more familiar you are with somewhere, the more likely you'll follow the same paths and routes that you always do. But to see more of the city, it's time to take a detour. Take an alternate street so you can take in new sights you never get the chance to.
6. Look For Hidden Gems
Sure, all the popular, highly reviewed places in town are great options for actual tourists, but for someone like you who is trying to fall in love with their hometown all over again, you need something different. Instead of opting to visit familiar names, look for hidden gems that can offer you something unique and special. This goes for restaurants, shops, activities, you name it.
7. Attend Local Festivals
All cities have local festivals people can attend, you just have to do some digging to find out where and when they take place! Party and celebrate with other locals as you enjoy the free events that are offered right in your hometown.
8. Take Photos
Seeing the same sights on a regular basis might make you think you don't need any photos, but these are moments worth capturing. Pictures can be beautiful memories to look back on, so go on, snap photos with your friends or on your own of your favorite places around the city. Maybe it'll help you look at them in a new light.
9. People Watch
When you're so busy going about your day, running chores and completing errands, you can forget to stop and take a breather. What's going on in your city? What are other people up to? Slow down, grab a coffee, and watch the world slow down as you people watch for a bit and learn about your favorite place.
10. Buy Souvenirs
There's nothing tacky about picking up a cute keychain or mug with your city's name plastered all over it. If anything, it acts a reminder of how lucky you are to live somewhere that you truly love and admire. Those souvenir shops might more commonly be for tourists, but that doesn't mean you can't shop there too.
11. Join A Walking Tour
Skip the bus and go on foot instead. Not only will you meet a lot of cool people from other countries while on your tour, you'll also learn some amazing facts we guarantee you never knew before. It's a great way to gain some new perspective.
12. Go To A Museum Or Gallery
If you can find a museum or gallery that showcases your city's local history, your eyes will be wide open to all the amazing facts you never bothered learning. Every place in the world has a rich past that deserves to be known - it's time to learn about yours!
adventurous_blondine on Pixabay
13. Discover New Parks
There are dozens of parks spread out across the city, so instead of making your usual stop, try someplace different. Whether you want to take a nice outdoor stroll or have a lovely picnic, just gather all your goods and head over to a new park you can make your own. We could all use a nice change of pace sometimes.
14. Do Some Scrapbooking
The best way to act like a tourist in your own hometown? Treat your outings as if you were on vacation. Take a bunch of photos and grab little keepsakes that you can all document in a beautiful scrapbook as a way to remember your adventures.
15. Visit A Local Market
Fresh produce, adorable crafts, and delicious eats? Local markets are a fun way to interact with other locals while doing some shopping and exploring. It's a wonderful way to support and appreciate local shops!
16. Read Local Blogs
While you likely have your own opinions about your city, others will have their own too. It can be interesting reading up about your home from someone else's point of view; they might just offer you new places to visit, a fresh new perspective on a restaurant you didn't like, and so on.
17. Use Public Transit
Yes, we know this idea might not be the most popular one, especially if you've got a car you can drive around, but being able to hop on and hop off whenever you like can help you end up in new and exciting places. Go where you please, as you please, without having to worry about directions or parking situations.
18. Visit Iconic Monuments
Whether you've seen them all or not at all, making a day trip to visit a bunch of famous or iconic monuments in or around your city can be a really fun adventure. As long as you go with the mindset of being wowed by what your hometown offers, it's bound to be a great journey!
19. Explore Different Parts of Town
It's time to look up those places in town that you never bothered to explore or simply never gave a chance. Because if you were actually a tourist, we know you'd be walking around with wide open eyes taking in every little sight. Recreate that magic by trying to have that same mindset too!
20. Appreciate The Architecture
Have any weird buildings downtown or in the area that you've never stopped to wonder how they built it? Architecture is truly overlooked in our day to day lives, so take a moment to really let it sink in that someone designed these wacky or beautiful buildings and then people like you, managed to build it.
