Be a Local Tourist
The other day, I went to a nearby restaurant and got to hear some live music performed by a couple of local musicians. As their show went on, they also shared about another event that sounded interesting to both my husband and I, and we marked it on our calendars. In searching out information for that event, I realized there were several other local events that also sounded exciting that I had just never taken the time to look into before.
With life in the midwest, the winter time can bring out the blahs, and sometimes to fight it, I will start planning our family’s spring and summer getaways to new locations. However, I often overlook the amazing gems of entertainment, scenic views, and privately owned restaurants that are only a short drive away. Sometimes our own city or state begins to feel so ordinary to us that we forget to seek out the treasures that are right around us. When that happens, it is time to think like a tourist while still keeping it local.
One way that can help you get started in finding new-to-you local discoveries is to pretend a friend is coming from a different country and you want to show them the best of what your community culture is like. Where would you take them? What restaurants would be on your must try list? What places or live events would give them the feel of excitement or an experience they have never had? Many cities have tourism websites, and those can be a great resource to get started in making a list of the places you would like to visit. Whether anyone is really coming to visit or not, your list can serve as a launching point into sparking your own interests and perhaps discovering a new favorite place that’s close by.
Maybe you live in a smaller town or feel that you have seen most of what is offered in your area. If that is the case, then try a search for new spots in your own state. Try using Tripadvisor to look up new places of interest in nearby cities, searching for your state’s website, or borrowing a book of facts about your state and see if they mention something that you have never heard of before or somewhere that you haven’t been and then set your plans in motion.
When my children were learning about our state for school, all of us were able to dive into the history and facts, many of which were new to us and included places and people none of us had heard about before. By connecting us with this new information, it piqued our interest into discovering where some of these places were and figuring out a plan to visit them. Being a local tourist can bring about deeper feelings of connection to the places and events close to you. When you learn to appreciate all that is right around you, it fills your days with bountiful amounts of color and wonder and increases your capacity for joy.
Challenges/Points:
It is easy for your local community to start to feel ordinary after a while, but if you decide to act like a tourist, you might be surprised at all the wonderful places and events you can discover.
If you need a place to start in sparking new interests or reigniting old ones, try searching for your city’s or state’s tourism websites or books.
By finding new places to explore, you’ll be fighting boredom and normalcy by shaking some excitement into your routines that might be just a short drive away.
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