Have you ever noticed that you make much more of an effort to see places when you are on holiday? Suddenly, every park and every museum is interesting; you take the time to read info panels and discover more of the area you’re visiting. Yet you may not even know the history of your own town or region.
Let’s change that! Get to know your local area by getting out and about and being a tourist.
How to go about it? Easy! Think about how you do it when you go on holiday. You can even make a list. Do you prefer outdoor activities? Culture? History? Have a think of what you liked best on your last few trips abroad so you know what to look for locally.
First of all, research online a little. One great trick is to search images of your local area to see how much you recognise and what you still need to explore. This way you will also be reminded of spots that are worth visiting at specific times of the day, or year. Consider making a calendar to remember outings you have planned.
Once you have jogged your memory with pictures, check out the local council’s website to find events. You may have been as a child, but we usually only go to these events when we have family visiting – change that. Go and get to know the traditions and festivities. Check surrounding villages as well.
After the council, you can check out specific parks and gardens to see if they have events on. If you live in a city, there may even be a walking tour available. While you probably know the main places, these tours are often full of quirky facts you probably don’t know. The good thing is, most of these events will be free.
For more free activities, have a look at an Ordnance Survey map. This way you can find trails and local routes you didn’t know, but also lookouts.
Tip: If you don’t want to buy the paper maps, you can actually get the OS app and download the parts you need – that way they are accessible while you are out and about.
If you like the outdoors, check if rangers are doing any guided walks to show you all the fauna and flora that actually surrounds you that you might be missing on your walks.
And speaking of maps, take a look at a map offered at the tourist information centre or local hotels. You don’t need the information of street names and local hotels, but these maps often list events at local shops, restaurants and producers who offer tastings, and smaller venues advertise like smaller museums. While you have a map, check if you have visited all the museums in your local area (more recently than on a forced school trip as a child).
If you want to get very touristic, get yourself a travel guide and check out what it says about your local area. You will be surprised how much you can find, if not about your city, then about your area. Some guides will have a section called “off the beaten path” which may help you (re)discover some local gems.
Other places to look for events and activities are the National Trust website, but also local art schools and sports clubs that may have an open day or taster sessions – you never know!
Keep an eye on your social media too. You can follow local institutions and check for events, but you will also be notified if friends are interested in events near you. And of course, by doing any of the activities above, you are likely to meet people who can point you in the direction of other events and places to visit.
Have fun exploring! Let us know what you discover about your local area in the comments below.
Featured image: Hillary Ungson
