The Joy of Playing Tourist in Your Own Hometown

Laura Stallard Petza
July 13, 2012

As marvelous as getting out of town can be, sometimes staying home can me equally splendid, or even, if the staying home's done properly, better than schlepping off to some distant location. Because as great as it feels to be an out-of-town tourist, being an in-town tourist is no cause for slouching, either, and following are five fantastic reasons why you should savor the sights of your city right now.

It's cheap.

Let's just go ahead and start with the obvious, shall we? Heading downtown to that awesome new park you've been meaning to visit—instead of, say, jetting off to the South Pacific—is going to make the little ones pretty happy and isn't going to cost you a bundle of green. Granted, the awesome new park may lack golden-white sands and volcanoes and mixed drinks and palm trees, but there are swings, right, and oodles of comfy benches, not to mention the perfect grassy spot for setting up a picnic.

Your local economy needs you!

No, seriously! Even if your hometown is accustomed to flocks of big-spending tourists, it's always nice, particularly in these still-uncertain economic times, to give the place you call home a little financial boost. Hit those local museums! Patronize those neighborhood restaurants! And know that your dollars are going to support the things that make your community wonderful and special.

You don't want to leave your town to the out-of-town tourists, do you?

No one's dissing tourists—hey, we've all been one somewhere or other—but you and yours should have equal dibs on all the stuff that lures the tourists in. Got monuments? Super-cool bridges? A waterfront that just won't quit? Whatever brings the tourists a-buzzing is probably, at least now and again, worth your time and effort, too.

Your city's full of amazing places that you don't, at this moment, even know exist.

Chances are, if you've lived where you live for a while, that you consider yourself a bit of an expert on this place that you call home. And yet, there are likely incredible gems, all within spitting distance of your own backyard, that you haven't even discovered. Do a little research, and try to unearth some magical places—maybe a quaint, slightly overgrown garden or a monument to a forgotten local hero—and pledge to visit these previously unknown treasures.

This is your hometown!

It may sound ridiculous, but the only way to make your town your home town is by really getting to know it. No matter where your travels take you this summer, spend some time reacquainting (or, heck, simply acquainting) yourself with the place where you've chosen to put down roots with your family. And if, sadly, the town where you're living right now isn't your favorite place on the planet, then get out there, before this summer is over, and investigate all of the lovely reasons why it probably should be.