After living in Chicago for a few months, I sat inside bored and alone on a cool fall day. I had just moved from a small rural town and finally had a big city as my backyard to explore, but I rarely took the opportunity to venture outside of my neighborhood.

Instead of lounging around and doom scrolling like I usually would, I decided to be a tourist for the day. But what would I do? I’d already been to the main tourist attractions. I consulted my best friend: the Internet. Dozens of options and experiences appeared, some I had never even heard about.

Fast forward three years and now I’m a tour guide who is relatively well-versed in Chicago’s “things to do”, but I’m still constantly discovering new activities and learning new things about the city. I take every opportunity I can to be a tourist in my own city.

Even if you’ve lived somewhere your entire life, there are most definitely things you haven’t experienced or facts you haven’t learned yet. This applies to smaller cities/towns as well! Here are some ways to get out and explore your city:

1. Take a tour
2. Visit a local museum
3. Check out a restaurant or cafe you’ve never been to
4. Search for local events
5. See a performance at a local venue
6. Look up adventurous activities
7. Get lost

Take a tour

When in doubt, a tour is the best way to learn about an area. Maybe there’s a neighborhood you really want to explore but have no idea where to go or which restaurants to try. Or perhaps you’ve passed a popular tourist attraction dozens of times but know little about its significance. There might be a tour of those places!

See what kinds of tours are available. A food tour is an excellent option to not only learn more about the history and culture of an area, but you also get to immerse yourself by tasting its well-known foods and cuisines. Other topics/niches tours might cover include history, architecture, art, culture, breweries, haunted sites—the list goes on.

There are also different modes of transport for tours, like biking, walking etc. Bike tours allow you to see a lot of a city within a short amount of time, while walking tours help you absorb the atmosphere of a specific area. Some cities might offer bus tours, with bigger cities like London and San Francisco providing hop-on, hop-off services with Big Bus Tours. Maybe you can find something even more unique like a boat or segway tour.

Visit a local museum

If you’re not up for going on a tour, a local museum is another great way to learn about an area. Though, don’t limit yourself to a local history museum—is there an art museum? Natural history museum? Planetarium? Perhaps there’s a museum dedicated to a specific neighborhood, like in Chicago we have the National Museum of Mexican Art or the Chinese American Museum of Chicago.

No matter what kind of museum you choose to visit, it’s a great way to spend a few hours learning something new.

Read more: Top 10 Things to Do in Chicago

Check out a restaurant or cafe you’ve never been to

Maybe your city isn’t well known for its food, but every city is bound to have some great dining options regardless. Do a quick Google search to see which restaurants are highly rated, or look for blogs about the top restaurants this past year. The Michelin Guide can also be a great resource. Or, in the age of social media, see what’s been getting a lot of hype on Instagram or TikTok lately.

Coffee shops are also in abundance. See if there’s a cafe you haven’t been to before, perhaps one with a unique theme or specialty seasonal drinks. Of course, this doesn’t just apply to coffee drinkers! I can’t tolerate caffeine, but I love a sweet treat or a hot tea. In my personal search for cafes to check out in Chicago, I’ve come across a swath of fun and interesting places, including:

• The Understudy: a cozy cafe combined with a theatrical book shop with specialty theatre-themed drinks
• Ludlow Charlingtons Coffee Shop: a dog-themed cafe with dog bowls as plates and gold-framed portraits of dogs
• Standing Passengers: a chill, artsy cafe with old video games available to play for free on various consoles and televisions

And I’m still discovering more!

Search for local events

No matter the time of year, there’s bound to be a few local events that might catch your interest.

Summer is a great time to look for farmers markets and food or music festivals. See if there’s a limited-time popup event, such as the Bridgerton Experience (which is now over—just providing it as an example) or a popup store. Craft/makers markets are also incredibly fun to explore.

Depending on the season, see if there’s a parade coming up. There are often parades for Lunar New Year, St. Patrick’s Day, Mexican Independence Day, Halloween, and more. (I’m basing this on living in the US. Of course, there will be other prominent celebrations in other countries and the ones listed are not celebrated everywhere.)

Eventbrite is a great resource to find unique events in your area. Maybe you’ll find a Chappell Roan dance party or a restaurant that’s hosting a special dining event.

See a performance at a local venue

Local performances are a fun way to spend an evening or afternoon out and about in a city. Check out a concert venue you’ve never been to and see what bands are playing soon or attend a local music festival.

If you’re a theatre geek (like me), see which theatrical productions are playing—not just at large, top-tier theatres, but also at smaller regional theatres. Or you can see a comedy show. Take a chance at attending an open mic performance or a standup/improv show.

Wherever you decide to go, see if there’s a restaurant around that you can grab dinner at beforehand, or maybe a bar to get drinks at after. Sometimes smaller venues are located in really neat neighborhoods that are worth a little extra exploration.

Look up adventurous activities

If you’re looking for something a little more active, check if there are any adventurous activities available in your area.

See if there’s a rock climbing gym you can get a day pass for. In summer, take advantage of the warmer weather and rent a bike or kayak (again, this is totally dependent on where you are. I would not want to rent a bike to climb the hills of San Francisco, and you probably can’t find kayak rentals in a land-locked area). Perhaps there’s a zipline somewhere. Who knows?!

Also check out what classes are available to learn a new skill. Maybe you’ll even find a new hobby! Join a dance class, try your hand at pottery, attempt to make a gourmet meal, or learn to paint like Bob Ross. My favorite class I have taken was a rug tufting workshop with Freestyle Ceramics & Tufting (not sponsored).

Get lost

I don’t mean this as in “Scram! Get lost!”.

Go to a neighborhood you’re not entirely familiar with (but that you know is safe!) and just walk around. See what you can find. Maybe you’ll come across a neat vintage store, a new local business to support, or a historical landmark.

My mom always tells me that the best way to get to know an area is to get yourself lost so you have to actively pay attention to find your way around. Of course, this might not be the most effective idea if you’re directionally challenged.

Being a tourist in your own city is such a fun way to get out and learn about places you may or may not know well. The amount of Chicago locals that come on my tours and walk away saying “wow, I’ve lived here so long and I never knew any of that, I learned so much!” is a shocking number.

When in doubt for things to do, check out your city’s tourism page for upcoming events or do a quick Internet search for top-rated places. Finding new areas to explore and new activities will help you discover hidden gems and offer a new perspective on the place you call home.