IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: POST ABOUT BEING A TOURIST IN YOUR OWN CITY

The lovely Nicole of Treasure Tromp let me share my thoughts about being a tourist in your own city last week on her blog.  I wanted to also share the post here in case you missed it.

 

If you're like me, then your world has succumbed to the polar vortex.  I wish I could throw off my parka and head to the nearest island to sip on tropical cocktails and lounge around in the sand.  Alas, a trip is not in the cards for me right now.  I have the next best thing for you to beat cabin fever and get out and about, though--becoming a tourist in your own town. 

I don't know about you, but my husband and I have our routines that we rarely stray from.  Our weekends consist of eating at the same restaurants and visiting the same stores.  I'm a creature of habit, so I love it, but sometimes you just need to change your perspective a little and open your eyes around you to see what amazing things the city you live in already offers.  Below I've listed some ways I've attempted to be a tourist in my own city and beat these winter blues. 

#1: Check out your city's tourist website--The first thing I usually do when I want to find a new place to visit in my hometown of Kansas City is Google "Kansas City + Visit".  The city's tourism site will pop up with a list of all the museums, historical spots, and events around town that I may have missed.  If you've lived here a while, then chances are that you will have already visited some of these places, but this is also a good way for you to find out what you've been missing.  Wade and I used to live literally down the street from the Nelson Atkins museum (one of the biggest museums in the city), but hadn't visited in 10+ years.  It was like I had forgotten all about this place, but once I saw it pop up it proved to be a great way to spend a day.

#2: Google your favorite things and see what pops up--When I really want to get off the beaten path, I just start Googling my favorite things and see what pops up.  Making sure you're well versed in all your town's historical sites is nice, but sometimes I want to go to those places that only the locals know about.  To find these places, you'll need to do a little bit more research, because they're probably not as publicized.  You do feel like you're on a treasure hunt, though, which is always fun.

I'm a sucker for a good vintage/antique store but had felt I had seen the majority of places around the city.  I also love candy, so when I typed in "candy store", Bitterman's Eye Candy store popped up.  A candy store and a vintage market?!  How had I never heard of this place before? 

#3: Get up close and personal to those places you pass by everyday from a distance-- Is there a shop or restaurant you pass by all the time and wonder what it would be like inside?  Seize the day and go check it out!  Whenever we go downtown, I see this statue in the distance.  It's called The Scout and is a fairly well known statue, but even though I've lived here all my life I've never actually gone to see it up close.  After visiting the candy/antique store, we drove around until we found the statue.  It was more amazing up close than I had imagined, and the views of the city were unbeatable.  It's one of those items to check off my list and one that I would suggest to anyone else visiting Kansas City. 



Even though these tips and tricks were pretty self-explanatory, I hope they inspired you to see where that street leads or visit that little shop that always has the cutest window displays.  Just driving around new neighborhoods can seem like you're visiting a completely new city.  I know we had fun treating today like we were in a new city scouting out new shops and landmarks.  Happy exploring!