Getting back to your hometown for the summer, catching up with your childhood friends can be so rejuvenating and refreshing. But if you grew up in a small town, you might want to spice things up instead of just going to the same 2 restaurants and having to leave town for the nearest movie theater. The small town feel certainly has its charm, and there is something so precious about the memories you have created right in this neighborhood. But if you’re hoping to make things different without leaving the same area, here are some tips on how to make your hometown feel new again.
1. Invite new friends to your hometown!
While you were away at college, you probably made some new friends. Invite these friends to come and visit your hometown! Not only will you get to introduce your new friends to a very important part of your identity, you can also show them around your hometown and get a new perspective on the place you grew up. Additionally, you could introduce your new friends to your old friends from high school, and watch your two worlds collide.
2. Catch up with old friends.
Since high school graduation, a lot has changed. You can go back into familiar restaurants to catch up with old friends. Old setting, same people, but you can share entirely new experiences with each other as you catch up.
3. Get to know your neighbors.
Even in a small town, it’s hard to get to know everyone. Branch out and start talking to more people that you didn’t have the chance to get to know really well when you were younger!
4. Start a new organization.
Maybe you like volunteering, or perhaps you enjoy working with kids. You can start a new organization right in your own hometown to work for the causes you care about. You can do bake sales to raise money for charity, or volunteer with the organizations you were involved in!
5. Take pictures.
Take your camera around town and try to look for nooks and crannies that you may not have discovered before. With the camera in front of you, you can develop a new perspective about your hometown and see the place you grew up through a different lens. As a plus, you can get some cool and artsy shots!
6. Find a job/internship.
Explore your hometown and meet new people by getting more involved. Find a job or internship so that you can be exposed to the different companies or corporations in your hometown!
7. Look for new restaurants/stores to try.
While you were away, some things might have changed! Maybe a new restaurant was established, a new section was added to the bookstore, or a new mural was painted. Re-familiarize yourself with your hometown by exploring all of its new parts!
8. Visit your old haunts.
During your time in college, you must have met new people, had new experiences. College has impacted you, even if in little ways that you may not be able to identify. Your new experiences will give you a new perspective, even on the places that you feel familiar with. Plus, your growth and new experiences will make these places even more important and precious to you.
Your hometown is often something familiar, something you feel you know the in’s and out’s of. There’s never any need to feel bored when you can do activities like these! These activities can revitalize your love for your hometown and give you a new sense of admiration for it.
Images courtesy of Pexels.