When most people think about family adventures, they imagine expensive vacations, theme parks, or road trips. But what if one of the best family outings is right in your own backyard?
This week, our family decided to try a simple challenge: Pretend you've never visited your hometown before.
That's it!
We packed up the kids, grabbed our phones for pictures, and spent the day exploring local landmarks as if we were tourists visiting for the very first time.
The Challenge
The rules were simple:
✅ Visit local landmarks
✅ Take family selfies at each stop
✅ Rate every attraction from 1–10
✅ Spend as little money as possible
It's amazing how often we drive past interesting places without ever stopping to appreciate them. When you switch into "tourist mode," everything suddenly becomes more interesting.
What We Discovered
We found ourselves asking questions we normally wouldn't think about.
- Who built this building?
- Why is this monument here?
- How long has this park been around?
- Have we ever actually stopped and looked at this view?
The kids loved being the judges. Each attraction received a score from 1–10, and believe it or not, their ratings were very different from ours!
One stop might get a perfect 10 from the twins because it had ducks, while Mom and Dad were more impressed by the history behind another location.
Family Selfie Mission
One of the most fun parts of the day was taking family selfies at each stop.
Not every picture was perfect.
Some featured silly faces.
Some included photobombers.
Some had kids looking in completely different directions.
And honestly, those ended up being our favorites.
Years from now, we probably won't remember every detail about the landmarks, but we'll remember spending time together.
Why We Loved It
The best part?
This adventure cost almost nothing.
No hotel.
No admission tickets.
No complicated planning.
Just a family spending time together and seeing familiar places through new eyes.
As entertainers, we travel all over the country for shows. We visit cities, attractions, and landmarks in places far from home. Sometimes we forget there are interesting things to discover right where we live.
Try It Yourself
This weekend, challenge your family to become tourists in your own town.
Visit a local landmark.
Explore a park you've never stopped at.
Take family selfies.
Rate every stop.
You might be surprised by what you discover.
And if you're anything like us, you'll end the day realizing that some of the best family adventures don't require a plane ticket—just a little curiosity.
Have you ever played tourist in your own town? What local attraction would earn a perfect 10 from your family? Let us know in the comments!
