Whether you moved to the next town over or are in a completely new state, moving to a new place can be disorientating. After you’ve gotten most of the unpacking done, here are the first places you should visit in your new place to help yourself get acquainted and start feeling like a local.
To Your Neighbors’ Homes
Some of us feel a bit shy about going over the neighbors, knocking on their door, and introducing ourselves. However, the payoff is great. You increase your security, can get local advice, and might meet a great friend.
Supermarket
For practical reasons, one of the first places you are going to visit after moving is the supermarket. You will have a lot of stuff to buy to stock your new home, so consider dividing it up into multiple trips. This gives you an excuse to shop at a different supermarket for each trip so you can figure out which one you like best.
Farmer’s Market
Farmer’s markets can give us clues about the personality of a place. Spend an early afternoon wandering around the stalls trying new foods and then grab a coffee at a cafe in the area.
Library
Libraries are one of the pillars of a community. They not only have books, but they also provide us with lots of information about the place and its people. Take a look at the bulletin board to see what sort of announcements there are and see if there are any workshops or discussion groups you would like to join (great for meeting new friends).
Chamber of Commerce
Thanks to all the information readily available on the internet today, not everyone visits their local chamber of commerce anymore after moving to a new place. If you are planning on running a business in the local area, then you will definitely want to stop in and see what your local chamber of commerce is up to. Even if you aren’t running a business, the chamber of commerce can still provide you with lots of local advice and a directory of members and their businesses.
Church or Other Religious Center
Churches are not just places of worship. They are centers where people can come together as a community. If you are religious, then one of the first places you will want to visit after moving in is your local church. See what sort of groups and activities they host and take part to meet new friends.
Top-Rated Restaurant
Go online and see which local restaurant has the best ratings. Then treat yourself to a nice dinner (you deserve it after all that moving!). You will feel more like a local once you’ve checked out the town’s hottest restaurant. When someone recommends it to you, you can then smile suavely and say you’ve already been.
Local Hole-in-the-Wall Restaurant
After you’ve eaten at the town’s top restaurant, you’ll want to check out the smaller restaurants in your immediate area. These are the places you will probably be going to or calling for takeout, so having knowledge of them matters more than having hit up all the top restaurants in town.
Tourist Hot Spot
Every local should visit the tourist hot spot in their city at least once. No matter how corny the tourist hot spot is, think of it as the first step in your initiation to becoming a local. Plus, when you have guests come to visit from out of town, you will need to know where to take them.