Getting to Know Your New Town

[BrianaHartzell]

You have mastered making new friends when you move, but how can you adjust to your new town? The answer is simple; treat discovering your new town like an adventure or vacation! Looking at the area through the eyes of a "tourist" will help you find the top attractions and learn a bit about the area's history.

Start by buying a guide book or using free travel resources like tripadvisor.com to research top attractions in your area. Travel sites will help you find great restaurants to sample some local cuisine, scope out the landmarks and museums. Tara Crooks, from the moneys matter section, suggests using the list of Blue Star Museums all of which offer free admission to military families!

Next, visit your new city's official website (it should be one of the first websites to appear when doing an internet search for your new city) or the city's chamber of commerce website. These sites are great resources for finding local (often free) events. They also include a list of parks your family can explore and list of local events (farmers markets, concerts, etc.). Also, take advantage of websites like Living Social and Groupon to search in your area for discounted activities and use Yelp and Urban Spoon to read reviews and restaurant recommendations.

Search engines will be a priceless resource when exploring your new town. You will be amazed at how many ideas you can come up with when searching "free activities for kids in "X" city". Use map applications (for example Google Maps) to search for gyms, churches, restaurants, libraries and post offices nearby. Want to see how a place looks before visiting? Try Google Earth! It helps me get a lay of the land before I wind up aimlessly driving in circles trying to find a certain office or restaurant.

Last but not least, contact your installation's MWR (Morale Welfare and Recreation) department. They will have some great information of local activities and events.

Air Force MWR
Navy MWR
Marine Corps MWR
Army MWR
Coast Guard MWR

How do you begin to explore your new area? How long does it take you to call your new city home?

[Military Traveler]

I loved all of the suggestions and plan to implement many. We are getting ready to move to our 5th location in just 8 years and some of the ways I have acclimated quicly is joining a great local church, meeting my neighbors and seeking their input and joining groups on www.meetup.com. I have found great moms' groups as well which have been extremely value added for learning of the area, activities for children, schools, etc. I think we develop some great life skills in adaptation!

[BrianaHartzell]

Wow Military Traveler...5 locations in 8 years! You sure do have lots of experience making the most of a new town!! Thank you so much for commenting and the link you provided!