How to Escape the Small Town Blues
To escape the small town blues, try taking a day trip to a nearby tourist attraction. Or, you can go on a mini road trip and stop at any interesting places you encounter along the way. You can also look for some scenic hiking or biking trails outside of town so you can get a breath of fresh air. Even if you're not up for leaving town, you can still find fun things to do at home, like picking up a new hobby or joining an online community so you can meet new people. Alternatively, you could sign up for a class or join a sports team to make new friends in your community.
Visit your town’s tourism board website or office. Chances are, you'll be surprised at how many interesting sights and activities your local nature and cultural scene can offer. Become a tourist in your own neighborhood by finding and visiting local attractions. Once you've consulted official guides, feel free to browse independent sources like personal blogs and forums. Talk to people as you go about your day as well. Ask people if they know about any interesting events that are coming up. You can also download a variety of mobile apps which take your geographical location into consideration and search for activities and events in the area. Be sure to check out your local newspaper for events as well. Take a day trip to a nearby tourist attraction. If there's a natural attraction or historical landmark within a couple hundred miles, you can take a mini-vacation and visit for a day. This will add some refreshing variety to your routine while helping you appreciate your local landscape more thoroughly. If you have a car, you can search for day trip destinations accessible from your location using various interactive tools and websites. If you're stuck with public transportation, check out your options with local bus and train lines that offer same-day return service. Check out public parks and trails in the area. Taking a nature hike or bike ride along a scenic trail has many benefits, including stress relief. It's not only useful for mental health, though: stretching your legs in nature can also make you feel liberated from the close confines of your small town. No nature hike nearby? Not a problem! Walking around your neighborhood or town still has many health benefits, and it still gets you out of the house and makes you feel like you're exploring the area. Organize a scavenger hunt or geocaching event with friends. Making your local exploration agenda into a competitive game can be a great way to visit new places, talk to new people, and learn little-known factoids about your community.  Depending on how elaborate you want the game to be, the preparations can be a bit demanding, so have your friends take turns doing the planning. You can do this the old-fashioned way by typing up a list of tasks and printing them for all your friends, or you can use specially designed apps or web-based services to facilitate the fun. Plan a pub crawl. Touring the town's bar scene can be an insightful (and fun!) way to learn about local history and culture. Your town might already have an agency that runs guided pub crawls, or you might be able to find a suggested itinerary from knowledgeable locals online.  Just keep the agenda manageable by paying attention to walking distance between bars and scheduling meal or snack breaks. If your town doesn't already have a service offering guided pub crawls, make your own! Ask a tourist board official what the oldest bars in the area are and if there are any spots of note that you should include. The bars you visit will most likely be glad to host you—after all, you're bringing them good business—but give them a heads-up if you have a big throng so they can be prepared. Attend a local concert. One of the best ways to learn about a local culture is to explore its music scene, so check out newspaper, library, and community calendar listings to find shows in your area. Even if you can't find a ticketed event, you can pop into a small coffee shop gig or jam session Be open-minded about your options! Just because classical music isn't your thing, don't shun the local orchestra's Mozart concert or touring violinist. Live music affords a unique experience and benefits which reach far beyond the actual music, so consider that concert even if it's not on heavy rotation in your Pandora. Check out the local library. While the brick-and-mortar library might seem like a thing of the past, these institutional dinosaurs are actually invaluable information resources and centers of community. Your library will store a wealth of travel books and information, but it will also house rare historical archives and local records that can shed a whole new light on your small town perspective. Ask a librarian to help you find the most interesting stuff and keep track of your historical journey. Information isn't the only thing your library has to offer. Libraries offer free classes, host local artists and exhibits, put on free concerts, and hold other community events, so ask for a copy of their calendar and other public services to make sure you're taking full advantage of your library's offerings. If there is a college in your town or nearby, then they may also offer these types of activities. Sample the local cuisine. Whether you're traveling abroad or traipsing your familiar streets, eating at local establishments is one of the best ways of experiencing a culture. And just because there's no Michelin-starred chef in your neighborhood, doesn't mean that your town's culinary scene lacks flavor. Make a point to try new restaurants and cafes in your area, including hole-in-the-wall hideaways and restaurants serving exotic cuisines. Check out Yelp! or the newspaper's Culture section to find restaurants you don't know about and feel free to ask friends or family for personal recommendations. Start a new hobby. One of the best ways to add variety to your life and alleviate small town humdrum is to take up a new hobby. It can help you meet new people, learn new things, and feel more satisfied with your daily life. Some hobbies, such as sculpting or painting, might cost a bit more money for materials, but other hobbies, such as board games or creative writing are relatively cost-free. If you want to take up knitting or some other hobby but can't afford classes, look online! You'll find that many instructors and enthusiasts offer video tutorials and written instructions for free, so check sites like YouTube and Tumblr for accessible education options. Register for a class. Learning new things and skills will enrich your life in many ways: not only will the added knowledge improve your mental health and satisfaction from life, but you'll meet new people and expand your social world. Your library or YMCA will offer a selection of free or low-cost educational courses, so check out their offerings online or in person. If you can't find the class you want at the library or YMCA, search for options from other sources. For example, a local community college or university might host adult education courses, and nearby dance or art studios and gyms should provide paid classes in a variety of activities. Take up a sport. Consider taking up an active pursuit for the interest it can add to your life, as well as its added health benefits.  Depending on the weather in your area, you might want to think about sports or exercises you can do indoors as well as outdoors. If your winters are pretty harsh, you might want to find several different activities, some of which you can do inside. Participating in a team sport like kickball or soccer can particularly useful and fun due to its social nature: since you're joining a team, you're getting a set of ready-made new friends along with your physical activity. If you prefer to sweat in solo fashion, take up jogging or swimming. If you have joint or other health issues, try out a low-impact exercise like yoga or spinning. Join an online community. Just because there's no local book club or knitting group you can join, doesn't mean you can't find some valuable community. Start by searching for your interests online and then for groups which discuss these interests. All online communities are not created equal. While websites like Tumblr, Pinterest, and Reddit host many thriving and positive online communities, they also have their share of junk. Take some time to observe the culture and politics of the community before throwing yourself into it wholeheartedly and save yourself the energy and heartache of a toxic online forum. Sign up for a book club. Reading is one of the best (and cheapest!) ways to broaden your horizons, so get reading if you're getting bored with your small town's offerings. If there's no book club that meets nearby, make your own! Take suggestions from nationwide book clubs and form an intimate group of friends and acquaintances to meet every month. Make a special effort to read books written by authors from different countries, religions, races, cultures, and genders. You'll be surprised how homogeneous your required reading lists from school or recommended reading lists from magazines and newspapers are, so take the initiative to diversify your personal curriculum. 
Visit your town’s tourism board website or office. Take a day trip to a nearby tourist attraction. Check out public parks and trails in the area. Organize a scavenger hunt or geocaching event with friends. Plan a pub crawl. Attend a local concert. Check out the local library. Sample the local cuisine. Start a new hobby. Register for a class. Take up a sport. Join an online community. Sign up for a book club. 