Our city walks have become very popular over the years in our household. Our main goal for city walking is just to be out exercising. There is usually little to no cost compared to other weekend activities like amusement parks or even hiking.

To get started: pick a city you want to go to. I usually try to pick something that is about an hour or so from our house. By the end of the day, the last thing you want, while being exhausted, is a long drive home.

Do a little bit of research.

Find an area in the town you want to explore. Usually downtown areas are the best! Annapolis has a wonderful historic downtown area with plenty of monuments, shops and a water front to get up close and personal with some boats.

Once you know the area, search for where you will park. I ended up finding a great location in Annapolis that was perfect by just searching on Google and reading some reviews. It was a covered garage that had free parking on the weekends and it was far enough away that traffic wasn’t an issue.

As far a food goes, downtowns have unique local places to eat. But because we are trying to lose weight and save some cash, we packed a picnic!

During our walk we found a college campus next to the parking garage. It was a perfect location for a picnic! And during the summer the campus was pretty much all to ourselves.

We ended up walking around the city for about 6 miles exploring the sites and just having a relaxing time.

A couple tips:

Take a ton of pictures! These are great free mementos that capture your experience but you can also use those pictures as reminders of things (or places) you may want to go back and try.

Bring a reusable cup or water bottle to stay hydrated. There is usually a Starbucks or Cafe downtown and ice water is free. It’s also a great place to use the restroom.

Don’t be afraid to take free maps or flyers. These are a great way to find local events or coupons that you might have not known otherwise.

Pack two bags. One for light travel while walking that has the basics like wallets, phones, snacks, etc.

The bigger bag, you can leave in the car and come back to get other necessities like other clothes, bigger food/drink items, etc. You don’t want to lug all that stuff around because it will ware you out and the bulk will make it harder to move around crowded areas.

Remember where you parked. Take a picture of the cross streets or use a phone app that tells you where you left your car. It will come in handy if you are new to the city.

At the end of our trip, it only cost us gas money and we had the best time!

Another tradition I would like to do from now on is find the best local ice cream. I mean come on… you deserve a little treat after a big walk!

Go explore and have fun!

Girl-in-Pigtails