How (and Why) to Make a Hometown Bucket List Before Your Sabbatical
We tend to focus on what we’re going toward during sabbatical planning — new places, waking up without an alarm, long-awaited dreams. But your sabbatical is more than an escape from your real life. There’s value in pausing to appreciate what you’re leaving behind, too. A hometown bucket list deserves to be part of your plans.
This can help you savor your everyday life before stepping away from it. You get a chance to reconnect with your local community, share meaningful time with the people you love before time apart, and create closure on this old chapter of your life in a way that’s celebratory, not sad or burnt out or bitter.
There’s no pressure to make it profound or perfect. Just intentional.
What to Include on Your Hometown Bucket List
The goal isn’t to cram your calendar or blow your budget. It’s to make time for the things you keep meaning to do and the things you love that deserve one more time. It’s kind of like having one long going away party.
Here are some ideas to get your brainstorm started:
✨ Local Favorites
Revisit the places you love but often overlook: your favorite brunch spot, the bookstore you always say you’ll get lost in, the coffee shop where the barista knows your order.
🍷 Special Outings
Pick a few destination restaurants, wineries, or little day trips that feel just a touch elevated from normal everyday life. If it’s been on your “I should do that sometime” list, now’s the time.
🥾 Outdoor Adventures
Loop in hikes, scenic drives, or nature spots you’ve been meaning to explore. Sabbaticals are packed with big travel moments. This is your chance to appreciate the beauty close to home.
🎲 Cozy Nights In
Everything doesn’t have to be an outing. Host a board game night. Make homemade pasta. Watch a nostalgic movie with your best friend. Simple can still be special.
Think about the people in your life. What would be meaningful to do with them? This is especially important if you’re preparing for long-distance relationships during your time away.
A Real-Life Example: My Charlottesville Bucket List
Before my round-the-world trip, I made a hometown bucket list with my then-boyfriend, now-husband to savor the city I’d lived in for years. It helped me transition out of my everyday life with presence and joy.
Here’s a snapshot from my list:
Five Restaurants We Rarely Visited
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Maya
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Mas Tapas
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The Shebeen (an amazing South African spot sadly now closed)
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Michael’s Bistro (also sadly now closed)
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The Melting Pot (yes, really… I know it’s a chain but we’ve never had a bad time!)
Five Watering Holes (Coffee, Cocktails, and Tea)
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The Alley Light
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Mudhouse (coffee stop before my fave bookstore)
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The Livery Stable (where we had our first date)
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Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar
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Tavola Cicchetti
Five Local Wineries
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Early Mountain (where I used to work)
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Cardinal Point
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Flying Fox (in an old location)
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Pippin Hill
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Blenheim
Five Day Trips
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Richmond for a concert
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Staunton for a play at Blackfriars
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Scottsville for tubing
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Batesville for cherry-picking
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Bamboo House for a roommate dinner tradition
Five Trails and Outdoor Spots
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Old Rag
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Crabtree Falls
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Blue Hole
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Saunders-Monticello
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Walnut Creek
Five At-Home or Low-Key Activities
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Cheese tasting at Timbercreek Market
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Make fresh pasta
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Stargazing at McCormick Observatory
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Host a board game night
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Grab one last Bodo’s bagel
No one else’s list will look quite like yours and that’s the point. Whether your home base is a big city, a small town, or somewhere in between, there are always places worth revisiting.
How to Create Your Own Hometown Bucket List
I’m always on board with a good fancy spreadsheet, but you don’t actually need one here. There’s no set number of items you have to have. Just sit down one afternoon with your journal or notes app and try this:
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Brain-dump your local “someday” spots and rituals
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Think in categories: food, drinks, nature, culture, cozy nights in
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Ask your partner, roommates, or friends what they’d like to do together
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Choose a few “musts” and a handful of “maybes” — keep it flexible
You don’t have to do everything on your list, especially if your departure date is coming up fast! Just take some time to be thoughtful about what you’re leaving behind. Let this phase of sabbatical preparations be a celebration, not a chore.
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