About

Hey Hi Hello! Nice to meet you! Thanks for stopping by. We are Richard and Emily, two lovebirds from Coastal Virginia. We have been together since college and got married in 2017! One of our favorite things about each other is that we’re always up for an adventure- even if it’s just in our own backyard.

We love to travel but the worst part of traveling is … well … the tourists. We know this might seem a bit hypocritical as we are all tourists in our own way, but maybe, with a little effort, we can change what it means to be a tourist. 

So that’s where we come in. When we travel, we take our time, we research, we meet new people, and we do our best to respect the areas and cultures we’re experiencing. Now we’re not saying that there’s anything wrong with theme parks, tourist traps, and chain restaurants,  but you won’t find that here. 

We think it is so important to get to know the people, the places, and the things that make an area great. If we’re spending money on a vacation, why not make sure that what we’re spending is going back to the people that call that place home? If we all felt this way, we can work to help preserve that spot for locals and other travelers like us. 

So that’s why we created Secret Local Hangout— to highlight the best of traveling and to show a different side of tourism. You will find us eating at the little roadside shack that smokes the best BBQ, staying at a 100-year-old family run hotel, or laying on a beach so hidden you need a map drawn on the back of a napkin to get there. Come along with us!