If you’re ever driving down the road and the car in front of you hits the breaks and pulls over with no regard as to who might accidentally rear end them… that might be me. I suffer from a terrible condition known as “oooo shiny”. There’s a good chance that means there is something on the side of the road that you might want to stop and see. Note – it’s much smarter to use urban hiking to see local street art… while not opting for the whole hit your breaks bit.

Graffiti. Pretty colors, especially. Even more so if there’s a pop culture reference I recognize. A unique shape of an object. I’m obsessed with all of it!

In the small city I live, there is plenty of art. I love grabbing a cup of coffee or a beer (yeah, you can walk around our downtown with a beer in your hand! As long as it’s in a plastic cup from somewhere with the right licensing) and wandering around the alleyways finding little pieces of color.

Turning it into a date night would surely be a good time.
Use a self timer to take some fun photos, unless you’re roaming around with a friend who can snap some.
Go on an urban hike with the family. Yes, I believe urban hiking is still considered hiking!
Up for a full workout? Break out the bikes and going for a ride, during which you stop for some photo breaks.

While out on a bike ride, I found the above little Mario! He only stood a few inches tall, and would be very easy to miss if I didn’t stop at a nearby picnic table to enjoy the view.

There is also a tiny painted elephant on the same pathway (I call her Ellie, because that’s the name of every elephant in the world according to me), a few miles further. The trail goes a decent ways around the city, so there are lots of fun little surprises.

You can also find street art in really some of the most unexpected places. While it’s fun to hunt it down while you’re out traveling… often times, you can find it right in your own backyard!

It’s probably a good time to mention that there are many different types of street art. Some are good, others – not so much.

If you see things that resemble gang symbols, it’s probably best to move on from that area and find somewhere new to explore. While art should (and normally is) used for good… there are still folks who pick up a can of spray paint as a way to mark territory, or be a nuisance. In general, avoid those areas. Stay safe out there on your urban hikes!

That type of graffiti is normally covered pretty quickly, thankfully.
Some cities are spending millions of dollars to remove and cover up obscene graffiti. One year, NYC spent 7 million dollars to do so! Things like that really take away from the fun photogenic pieces.

Spray paint. Full on murals. Sculptures placed on street corners out of metal. Trees carved into works of art. Little doodles on the sidewalk.
Some art can be silly and fun. Other pieces have a story behind them. Like this one.

Across different parts of the world you can find sections of the Berlin wall. Some have been bought, some gifted. A few of them painted over, many of them in their original form. The above section can be found in Los Angeles.

Of course I didn’t take a photo while I was there… but I came across two sections of the wall while staying in a Hilton Anatole in Dallas, TX as well.
This wikipedia article looks like it lists a large number of pieces. I bet you can find one near you!

If you get really lucky, you can come across some towns that have an entire theme!

Roswell, New Mexico may have a very small downtown, but most of the local businesses seem to play into the whole alien thing they’ve got going on. There are a few murals, as well as smaller painted pieces all across the city.
Related note: The little coffee shop really did have good espresso. Sadly, an octopus didn’t serve it to me so I’m going to call that one false advertising.

I took the photos above all while doing some easy urban hiking through Los Angeles. A mix of professional, inspirational quotes, pop culture references, and sweet cat themed spray-paint stencils on the sidewalk.

Sometimes you come across little tiny bits of unexpected things that make you smile…
Other times? Other times you come across things like this. Loud, colorful, in your face pieces that make you absolutely squeal with delight.
No? No squealing? Just me doing that? Oh. Ok.

Jim Morrison and Stevie Nicks just happen to be two of my absolute favorite musicians. I walked around a corner in Tucson, Arizona while exploring a shopping district and end up standing in front of this… yeah, I definitely squealed. I apologize for nothing!!

A well thought out motivational quote in Fort Worth, Texas written out in plants.

Or a “quick grab for the camera” moment while driving under an overpass through Houston, TX.
(How do they even get up there? Is this painted while hanging upside down from the top? Or is someone balancing across the bottom part of that?!)

Everywhere people go, they tend to look straight ahead or at their feet. Straight forward. Not looking around and seeing the little things. Just a focus on our destination.
I challenge you to look around. Down, up, around corners.
There are little bits and pieces of color and happiness hiding all around you… right in plain sight!

Make a day of finding some of these pieces in your own town.
Where are your favorite places to hike? Make sure you hop over on instagram and let me know!