The next time you're in a new city, try these ideas for interesting ways to experience the sights and sounds of your new environment.

1. Tour Boat

Many cities that are situated on the water, including New York City, offer boat tours. The NYC tour boats take you on a journey around the Hudson River, where you can see many of the great sites that the "city that never sleeps" has to offer.

2. Cab Service

Taxi drivers, like those from an airport shuttle service, know the city they work in like the back of their hand. This makes cab service a great way to find attractions that typical tourists may miss. If you are in a cab exploring a new city ask the cab driver what is worth seeing and doing. Not only will they know the right places they will take you to those places.

3. Bus Tours

Big cities like Chicago and New York City run bus tours everyday on busses designated specifically for sightseeing. With many of these busses you can grab a seat on the upper deck of a double decker bus. This allows you to see everything from a great perspective and you can usually request a stop at virtually any attraction the bus passes. You can then get off and explore the specific places you are interested in. If you choose to remain on the bus for the duration of the tour. In the case of the New York City sightseeing busses you can see almost all of Manhattan without ever having to leave your seat.

4. Walking Tours

Many cities have a visitor's center where they sell maps that are designed to help tourists take their own self-guided walking tour of the city. A visitors center is the best place to find out which attractions are most popular and how to get to those attractions. Sometimes it is possible to join a walking tour that includes a local tour guide who is an expert on the area and knows exactly what to point out to visitors. You can ask about guided walking tours in cities such as Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia.

5. Scavenger Hunt

In some cities you can obtain the materials you need to go on a scavenger hunt through a new city. This is the perfect activity if you are touring a new city with young children in tow. You'll be so busy looking for items on the list, you'll probably end up in places you would have otherwise never discovered.

Make sightseeing even more adventurous by trying one of these methods the next time you travel.