The Side Quest Directory

2 curated obsessions, ready when you are.

All levels Beginner Intermediate Any level

All topics DIY art astronomy beginner books botany building chemistry community crafts creativity data design drawing family fermentation film food foraging friendship gardening geography history home identity kitchen learning legacy listening local making maps mechanics memory mindfulness music nature navigation neighborhood nostalgia observation ocean outdoors performance photography practice publishing reflection research science skills slow-living social sustainability tech woodworking writing

Not sure where to start?

Take the Side Quest Match — 5 questions, 3 personalized picks.

Take the Quiz →

2 quests

1 hr/week Beginner

Keep a field journal for one square mile

Pick your radius. Walk it weekly. Write what you see, hear, smell. Seasonal change becomes visible over months.

Perfect for: writers, walkers, nature observers, people who love patterns

2 hrs/month Beginner

Trace your neighborhood's history through old maps

Sanborn fire insurance maps. Census overlays. Your street in 1905. The empty lot was a factory. The park was a dump.

Perfect for: history lovers, city dwellers, researchers, nostalgia hunters