Non-touristy things you do on vacation

Got a possible weird one... My wife and I both enjoy going to well known fast food chains when traveling abroad and seeing how their menus differ from the States and/or other countries we have visited. That said, we very rarely eat at them… just curious and checking out the menus.

Also, we enjoy finding an off the beaten path Christmas store and buying a unique ornament from the city we are visiting.

Yes, nurseries, hardware and thrift stores. Also public libraries.

Just our personal preference, but we feel the best way to explore neighborhoods is checking out cocktail bars (and breweries / beer bars). Been able to knock off quite a bit of the regional and world lists of 50 Best.

Grocery stores

I also like to stay in suburbs. Not only do you save money, you get to see how people live.

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Real eggs and fresh shaved deli ham on a torta blew my mind. Crazy what they are allowed to sell us here vs. other countries.

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Are your kids going to eat that? Or would all the moms in your social circle continue to shovel Chik Fil A at them? Because if people here would eat it, they'd sell it. They won't, so they don't.

I like to find a neighborhood where the locals live and tourists don't go and hang out there. Often times it's where brew pubs are located so I'll drink some good beer and often meet a local or two. Like the OP, I'll check out plants and hit a botanical garden if there is one nearby. I'll occasional go into a guitar shop and see what they have. But the best thing I do is go to a swimming pool, I'm a swimmer, and swim laps. It's an adventure sometimes when I'm in Europe as they often don't have informational signage in english so I'm just guessing if I am in the correct lane. Often, the locals swim breast stroke rather than freestyle as I was told thats the stroke they teach in grade school. I have to be careful not to run one of them over.

Humanitarian work. Volunteering. Indulge in the life of the locals away from the main scene. Pick an area, set your allotted vacation days and wing it. Avoid appointments and schedules as much as possible. Try not to decide what you’re gonna do until you get to the spot. I don’t even reserve a place to stay until im there. Chill and go with the wind. I find it more relaxing that way.

My wife and I go to grocery stores in foreign countries just to see what's popular and to see what prices generally are on common items.

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try to find the heavy metal pubs/bars and hang out with normal people. 

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I found a metal/craft beer bar in Quebec City. Some of the nicest people ever.