What Are Some Things to Include in a Descriptive Essay About a Place?

Smell, appearance, sounds, sights, tastes and texture are all things to include in a descriptive essay about a location. The idea of a descriptive essay is to recreate the item, event or, in this case, place in someone’s head. The goal in writing a descriptive essay should be to make your readers feel as though they are in that place. In this regard, the senses are essential to the construction of a descriptive essay.

Brainstorming for a descriptive essay prior to beginning to write helps identify those characteristics of a place that are most prevalent memory. It is a good idea to try to remember the smells, thinking about geographic location and surroundings. Obviously, a beach is going to have a slightly sandy smell. But if there is a concession stand on the beach selling corn dogs, there is an overlapping element that further brings a location to life. Food tastes are another way in which people experience places. In fact, food is so prevalent in some cultures that they can be identified by their food alone. The architecture reveals a lot about a place as well. Old buildings create a completely different image in the minds of readers than modern ones. Location is, likewise, important. The sounds of a city definitely set it apart from rural settings. The people in a location also help readers identify. The way they dress, behave and receive strangers are all elements to think about when constructing a descriptive essay.