Creole Nature Trail Launches Free GPS Multimedia Tour and Smartphone App for Visitors
Louisiana's Creole Nature Trail comes to life for visitors with new interpretive GPS video tour options. Rentable GPS Ranger handheld devices and Smartphone apps are available for both iPhones and Androids. All options are available free of charge.
Online, May 5, 2011 (Newswire.com) - The Creole Nature Trail All-American Road, also known as Louisiana's Outback, has now been brought to life with several free automated video tour solutions being offered to visitors: GPS Ranger® handheld video tour guide devices and GoExplore™ Smartphone applications for the iPhone® and Android™. The free apps can currently be downloaded from the iTunes App Store and Android Market, and the GPS Ranger handheld units can be rented at the Lake Charles/Southwest Louisiana Convention & Visitors Bureau free of charge beginning May 7 at the start of National Tourism Week.
"This innovative, user-friendly tool really takes the experience of Louisiana's Outback to the next level of interactivity," said Shelley Johnson, executive director of the Lake Charles/Southwest Louisiana Convention & Visitors Bureau. "Visitors gain a deeper understanding of the area through being fully exposed to all the treasures found along the trail."
The Creole Nature Trail All-American Road is a 180-mile driving tour through fertile marshlands, several wildlife refuges and along Louisiana's Gulf Coast. Here outdoor adventure and abundant wildlife are waiting for you in their natural habitat. Using cutting-edge technology, the multimedia self-paced tour guides deliver content based on where you are located on the trail.
The history, culture, industry and abundant wildlife of the area come alive right before your eyes...it's like having your own personal tour guide of the Creole Nature Trail right in the palm of your hand! Some highlights of the tour include nature walks, Gulf beaches and shelling, recreational crabbing and birding opportunities at every turn.
The duel solution options, sourced from BarZ Adventures, allow users with supported Smartphones to download the tours directly to their devices, while those that may not own an iPhone or Android can enjoy the tours using the rentable GPS Ranger. Both systems use Global Positioning System (GPS) to determine your location and deliver content automatically based on where you are located along the trail. Whenever you approach a point of interest along the Creole Nature Trail tour route, video about what you are viewing automatically plays on the GPS Ranger and is highlighted for play in the apps, providing information in an entertaining manner.
BarZ Adventures' Ranger unit is light weight, rugged, water resistant and features a sunlight viewable screen, perfect for your adventure into Louisiana's Outback.
"We are proud to help tell the story of the Creole Nature Trail with the GPS Ranger and the GoExplore Smartphone app platform. The Creole Nature Trail is an American treasure; it has spectacular wildlife and rich wetlands that everyone should experience. Both the GPS Ranger and the GoExplore Smartphone app tours connect the visitor with this wonderful area in a fun and engaging manner while being environmentally sensitive," said Wm. Lee Little, founder and CEO of BarZ Adventures Inc.
The Creole Nature Trail tour in both systems is available in multiple languages including English, French, Spanish, and German. The GPS Ranger version also features closed-captioning (in English) for those who are hearing challenged.
The GPS Ranger device features a four-inch LCD touch screen and can be enjoyed by several visitors at once with its dual-speaker stereo system. Devices can be checked out at the Lake Charles visitors' center, located at 1205 N. Lakeshore Drive in Lake Charles, La. The center is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday through Sunday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Units may be dropped off at the center during office hours or in a drop box, located in front of the center, after hours. The apps are available from the respective app stores around-the-clock, and tours can be downloaded or streamed to Smartphones depending on user preference.
For more information, please contact the Lake Charles/Southwest Louisiana Convention & Visitors Bureau at 337-436-9588 or log onto www.visitlakecharles.org.