A new smartphone app is helping St. Augustine visitors take a walking tour of the 450-year-old city.
Plans are in the works to expand the high-tech tours to 20 Florida cities.
The Florida Stories app reads users’ locations using GPS to guide them through the city.
The Florida Humanities Council managed the project using state funding.
Council Director of Digital Initiatives Jennifer Snyder says the app will allow visitors to experience historic cities across the state.
“We started with St. Augustine because of its history, its importance to the state and because of its 450th anniversary,” Snyder said.
Some of the sites included in the tour are the Peña-Peck House, Casa Rodriguez and the Government House.
Miami-based actor Chaz Mena narrates four or five-minute histories behind each site. The stories have sound effects for maximum punch.
“Our own sound designer ended up recording his own guitar to this wonderful Spanish guitar music, and kind of tried to make it really engaging,” Snyder said. “Because we’re fighting with cars, and sounds of St. Augustine all that kind of environmental noise that happens.”
She says the council plans to expand the Florida Stories app next to Pensacola, Apalachicola and Bartow.
