History meets technology: Bring your iPad or tablet to Philly

Quick! Pinpoint the location of America's most historic square mile."

Rdsmith4 on wikimedia commons

If you said, Old City district of Philadelphia, you're right on the money. And in the midst of that historic square mile are another 55 acres of history – Independence National Historical Park. What makes the place so historical? Here it was that debates were fought over the wording of the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution. Across the street is enshrined the Liberty Bell. Not far away, a museum dedicated to Benjamin Franklin, the Postal Service Museum – the list goes on.

Now history meets technology. The U.S. Park Service offers a new electronic app, the new, free Independence Mobile App. This is Uncle Sam's way of  taking steps to reach out to new, young and diverse audiences: Going digital.  Independence National Historical Park is the latest national park to launch an official NPS mobile app.

Along with the new app, Independence NHP also has a group of roving Park Rangers ready to interact with visitors using iPads loaded with the new park app and others, to share photos, visitor information and a little bit of history.  Visitors can also use the app to connect to the park’s Facebook or Twitter pages – the park is using social media to share historical photographs, explain what park staff do around the park and talk about our nation’s history.

Available now on the ITunes App Store and in the Google Play store, the app is a free download that’s great for using in the park, planning a visit ahead of time, or just checking out our nation’s history. Here are more details:

• Through the Sites feature, visitors learn more about points of interest. Concise text explains the significance of the sites while professional photographs provide a stunning view of building exteriors and interiors. The Visiting section includes hours of operation and other essential information for trip planning.
• With illustrated buildings and a "Locate Me" feature, this app’s map is the best map of the area.
• It is easy to use while outdoors, and features large font sizes, illustrated walkways that are easily distinguishable from roads, and multiple zoom levels. By tapping the "Locate me" icon, visitors will always know where they are.
• Wondering where to go next?  Visitors can discover the "Road to Revolution" or follow "In Franklin's Footsteps" on guided audio tours throughout the park. There are five thematic audio tours to choose from. Each tour includes engaging audio and detailed walking directions. 
• Visitors won’t want to miss the “staff pick” tour on the British Occupation of Philadelphia.

Next up – getting kids involved.  Later this spring, the park will add a kids component to the app.  New features will provide more content geared toward a younger audience and the park will start its first electronic Junior Ranger activity.

To download from the ITunes App Store: http://bit.ly/indemobileapp
To download from the Google Play Store: http://bit.ly/inhpmobileapp