App Uses GPS and Audio To Guide Drivers to 12 Covered Bridges
Perkasie, PA (May 14, 2024) It has never been easier to enjoy Bucks County’s cherished collection of covered bridges, thanks to a new mobile app that provides self-guided tours to all 12 wooden structures.
In conjunction with STQRY, an industry-leading mobile tour-guide provider, the Bucks County Covered Bridge Tour app uses GPS maps and audio storytelling to guide tourists on a curated drive through the most beautiful locations in Bucks County.
“The Covered Bridge Tour app combines the best of the “old” with the latest technology in digital tourism,” says Scott Bomboy, chair of the Bucks County Covered Bridge Society. “STQRY is the perfect partner to deliver a great experience for people who want to tour the bridges at their own pace, and on their own schedules.”
The app is free on Apple’s App Store and Google Play, thanks to support from the Bucks County Covered Bridge Society and the Bucks County Tourism Grant Program. After downloading the app, people can choose from curated tours, or use an interactive map to find the covered bridge closest to their current location.
“The STQRY platform is used internationally for driving tours, walking tours, and museums. It is a perfect fit for Bucks County, where every covered bridge has a story,” says Bomboy. “There is an audio story that plays for each bridge on the tour, and the app uses Apple or Google maps to guide a tourist through the highways and back roads where the bridges are located.”
Three driving tours, starting in Newtown Township, New Britain Township, and Tinicum Township, cover all 12 covered bridges on a 90-mile route, with the Mean’s Ford Pony Truss bridge in Ralph Stover Park as a bonus stop. The estimated driving time in five hours.
Three shorter tours, starting in Perkasie Borough, Newtown Township, and Tinicum Township, include seven or eight covered bridges, with an estimated driving time between three and four hours.
The app also includes a Map button that lets tourists take their own route; a Favorite icon for saving bridge locations; an interactive quiz question at each bridge; and guided directions to local museums and parks for people who want to customize their experiences.
To download the app, visit Apple’s App Store or Google Play, and search for “Bucks County Covered Bridges.”
Direct downloads are available at:
Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/bucks-county-covered-bridges/id6502349219
Google: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mytoursapp.android.app8520
The Bucks County Covered Bridge Society is a 501c3 non-profit founded in 2007 in the effort to restore Mood’s Covered Bridge. Its mission is to work with local, county, and state officials to preserve, protect, and promote covered bridges. More information about the Society can be found at buckscountycbs.org.
Visit Bucks County (VBC) is the official tourism promotion agency for the County of Bucks and funded by the occupancy tax paid by overnight visitors to Bucks County. VBC works with its partners to generate economic impact and hospitality employment growth by driving travel and related business to experience Bucks County and all it has to offer. More information can be found at www.visitbuckscounty.com.
STQRY is a storytelling platform that helps visitors explore further, engage deeper, and discover more. It provides a range of amazing features to create location-based tours, virtual tours, mobile, and web apps, audio guides, games, and online collections. Its partners and affiliates include American Alliance of Museums, and American Association for State and Local History. More information can be found at stqry.com.
MEDIA USE OF IMAGES
Screenshots of the app and a covered bridge fact sheet are available at: https://buckscountycbs.org.
