Smithsonian Announces New Visitors Guide Mobile App

Smithsonian magazine has launched its new “Visitors Guide & Tours” app. The app, now available for both Apple and Android-based smartphones, will aid Smithsonian visitors planning a trip to the Institution’s Washington museums and the National Zoo. It includes custom-built tours, navigational tools, maps and museum floor plans.

Using the app, visitors can:

• Take a “Greatest Hits” tour of each of the Smithsonian’s museums. The app features specialty tours, such as “Art Lover,” “History Buff,” “Nature Lover” and “With Kids.” There is also a “Three-Hour Tour” and a more comprehensive “Three-Day Tour.”
• Check out a list of “must-see exhibitions” and get updates on daily events.
• Get turn-by-turn walking directions on the map of the National Mall, locate artifacts inside the museums on floor plans and find the nearest Metro stops.
• Use “augmented reality” to find a museum from their current location.
• Use the “Friend Finder” tool to keep in touch with family and friends on the National Mall.
• Share a visit to the Smithsonian with friends and family with a personalized digital postcard in which they are wearing the Hope diamond, walking the stegosaurus like a dog or finding their way around Washington with Lewis and Clark’s compass.
• Find out where to eat and shop with locations and descriptions of all the Smithsonian restaurants and stores.

The app is continually updated to ensure that users have the most up-to-date information when visiting the Smithsonian. It is available for iPhone and Android and costs 99 cents.

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