GPS Ranger Texas Trail of Fame tour includes inductees' stories
Visitors to the Texas Trail of Fame at the Fort Worth Stockyards often come to learn about Western history and legends, and can now do so with futuristic technology. The new Texas Trail of Fame GPS video tour launches July 25th, the National Day of the American Cowboy. To celebrate, complimentary tours will be offered to the public.
The Texas Trail of Fame consists of 135 inlaid bronze plaques that commemorate men, women, groups and even some animals that have made their mark on the Western way of life; eight new inductees will be added in the fall. Tours are delivered through the GPS Ranger®, a patented, handheld computer device that delivers compelling multimedia content based on the location of the user through the power of GPS (Global Positioning System) technology. As a visitor explores the Ft. Worth Stockyards National Historic District where the bronze markers are dispersed, the unit will trigger groups of videos related to their location. Brief biographies reflect on the lives and achievements of the Trail’s inductees.
On July 25th, along with additional festivities and family-friendly activities related to the National Day of the American Cowboy celebration, complimentary GPS tours of the Texas Trail of Fame will be offered. Visitors should look for the famous inductee impersonators roaming the grounds to receive their free tour voucher. The desire of the Texas Trail of Fame is to inspire and educate visitors through the adventure of reflecting on these Westerner’s accomplishments.
“The GPS Ranger has been so successful in telling the story of Fort Worth to its visitors. When Stockyards Station gave the Texas Trail of Fame the opportunity to utilize the GPS Ranger system located in the Fort Worth Stockyards National Historic District it allowed the Trail to share so much more information with our visitors about the people inducted into our public monument,” says Brent Morton, a representative from the Texas Trail of Fame. “The deeds of the men, women and some animals shaped and contributed to the preservation of the Western Way of Life. It’s nice to be able to share stories about each inductee through such an innovative technology.”
The Texas Trail of Fame GPS Ranger tour can be rented from the Stockyards Visitor Center, and is offered complimentary in a “buy one, get one free” arrangement for those visitors that also rent the Ft. Worth Stockyards Station GPS video tour for $14.95. The Stockyards Station video tour, available since February 2009 and hosted by rodeo legends Bob Tallman and Pam Minick, includes 30 video segments exploring the historic stockyards. The Stockyards Visitor Center operates daily from 9 am – 5 pm and is located at 130 East Exchange Ave in Fort Worth.
Developed and designed by BarZ Adventures Inc, the leading provider of hand-held GPS visitor guiding systems, the GPS Ranger utilizes innovative GPS technology to enhance the visitor experience and take it to the next level of interactivity.
“BarZ Adventures is proud to work with the Texas Trail of Fame in creating a fun multimedia experience for visitors that will engage and educate them on the men and women that have shaped Western culture,” said Wm. Lee Little, Founder and CEO of BarZ Adventures.
The sleek device features a four-inch LCD touch screen and can be enjoyed by several visitors at once with its dual-speaker stereo system. Tours are currently available in English, German, and French, while Spanish and Japanese versions will be introduced in the future.
ABOUT TEXAS TRAIL OF FAME
The Texas Trail of Fame was established in 1997 to honor those who have made a significant contribution to the Western way of life. Throughout the walkways of the Fort Worth National Historic District, bronze inlaid markers have been placed in honor of their achievements. The desire of the Texas Trail of Fame is to inspire and educate visitors through the adventure of reflecting on these Westerner’s accomplishments. For more information or to nominate an inductee to the Texas Trail of Fame, log on to www.texastrailoffame.org.
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