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KEY WEST, Florida Keys — Visitors
are using high-tech handheld global positioning
system units to tour the low-key island of Key
West following the January 2008 debut of Go GPS
Tours’ interactive audiovisual sightseeing
experiences.
Available in multiple languages, the
innovative tours use video clips, contemporary
and historic photographs, text and audio
narration to present the island city’s popular
attractions and hidden treasures, art and
culture, flora and fauna, offbeat history and
local color.
Visitors stroll at their own pace, carrying
small user-friendly GPS Ranger units with
splash-proof non-glare screens. Audiovisual
informational segments are automatically
triggered to play on the units as participants
move from location to location (GPS coordinate
to GPS coordinate).
Tours include Highlights of Key West, an
overview of the island’s Old Town district
featuring popular landmarks such as the
southernmost point in the continental United
States and the former home of literary legend
Ernest Hemingway; and the Old Town Waterfront
Tour that features Mallory Square and the
colorful Historic Seaport. Both tours guide
visitors past notable museums, art galleries and
favorite local hangouts.
“We present facts that you would learn if you
were being walked around town by a local,” said
Go GPS Tours’ Sue Cooper. “We want people to
come away with a sense of really knowing Key
West.”
As well as providing an in-depth view of Key
West for English-speaking visitors, the tours
also are available in Spanish, German and
French, enhancing the visitor experience for
international travelers.
Additional tours, including an “off the
beaten path” jaunt and an art gallery stroll,
are in development.
The price for the three-hour rental of a
programmed GPS Ranger unit is $29 plus tax.
Longer rentals can be arranged. To book a tour
and arrange for delivery of a Ranger to any Key
West accommodation, call (305) 293-8891 or
visit their website www.goGPStours.com
For information about lodging in Key West,
call 1-800-LAST-KEY (800-527-8539) or explore
this Web site.
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