A new take on tours

If you start seeing hoards of tourist walking around staring at a little gizmo in their hands, they're not playing a video game or sending out text messages.

More than likely they're using a new electronic sight-seeing device developed by Go GPS Tours. The company and the product were the brainchild of Lazy Dog co-owner Sue Cooper and her business partners, Richard McColley and Bill Lilly.

The handheld devices, called Explorers, harness various technologies to create a new and unique tourism experience for visitors.

"It's a software that allows you to have audio and video tours in a little hand-held explorer," Cooper said. "It's also GPS triggered, so not only are you seeing audio and video, but the unit knows where you are standing."

For example, if a user is approaching the Southernmost Point, the Explorer will begin a narrated history of the site and its buoy, along with photos and other interactive elements.

The Explorers have three different tours to choose from: a short highlights tour that covers about 20 locations in old town, a more expanded highlights tour with additional locations, and an "off the beaten path" tour that takes visitors along the historic seaport and through historic neighborhoods. All of the tours have extensive information and lots of movie clips and old photos.

"It kind of covers a little bit of history; architecture; fun, local culture and stories; and nature as well," Cooper said. "We're trying to cover all the bases for entertainment sake."

Cooper said she and her partners spent months gathering the information for The Explorers, including mining the local library and its extensive library of old photos, the Internet, books, local historians and colorful characters, as well as business owners.

"A lot of businesses are getting involved and becoming part of the tour, offering discounts to people who are coming in with the explorers," Cooper said. "We want to also be able to bring (local businesses) in so we can also support the community. So some of the content is added from the actual businesses."

Users also have the ability to bypass certain stops if they aren't interested for whatever reason. They can simply move on to the next site, and the Explorer will pick up on their location without missing a beat.

The splash-proof 4.44 x 3.33 inch screen is specifically designed for use in direct sunlight. The Explorer is lightweight, and a rubber grip and a neck strap make it easy to carry.

Right now the Explorers are available for three to four hours for $39 a person. A headset is included, but there is a standard headphone jack if people prefer to use their own. Customers can book the units through Go GPS Tours' Web site, and the units will be delivered to visitors at their hotels.

Go GPS Tours also is creating the tours in multiple languages. Cooper said the tours should be available in Spanish, German and French by the end of the month.

"It's a research project that has made me fall in love with Key West all over again," Cooper said. "You forget all the history that exists here."

Anne-Margaret Sobota is The Citizen's business editor. Her column runs exclusively each Sunday. She can be reached at amsobota@keysnews.com.