Finding history or natural work wonder? - what tools

[Goshawk]

So am out camping and in a remote state park. Maybe hour away from civilization (Walmart - lol).

Found that even the park rangers don’t have any clue about the history or interesting places nearby. Would think there would be a bulletin board of neat things to see.

So am now using multiple APPS to find things.

1). Geocaching. — use the full web site more than the app. Can sometimes find interesting locations. Really depends on the person who places the geocache.

2). TripAdvisor — it can show you the top ten or twenty things to do in an area. Mostly more commercial focused, but can be used to find other things.

3). POCKET EARTH — has a Wikipedia link in the maps. Very good for finding history or natural wonders nearby. Also shows a lot of attractions and information nearby.

4). YELP — completely commercial. But helpful with reviews on attractions nearby. Reviews with this or TripAdvisor or Google reviews gives you perspective.

5) Maps.me offline maps. Can use this to download maps and use regardless of cellphone connections. Can find interesting points nearby. Maybe combine with other offline maps to see a better picture.


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[LathrenJames]

I find this almost everywhere I go. People generally do not know their own history. It's like not swimming in your own swimming pool. It's there, you just never get in it. I enjoy finding out on my own, too. The geocaching is fun!

 

[lenny flank]

I've visited cyberfriends who offered to be my "guide" in particular cities, and invariably I find that they've never been to most of the attractions and interesting sites. Seems we always take the local stuff for granted.

 

[rvwandering]

I use TripAdvisor a lot. After the first ten or twenty things, lesser known and less visited sites are often listed.

 RoadsideAmerica has a lot of obscure things that don't pop up on other sites.  https://www.roadsideamerica.com/

 I've also used Wikipedia to find little museums - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_museums_in_the_United_States
 Double check the listings though because some no longer exist.

 The best sources of information in small towns are often the volunteers at local museums. They usually have lived there all of their lives and know the history and are interested in it enough to actually know things.

 

[Goshawk]

Roadside has an IPHONE app.


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[WILD@HEART]

Great resources, thank you. Seems pretty universal..there's always hidden treasures in everyone's own backyard.

 

[wasanah2]

We were camping the finger lakes in upstate NY one summer and because my late husband was a bookish guy, we went to a lot of used and rare bookstores. Well I like the history of the areas too, and while there, I just asked the person working at a used bookstore if he could recommend some books about the history of the area. He took me to a whole section that had books about the area. I bought several. I learned about Jemima Wilkinson, the Universal Friend who brought a cult of people to one of the finger lakes in the 1700s and had a settlement that was as far west as anyone had a settlement at the time.

Book was called _Pioneer Prophetess: Jemima Wilkinson_ . It was awesome and we were camping really near where the settlement was and we found the roadside plaque about her and went down the road that would take us to where it was. Oh it was beautiful there. No wonder people left the safety of the cities to move there. I looked at the lake from there and thought this is where she nearly walked on water...but stopped because the belief that she could was enough.

Then we went to another place near Chautauqua and found another used bookstore and I asked the same question. Come to find out, these bookish people know their local history pretty well. It worked out great. Hubby had a chance to look for his books and I had a chance to find more out about the area.

I still do that when I'm looking for a book to read, but these days, I dont' like to carry so many books. I generally drop them off at a library when I'm done and someone will get to benefit from them after I do.

 

[losthighwaydrifter]

I have done lots of weekend ride to stuff I saw on roadsideamerica! love that site!!

 

[maki2]

I believe that most state have a state history museum. That is a great place to visit. You will learn the geology, the historic sites, the culture, the agriculture, the arts, the famous persons and the industrial history too. They will have maps available. Even if you don't visit in person you can contact them and ask where to find the things that most interest you.