Are you traveling to Washington D.C soon? Several fantastic smartphone apps were released this year that can enrich even the most seasoned visitor’s experience of the city.
National Mall App
Price to Download: Free
Key Features:Â Â The map features makes mall navigation easy! View your location in real-time, follow walking directions, and find sites of interest or metro stations near you. You can zoom up to three levels on the map. Tapping one of the red pins will bring up the name of the location. Clicking the name will provide up-to-date information, hours, and history of the site. View a photo album of each location, with photos throughout the sites history. Some memorials, such as the Lincoln memorial, feature video interviews with park rangers. The app also features tour plans, a postcard feature, and an events calendar.
DC Rider
Price to Download:Â Free
Key Features:Â Â DC Rider has a static metro map for viewing, but perhaps its most useful feature is the trip planner. Put in your metro location as well as the station where you are headed. The trip planner then provides information about which train to take and in which direction, as well as the approximate amount of time the trip will take. Selecting Next Train provides up to the minute information about the arrival of the next train. Selecting Fare provides cost information for this trip and the variations in fares depending on age and peak travel times.
ANC Explorer
Price to Download:Â Free
Key Features:Â Â Finding the grave of a loved one or notable member of history at Arlington National Cemetery just got easier with the ANC Explorer App. Search by name, location, birth date, or death date. The app also provides a gps map that highlights memorials, ceremonies, trees, and more, depending on your selection. Tapping a notable grave will bring up information about the person who is buried there as well as an image of the grave. An event calendar is also available with this app.
Smithsonian Visitors Guide & Tours
Price to Download:Â $0.99
Key Features:Â Â The Smithsonian Visitors Guide & Tours is the Smithsonian equivalent of the National Mall app. The layout is very similar, and equally as useful. The map will display your location in real-time as well as the location of surrounding Smithsonian museums. Tapping the pin of a museum will bring up hours of operation, history, and famous artifacts held at that museum. A minute-by-minute events calendar is available as well as tours categorized by interest. Selecting a tour will draw a route on the map for you to follow. Â The postcard feature allows you to take fun pictures with artifacts of the museums (such as the Hope diamond) superimposed.
Civil War Alexandria
Price to Download:Â Free
Key Features:Â Â The Civil War Alexandria app makes it easy to experience the rich civil war history of Alexandria as you explore the town. Like the other apps mentioned, this app features a gps map that places pins on key locations. Selecting a location provides the option to open the location on the map feature of your smartphone for directions. The Stop List feature displays a list of sites of interest. Selecting a site gives more information both in a text and audio format, along with a featured photo.Â
Interested in traveling with Scholastica? Make a quick request for more information and we’ll contact you soon!
