Fort Sumter Tours Unveils New Mobile App to Enhance Visitor Experience

Fort Sumter Tours Unveils New Mobile App to Enhance Visitor Experience

CHARLESTON, S.C. – Visitors to Fort Sumter National Monument may now experience an 1800s historical site using state-of-the-art technology. Fort Sumter Tours – family owned and operated since 1961 – has launched a new Fort Sumter mobile app. The app is available for free in Apple’s App Store or in Google Play by searching “Fort Sumter.”

Fort Sumter Tours worked with Charleston-based netGALAXY Studios, a web design and mobile app development company working with businesses around the world, to develop the app. When visitors are at Fort Sumter, they will receive push notifications prompting them to learn more about specific areas of the fort.

While way signs and markers at Fort Sumter provide general information about the fort, the app provides visitors a more in-depth experience. Fort Sumter Tours collaborated with Fort Sumter National Monument staff to include stories of the fort that visitors may not get anywhere else.

The app also uses augmented reality technology in a “view finder” feature that visitors access as they ride to and from Fort Sumter on the tour boat. Simply point your smartphone at one of eight points of interest in the Charleston Harbor, such as Fort Moultrie or the Charleston Battery, and visitors will receive a pop-up notice with additional information on the selected landmark.

“We were looking for a way to enhance the visitor experience and appeal to a younger generation that is accustomed to using technology and smartphones for almost everything they do,” Ian Harris, director of sales and marketing. “This new mobile app offers visitors more details and historical facts that supplement everything they see while at Fort Sumter National Monument.”

Other app features include:

• A 360-degree virtual tour of Fort Sumter, which is especially useful for visitors who may have difficulty navigating the steps that lead to certain areas of the park.
• A “time machine” feature that shows photos of Fort Sumter now and when it was a functioning military fort in the 1860s.
• Details on the tour boats complete with floor plans.
• Virtual postcards for sharing on social media.

Download the free mobile app by searching “Fort Sumter” in the app stores or visit fortsumtertours.com.

About Fort Sumter Tours
In 1961 the Campsen family of Charleston founded Fort Sumter Tours to provide daily excursions to the Fort Sumter National Monument. Today, Fort Sumter Tours and partner SpiritLine Cruises provide daily access to this living monument, along with other memorable experiences for residents and guests of Charleston. For more information, visit fortsumtertours.com.

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