Walkers interested in a unique way to explore Toledo’s Old West End have a new high-tech option: a GPS-guided VoiceMap tour by Holy Toledo Tours called Toledo's Old West End Walking Tour.
This new three-part bundle of self-guided walking tours spotlights the homes, buildings, and people of Toledo's most celebrated neighborhood. As you stroll the Old West End, your phone's GPS locator and the VoiceMap app trigger directions and insightful commentary—sharing the history, architecture, and culture of the incredible historic district. Users can stop and start the tours whenever they like and explore further at their own pace.
Toledo's Old West End is home to one of the largest collections of late Victorian homes left standing in the United States. Through this guided tour bundle, users will walk with Tedd Long, author and curator of www.holytoledohistory.com and Dr. Ted Ligibel, the Director Emeritus of Eastern Michigan University’s award-winning Historic Preservation program, as they explore the fascinating stories behind the classic examples of Colonial, Georgian, Italian Renaissance, Queen Ann, Dutch Colonial, French Second Empire and Arts and Crafts homes.
Along the way, users hear stories about past and present occupants, and the architects behind many of the buildings seen on the strolls. They’ll also pick up a thing or two about how to tell different architectural styles apart. Each stroll is concentrated on a specific area in the Old West End, including the museum, cathedral, and campus neighborhoods.
Long has developed several other Northwest Ohio history tours for the VoiceMap app, including a driving tour along the Maumee River, an "unholy" Toledo gangster tour, and a walking tour of Fort Meigs.
"I'm often asked about tours of the Old West End, so this bundle is my answer. What started out as a single tour turned into three different strolls so folks can take their time and do a deep exploration of this great neighborhood", Long said at the June 1st tour launch at the corner of Central and Collingwood.
"I might add, these strolls are specifically designed for walking. We want users to experience the neighborhood at the same pace the architects expected people to pass by when these homes and building were designed. The sidewalks here in the Old West End are intentionally wide to accommodate a leisurely stroll," Long added.