About Our Tours
Our GPS-guided walking and driving tours feature little-known historical facts and fascinating stories about Northwest Ohio. We also offer advice on activities, restaurants, and bistros for guests to enjoy along our tour routes. We've been told our tours are like a moving podcast—the stories move along with you. They're delivered on the free VoiceMap app. Click on the Apple or Play Store link below to download your copy today!
LATEST TOURS
VoiceMap GPS Driving Tour
History Along the Maumee
The history of Northwest Ohio is interwoven with the threads of myth, legend, and folklore that flow along the banks of the Maumee River—shaping our understanding of both the past and present. Join us as we travel from downtown Toledo to Grand Rapids and back. $11.99
VoiceMap GPS Walking Tour
Old West End Stroll
Toledo's Old West End is one of the largest collections of late Victorian homes left standing in the United States. Walk with us as we explore the fascinating stories behind these classic examples of Colonial, Georgian, Italian Renaissance, Queen Ann, Dutch Colonial, French Second Empire and Arts and Crafts homes. Bundle $12.80
VoiceMap GPS Walking Tour
Explore Fort Meigs
Discover Ohio's role in the War of 1812 at one of America's largest reconstructed log forts. On this walking tour, you’ll learn how British and Canadian troops, assisted by a confederation of American Indians under Tecumseh, besieged the fort twice. Experience the war at this National Historic Landmark through soldiers’ letters and diaries. This family-friendly tour is a must for anyone visiting Northwest Ohio. $5.99
VoiceMap GPS Walking Tour
Port of Toledo
This 90-minute walk along the heart of downtown Toledo’s riverfront offers sightseeing, boat watching, and fascinating details about Toledo's rich maritime history. Stories like the crash of the Yuma into the Cherry Street Bridge and the building of the first 5-masted sailing vessel the David Dows help to highlight a whole new perspective on Toledo, the Maumee River, and the largest landmass port on the Great Lakes. All proceeds benefit the National Museum of the Great Lakes. $5.99
VoiceMap GPS Walking Tour
Bowling Green
Meet the oil barons and entrepreneurs who helped put Bowling Green on America’s map way before the state university came to town. On this walking tour through the city’s Downtown area, you’ll encounter classic landmarks and hear the stories behind them. I’ll also share little-known tidbits about the city’s past.
$5.99
VoiceMap GPS Walking Tour
Downtown Bowling Green
Put on your walking shoes and listen as we tell you the stories and history behind the most prominent buildings in Bowling Green—Northwest Ohio's funkiest little college town. Along the way, learn things like how Bowling Green became a boomtown, why BG shares its name with a town in Kentucky, or when and why they electrified the hands on the courthouse clock. You'll take on a whole new appreciation for Bowling Green and its incredible architecture and history. $5.99
VoiceMap GPS Walking Tour
Jefferson to Monroe
Whether it’s your first time in Toledo or you are a lifelong resident eager to learn more about your hometown, this tour is a valuable introduction to the Glass City. We'll explore the stories behind who built the Pythian Castle, trace the Toledo Club back to its roots, and discover why Monroe Street was once called the Million Dollar Highway. $5.99
VoiceMap GPS Walking Tour
The Warehouse District
Are you ready to explore Toledo's premier urban neighborhood of homes, businesses, restaurants, and a minor league baseball team? Grab your phone and head out for the Warehouse District Tour. $5.99
Getting Started
Did you know your phone's built-in GPS is accurate to between 5 and 15 meters? Our tour platform, VoiceMap, uses this to make magic, allowing me to point out tiny details at exactly the right time and place. Here's how to get started with VoiceMap...
Download VoiceMap
Click on the Apple or Play Store link below to download the free VoiceMap app and set up your account. Why sign up? Once you download a VoiceMap tour, it’s yours forever. You need to have an account so that you can access all of
your tours.
Download a Tour
Type Toledo, Ohio, in the Search by Destination box, and you'll see my tours. You can use WiFi or data to download a tour. Wait for all the files to download, and then you can disconnect and turn off your mobile data. All the audio files and maps will work offline. Make sure to keep your phone off airplane mode—that turns your GPS off, so nothing will play.
Start a Tour
To reach a tour Starting Point, open the VoiceMap app, click on your Library at the bottom of the screen, and select a tour. Then click “Get Directions.” Follow the directions to arrive at the starting point. When you arrive, close the directions app. The screen will show you how far you are from the starting point. When you get close to the starting point, click Start Tour and enjoy!
How to Use
A few years back, I made the decision to stop hosting bus tours and start delivering my tours via VoiceMap so more people could explore and enjoy Northwest Ohio. What is VoiceMap? Simply put, it is a mobile phone-based publishing platform for location-aware audio. It allows me to share my stories and guide listeners on a walking or driving tour at the listener's own pace.
With VoiceMap's GPS autoplay, the app uses your location to play audio automatically, at exactly the right time and place, and when you start moving again, playback will too. It also gives you directions, making it much easier to put your phone away and immerse yourself in your surroundings. Put on your headphones or crank up your Bluetooth audio in your car, tap Start, and let me guide you on an exploration. If you do wander off in the wrong direction, VoiceMap plays an audio alert, and you can follow the map on your screen to the next location.
I like to think of my VoiceMap tours as moving podcasts—they are totally immersive. Here are a few things to keep in mind while using VoiceMap to do my tours.
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When viewing the route, you are the blue dot; the portion of the route you have done is light gray. The current segment of the route is red, and the portion of the route you have left to do is light red. The red circles are audio files, and the circle with the headphones is the file currently playing.
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Below the map, you'll find some familiar controls to start and stop the tour.
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The bull’s eye at the bottom right will toggle you between centering the screen to your location and the beginning of the segment.
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To see the directions, you can click on the paragraph symbol at the bottom right of the app, and the written verbiage for that segment will appear with the directions at the top.
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On very rare occasions, depending on your phone’s GPS, it might miss an audio file. If that happens, click the audio file, and it will start. Another option would be to click the next button at the bottom of the screen.
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On most of my tours, a small picture for each tour stop is located in the bottom left of your phone. To enlarge it, click on it. To make it small, click the back arrow. On some stops, there may be more than one picture. Remember, to get from the picture back to the route, click on the back arrow at the top left of the picture.
That's it! The powerful technology that drives VoiceMap is very simple to use. Now, let's get moving; I'll see you down the road on our next tour!
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If I don’t have enough time to do the whole tour, can I stop and do the rest later?Sure, you can always end a tour and do the rest later. When you are ready to start again, just go to the tour location you would like to re-start at and click the “Resume” button. The closest three tour locations will appear on your screen and you can then select the segment you want and continue your tour.
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Can I still listen to the tours without walking / driving?Sure, once you purchase the tour, go to the VoiceMap app, Account, Start, and click the Virtual button. The tour will play all the locations continuously and will show the photos for each locations. You can view the tour this way on your computer too.
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What happens if I want to stop to eat, drink, or shop along the tour route?If it is going to be only a short time, simply click the pause button, which will beep every 30 seconds to remind you that you paused the tour. When you are ready to resume the tour, go back to approximately where you left the tour and press play. There are lots of great places to stop and explore along my tours, so make sure to take advantage of this feature! If you will be enjoying a stop for a longer period of time, you'll want to close the app to save your battery and reopen it when you are ready. When you are ready, open the VoiceMap app, click Resume, and the 3 closest locations will be displayed on your screen. Click on the last one that you did and you are good to go.
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How long will the tour stay on my phone?The tour will stay on your phone until you delete it, so you’ll have plenty of time to go back and review those interesting stories.
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What happens if I go off the tour route?The VoiceMap app will tell you if you venture to far off the route. In that case, you are the blue dot. Just start walking back to the red portion of the route, which is the segment that you are on.
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Are there any places to rest along the Walking Tours?Yes, all of our walking tours include many areas to sit and rest. Feel free to pause the tour at any time to take a break.
TESTIMONIALS
“Wow! This was an incredible tour and well put together! I was thrilled at everything that I learned and enjoyed it so much! It was perfect for all of my children 9-12-15. I also thought it would have made a great date night, anniversary, or even something to do with a parent/grandparent. Thank you, I appreciate my city that much more now!"
~Frances
My 10 year old and I had fun driving most of the tour (we stuck to the downtown area). It was an interesting way to break the monotony of the day and actually was his reward for getting his school work done. Thank you so much for this!
~Elise
"Thank you! Our family did this tour this afternoon and had an absolute blast. Informative and entertaining, it was the perfect escape... Can't thank you enough for putting it together and we look forward to any other adventures you have planned.
~Jared