By Chris Guld, GeeksOnTour.com
From the Oregon Trail in Wyoming to George Washington’s boyhood home in the Chesapeake, we’ve driven by a lot of historical markers in our motorhome this summer. I’m always curious when I see the sign, but rarely enough to pull over.
So, I use the app called “Explore Here.” Just open it up to the homepage, and I see a category called “Nearby.” If we just passed a marker, it will show up in this section. I’ve been impressed with how complete it is. It uses the Historical Marker Database (HMdb.org) as its source.
Yesterday, we were driving on the Tidewater Trail in the Chesapeake area and saw a sign as we passed it. In order to read the sign, I pulled up my Explore Here app and looked at the Nearby section. I could see that sign on the map, so I clicked and read the text. Many of the signs also have photos.
There is also a setting you can turn on to get a notification when you are passing a historical marker.
• App: ExploreHere
• Cost: Free
• Available on: iOS, Android
• Founder: Wes Vance
Chris Guld is President and Teacher-in-Chief at GeeksOnTour.com. She and her husband, Jim, produce a free YouTube show called What Does This Button Do? They have been full-time RVers, popular seminar presenters at RV Rallies, and were regular contributors to RVTravel.com, for many years.
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RVDT2630
the cost is free for download and a short trial.. then it costs. 1 week free then 20.00 annually
Hey Jim! Wes here, one of the founders of ExploreHere; the app is totally free to use to find and view all the markers in our database, even after the free trial, but we do charge for additional features, like history and audio on the markers! The data itself is always free and accessible, but we charge the annual fee to help us continue development of the app!
Thank you for the information, Chris! This may get heavy use, provided cell service is available, during our extensive summer trip. Have a great day and safe travels!
Oops, missed Jim’s comment until now. Maybe it won’t. Maybe the website instead.
Neal, try https://www.hmdb.org/nearby.asp instead. It is not only one of the sources for ExploreHere but it actually has more information and points of interest. And it’s free.
Another decent one that offers free points of interests is https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/.
Safe travels!
Beware. NOT FREE ! $20 annually.
I assume that the “explore here” app requires the mobile device to have the gps tracking turned on. So it is not for me
We think the advantages of having location services turned on far outweigh any downsides. It can save your life.
Unfortunately this “free app” costs $20/yr. after the free trial.
Hey John! Wes here, one of the founders of ExploreHere; the app is totally free to use to find and view all the markers in our database, even after the free trial, but we do charge for additional features, like history and audio on the markers! The data itself is always free and accessible, but we charge the annual fee to help us continue development of the app!
Hi! Wes here from ExploreHere – thanks for shouting us out on National Historic Marker Day!
ExploreHere is free to download, and free to use to search and find over 200k historical markers! We do offer a Pro version that gives enhanced features like; marker audio, travel mode, notifications when you pass a new marker, etc. and it helps to support the apps development for our small team of 2!
We offer a week trial for Pro, but also here’s a friend code for 20% off our annual plan! “RVTRAVEL”
I’m always looking to improve the app so if you have any suggestions, come chat with us!