While many people have had to cancel plans for international travel or cross-Canada road trips, a new app offers Airdronians a way to explore their own province.
Using History Check, a free app created by Impact Tourism, travellers can discover nearby historical sites, attractions and businesses.
“This is the perfect opportunity to explore our own province,” said historian Sheila Willis, co-founder of Impact Tourism. “Albertans can go enjoy their own attractions, and this app will tell them when it's appropriate to do so.”
The app lists sites and attractions on a map of Alberta, and users can click an icon to learn more information, Willis said.
A search of Airdrie results in more than a dozen clickable icons. The Nose Creek Vally Museum, Airdrie City Hall, Airdrie Public Library and a smattering of dining options are each listed with a brief description and link to their official website. Searching for Irricana brings up the Pioneer Acres of Alberta Museum. Information on attractions like the Beiseker Station Museum and the Grave of Sam McGee – located just outside the village – is also included on the app.
True to its name, History Check also provides historical facts about locations with a question mark icon. By clicking the icon, users can see a brief history of Airdrie and learn it was named after a city in Scotland, or discover Irricana's name is a combination of the words “irrigation” and “canal.”
The app also provides information on the opening dates and summer policies of small businesses and tourism operators, Willis said, adding History check has grown in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic, likely because it showed what was open.
“We wanted to communicate with users what was out there,” Willis said. “Businesses that were open were listed as 'COV open,' and we would write what was available there.”
Hundreds of points of data identifying open truck stops, washrooms, restaurants and gas stations were added during the pandemic, she said. In addition to these listings, the app highlights nearly 3,000 sites across the province, which Willis said makes finding places to visit more accessible.
“Instead of downloading, like, 70 different apps to go from point A to B, it’s all under one umbrella,” she said. “It’s a conglomeration of information put forward in a very user-friendly way.”
Willis – who built the app from her kitchen table – described inputting information for locations across the entire province as a “labour of love.” As a historian, she initially intended the app to focus on historical sites in northern Alberta, but soon recognized the potential to add more.
“We realized we can do anything with this,” Willis said. “No other province has this...and it’s really a whole pile of community guides on one app.”
Willis said she is encouraging people across the province to submit sites and information that can be added to the app. There is no charge to businesses that want to be listed, she said.
Kate F. Mackenzie, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @katefmack
