Ever wandered around Belle Isle and wonder, “what exactly IS all this stuff?” Or, have you had a cousin in town and they need to spend some time doing things while you’re at work and can’t entertain them?
Here’s a free answer for you. There’s a new audio tour on the izi.TRAVEL app, created locally by Audio-D Tours and production by Signet Creative – and features radio veteran Dick Shafran, who was on WNIC-FM for about a decade. He’s one of those voices that if you’ve been around Detroit awhile you’ll probably know it when you hear it, whether on-air, in a commercial, or someplace somewhere.
The app, playing around with it, has GPS capability to play tours as you walk or bike near them, as well as if you tap the map. There’s stuff that’s “Well duh,” for the uninitiated but even a regular Belle Isle goer might find something new (for instance, I didn’t know the famous Flower Clock at the foot of the bridge used to be in Waterworks Park, and powered by a waterwheel).
It features, per the site:
- 18 sculptures and monuments, including its world-class fountain
- 12 historical buildings and structures of architectural interest
- 5 historically significant locales
- 4 indoor cultural attractions
Having used other travel apps while being a stranded tourist, this tour’s pretty good as they come. There’s always going to be something someone on the ground knows more, but it gives you a good sense of history and what’s on the island.
Check it out at what is probably the best domain name they could find for such a thing – http://detroitsbelleisle.com/. You’re going to need to download the izi.TRAVEL app first, then look for the Belle Isle tour, but didn’t find that to be a difficult setup in our experience trying the thing this afternoon.