By: Michele M. Kroll, Community Development Specialist, MU Extension
The Dragon Lake Tour: A free mobile guided gamified tour app
Over 5 million people visited Lake of the Ozarks in 2020. Between Covid-19, a popular show called Ozark and the need to just get away to enjoy the great outdoors the lake saw a record number of visitors. A new interactive scavenger hunt tour featuring popular and hidden gems of the Lake is available on any smartphone or tablet. Each game tour is an interactive heritage treasure hunt fun for all ages to solve challenges, answer trivia, find characters in augmented reality, and more.
The scavenger hunt can begin at any of the 7 location stops. It is suggested to start at stop 1, the historic Willmore Lodge. The tour starts off with a great view of the Lake and hosts the Bagnell Dam Museum as well as the Chamber of Commerce. It’s a great way to begin the tour and gather some information as well. The tour features Bagnell Dam, a private gold fish farm, swinging bridges, castle ruins, a historical museum and much more. Kroll said, “I developed the tour so that more local residents and tourists could get off the beaten path and find some hidden gems as well as learn more about the Lakes more popular attractions. It is a family friendly activity that all can enjoy. Every place has a story to tell and we have a great one!” Kroll is a University of Missouri Extension Community Development Specialist who provides cultural heritage tourism programs.
To access the tour, go to the phone app store and download the free Guidigo app. Once in the app search for the “The Dragon Lake Tour.” Download the tour. Once a tour is downloaded Wi-Fi does not become an issue. The GPS map works in the car and on foot during the tour. The tour includes 7 stops starting at Willmore Lodge and ending at the Camden County Historical Society. The app provides a GPS map with location descriptions. Each stop can include a video, audio or photo’s along with game challenges. At each stop players are asked trivia questions that earn them points and virtual scrabble tiles to solve a puzzle. Players do not have to be at each physical location to play the entire game. “That’s a nice feature,” Kroll said. To get a glimpse of what the tour looks like follow this link: https://www.guidigo.com/Web/abjI1onvFj0
Lore and Legends of Ha Ha Tonka Tour: A free mobile guided gamified tour app
Over 500,000 people visit Ha Ha Tonka State Park in Missouri annually. In a recent article published by Condé Nast Traveler, it rated the park the most beautiful place in Missouri. A new interactive scavenger hunt tour featuring Ha Ha Tonka State Park is available on any smartphone or tablet. Enjoy this adventure filled scavenger hunt as you learn more about this spectacular state park. Each game tour is an interactive heritage treasure hunt fun for all ages to solve challenges, answer trivia, find characters in augmented reality, and more.
The scavenger hunt can begin at any of the 7 location stops. The state park website states it is a geologic wonderland with sinkholes, caves, a huge natural bridge, sheer bluffs and Missouri’s 12th largest spring. The ruins of a turn-of-the-century stone castle overlook these wonders and offer impressive views of the Lake of the Ozarks and Ha Ha Tonka Spring from a 250-foot bluff. Kroll said, “I developed the tour so that more local residents and tourists could take advantage of this beautiful Missouri State Park with a family friendly activity. Every place has a story to tell and we have a great one!” Kroll is a University of Missouri Extension Community Development Specialist who provides cultural heritage tourism programs.
To access the tour, go to the phone app store and download the free Guidigo app. Once in the app search for the “Lore and Legends of Ha Ha Tonka.” Download the tour. Once a tour is downloaded Wi-Fi does not become an issue. The GPS map works in the car and on foot during the tour. The tour includes 7 stops starting at the visitor’s center and ending at the spring. The app provides a GPS map with location descriptions. Each stop can include a video, audio or photo’s along with game challenges. At each stop players are asked trivia questions that earn them points and virtual scrabble tiles to solve a puzzle. Players do not have to be at each physical location to play the entire game. “That’s a nice feature,” Kroll said. To get a glimpse of what the tour looks like follow this link: https://www.guidigo.com/Web/QB72L0q2wxg
