Freedom’s Frontier Launches Interactive Tour Portal Connecting Visitors to Historic Sites

By Johnny Szlauderbach

NEWS — APR 12, 2024

Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area (FFNHA) launched its new tour portal today, offering regional visitors and residents state-of-the-art educational travel adventures. Designed to highlight FFNHA’s partner sites while leveraging contemporary travelers’ preferences for immersive and bespoke experiences, the platform hosts a wide range of self-guided walking and driving tours. 

“We are so proud of these mobile tours,” said Executive Director Lucinda Adams. “Each is an engaging, informative experience that fits in the palm of your hand. But taken together, they are a vital tool for connecting visitors, whether they live in Kansas and Missouri or are just traveling through, with our partners and local businesses both near and far — the gas stations and restaurants, for example, between each tour stop.”

The portal, accessible at FFNHA’s website, collects the organization’s tour library in one place, allowing users to access the content on any web-connected device without requiring extra downloads or new software. Previously, FFNHA’s tours were available exclusively through the organization’s mobile app. “People don’t want to clog their phones with unnecessary apps that require constant updates,” Adams explained. “This portal makes our tours more accessible and easier to use than ever.”

While migrating the tours from their old platform, FFNHA added new features and a redesigned layout. “The best part,” Adams says, “is that they’ve never looked better.” 

FFNHA has long been a pioneer in interactive educational content, offering travelers and residents new opportunities to learn about the region’s history and culture. After launching its mobile app in 2020, FFNHA steadily expanded its collection of interactive tours during the Covid-19 pandemic. FFNHA now offers 19 unique tours of sites across the heritage area’s 41 counties. Each tour features original content, including turn-by-turn directions, Google Maps integration, and supplemental multimedia like embedded audio and video. 

With the material now on FFNHA’s website, support for the organization’s mobile app will end on April 30. Adams is excited about the portal’s potential. “There’s so much we can do on this platform that wasn’t possible before. The sky really is the limit.”

To embark on your next adventure and see the region like never before, visit freedomsfrontier.org/tours.

Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area (FFNHA) builds awareness of struggles for freedom in western Missouri and eastern Kansas. Established by Congress in 2006, FFNHA covers a unique physical and cultural landscape across 41 counties and 31,000 square miles. It promotes three diverse, interwoven, and nationally significant stories: frontier settlement, the Missouri-Kansas Border War and Civil War, and enduring civil rights disputes. FFNHA inspires respect for multiple perspectives and empowers area residents to preserve and share these stories, achieving its goals through interpretation, preservation, conservation, and education for all residents and visitors. It is one of 62 federally recognized National Heritage Areas across the United States.

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