New app puts Bluffton’s history in the palm of your hand
Searching for a tour guide to help you get the most out of a visit to Bluffton’s historic district?
Look no further than the smartphone in your pocket.
Celebrate Bluffton, a nonprofit historic preservation and heritage tourism organization, recently launched a free mobile application that takes users on a tour of about a dozen historically significant sites around Old Town.
The Bluffton Buddy app uses a phone’s GPS to guide visitors to can’t miss destinations.
But instead of leading players to Pikachu and Charmander, Bluffton Buddy points history buffs toward landmarks such as the Church of the Cross and the Garvin House at Oyster Factory Park.
There’s something about being outside — the breeze, the sounds, the smells — that kind of transports people.
Celebrate Bluffton executive director Carolyn Coppola
Once at these landmarks, the app allows users to view photo slide-shows and listen to audio clips full of historical facts and anecdotes.
The information provided by the app isn’t limited to landmarks — Bluffton Buddy gives users the skinny on local historical figures, nearby Civil War battles, and Gullah culture.
“Bluffton's history is so incredibly unique within the spheres of both Southern history and American history,” Celebrate Bluffton executive director Carolyn Coppola said earlier this week. “Using technology, you can take people back through time so they get a better understanding and appreciation of that history.”
It’s one thing to read about Bluffton’s history, but using the app to hit the streets and explore the town can provide a richer experience, she said.
“There’s something about being outside — the breeze, the sounds, the smells — that kind of transports people,” Coppola said.
And unlike a traditional guided tour, the app allows users to explore the town “at their own pace,” she said.
“It’s flexible,” Coppola said. “There is no set order you have to see things in, and there’s no rush to get everything done in one day.”
The app was designed to be “easy to adjust, easy to expand” with new landmarks and information,” she said.
Building the app “was a really collaborative effort,” Coppola said.
She credited staff and volunteers with the Don Ryan Center for Innovation and University of South Carolina Beaufort for pitching in with technical expertise, and thanked Bluffton locals for sharing their stories and knowledge about the town’s history.
Bluffton Buddy — compatible with both Apple and Android devices — is available for download at the Apple and Google Play app stores.
Developing the app cost just under $10,600, Coppola said.
Funding for the project came from a combination of accommodations tax revenues, fundraising events, and a grant from the S.C. Humanities Council.
What's important for us is helping communities understand their history a little better.
S.C. Humanities Council executive director Randy Akers
The council is a nonprofit group that supports art, history and cultural enrichment projects throughout the state.
Council executive director Randy Akers said earlier this week that the app is indicative of growing interest and appreciation for Bluffton’s history and culture.
Earlier this year, S.C. Arts Commission declared the town’s historic Old Town neighborhood an official state-recognized arts and cultural district. Only five other municipalities in the state have that designation.
“What's important for us is helping communities understand their history a little better,” Akers said. “The (Bluffton Buddy app) should be a great tool for doing that.”
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Hilton Head also offers app
Last year, the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce launched a tourism-centric smartphone application called Island Compass.
While Bluffton Buddy specifically targets heritage tourists specifically interested in the town’s history, the chamber’s app provides information useful to a more traditional vacationer such as an events calendar, restaurant reviews, and lists of popular Lowcountry experiences.
Island Compass, a $100,000 town-funded project, stirred up quite a bit of controversy during the development process — at one point becoming a flashpoint during Hilton Head Island’s 2014 mayoral election.
At that time, chamber opponents lampooned its price tag — initially $340,000 — and the hiring of Canadian firm Verb Interactive for the app's development.
This story was originally published July 29, 2016 at 4:12 PM with the headline "New app puts Bluffton’s history in the palm of your hand."