TC-Area 'MomTrepreneur' Offers Tourism App
Lake Ann resident and self-described 'MomTrepreneur' Brandy Wheeler Wednesday introduced Traverse Traveler, a new mobile app featuring restaurants, hotels, wineries and events in and around Traverse City.
The insiders' guide includes the usual names and places, but also attractions and restaurants off the beaten path.
You can download the app at www.TraverseTraveler.com.
Visitors and locals can use Traverse Traveler to:
* Research local hotels, pinpoint their location on Google maps
* Call to book a reservation for a hotel or restaurant
* Plan a wine tour with driving directions from one winery to the next
* Find a nearby attraction such as a lighthouse or a museum
* Find the quickest route from the hotel to the ski lodge, with point-by-point directions
* Discover local events and buy tickets before leaving home
Descriptions include information many other apps leave out, such as photos, hours, admission price or specials. Since it was designed and written by locals, Wheeler believes it'll have the local features and insight others can't know about.
Listings are ordered by proximity to the iPhone user. So if you're hanging out on Leelanau County, the listings nearest to you come up first. This is helpful for finding a hotel for the night, or the closest bar.
"Our maps and directions will make it easy to navigate from one location to the next," Wheeler said. "You can hop from Black Star Farms Winery to Bel Lago Vineyard without getting lost along the way."
Another cool feature, Wheeler said, allows you to tell your friends about a great restaurant or microbrew on Facebook or Twitter, or even by e-mail, without leaving the app.
Events are organized by date to let you know what's going on while you're in town.
'Near Me' feature pinpoints the 25 listings closest to the iPhone user, from within all categories.
Wheeler's original company is "Mealtickets & Unusual Ideas," a 10-year-old Traverse City marketing service with that displays small cards at more than 70 locations in Grand Traverse, Benzie and Leelanau County that promote area restaurants and attractions.
