NEWPORT NEWS — The Virginia Living Museum has rolled out a new app partnership with UniGuide, giving museum visitors access to 30 audio tours right from their smartphones.
The museum’s marketing team recently announced the partnership with UniGuide which allowed for the creation of the audio tours to be added to the app’s platform.
UniGuide is a nonprofit so the partnership came at no cost to the museum.
The app company hosts audio tours from all over the country.
Judy Triska, marketing director at the Virginia Living Museum, said the museum was approached about a year and a half ago by UniGuide to develop content.
After the marketing team wrote the copy, the UniGuide team assisted with producing the audio by adding music and sound effects.
The 30 audio tours are set up so that a visitor can walk through each gallery, indoor and outdoor, and learn right from their smartphones, Triska said.
Before the app, if a visitor wanted a tour they had to pay extra on top of the entrance fee.
But now there is a free option for all visitors to learn, Triska said.
“Having a tool like this is a great asset for our guests,” she said.
She said the museum is always looking to enhance visitors’ experiences with technology so this partnership was right up their alley.
Right now, when you enter the museum there are little placards with numbers on them to help guide you through the audio on the app.
The app is free to download.
One advantage that Triska talked about was that visitors could listen to content ahead of time before visiting the museum.
So far there have been no issues with the app and people who have used it in the museum are pleased, Triska said.
She hopes people will continue to download the app and take advantage of the content as they visit the museum.
To learn about the tours, exhibits and galleries at the Virginia Living Museum, click here.
