Posted on May 17, 2011

GPTrex is proud to partner with the Triangle Land Conservancy to present a sampler adventure for the Green Jamboree 2011 on Saturday, May 21! This special event adventure will be available FREE to families attending the event at the Irvin Nature Preserve! Click here to purchase your tickets to this exciting event in Chapel Hill, NC.

To get started, just download the free GPTrex app onto your iPhone or iPad. This can be done at home or at the event. This free app offers a growing collection of family-friendly scavenger hunt adventures at educational and tourism destinations across the country. Click here to download the free GPTrex app.

When you arrive at the Green Jamboree, just open the GPTrex app and look for “Getting out at the Green Jamboree!” on the main menu. Your family will learn interesting facts about the Irvin Nature Preserve, answer challenge questions, and sample streaming videos as you explore. Have fun!

Category: News | Tags: North Carolina, Triangle Land Conservancy

Posted on May 6, 2011

Today is National Public Gardens Day! This third annual event is National Public Gardens Day is a national day of celebration to raise awareness of America’s public gardens and their important role in promoting environmental stewardship and awareness, plant and water conservation, and education in communities nationwide.

The best part? In support of National Public Gardens Day, Better Homes and Gardens is offering magazine readers a free admission coupon for two to visit a public garden today! Learn more at http://nationalpublicgardensday.org/free-admission-offer/!

Category: News | Tags:

Posted on April 3, 2011

Calling all North Carolina families! The Town of Chapel Hill and GPTrex have partnered to offer a very special “elemental” scavenger hunt adventure on Saturday, April 9! Find the elements, solve the challenge questions, and put your personal touch on Chapel Hill’s newest earth-friendly community art project!

Come join the fun at Chapel Hill’s Earth Action Day at Southern Community Park! This family-friendly celebration will feature food, music, arts, and “green” vendors to help your family get a jump start towards Earth Day.

Each family that completes the GPTrex scavenger hunt will earn pieces that can be added onto the new Breathing Sculpture being created during the event! Participants are also eligible to enter a drawing to win $100 to spend at Whole Foods, a fabulous prize from Twig, or a composter!

So download the GPTrex app right now and mark your calendar for Chapel Hill’s Earth Action Day from 12:00 – 5:00 PM on Saturday, April 9th!

Category: News | Tags:

Posted on February 23, 2011

Let me start by saying that we LOVE geocaching! However, this morning’s headline reminded us of the joys and pitfalls of geocaching:

“Downtown Disney Goes Down, Geocache Mistaken For Bomb”

If you are not yet familiar with geocaching, it’s a treasure hunt that requires you to follow specific GPS coordinates to find hidden containers. In fact, our cool GPTrex smartphone app is based on the geocaching formula – follow the coordinates/clues to find something – but with all the cool enhancements and quality control that come with a published smartphone app. While testing a number of concepts in product development, we quickly discovered that the greatest strength of “family geocaching” is also its great weakness.  Let me explain.

In concept, geocaching is a great family activity. It helps families get outside for a shared experience that promotes good health (outdoor exercise) and family learning (reading maps and GPS coordinates). Anyone can leave a cache anywhere, so there are literally millions of possible caches around the world. This makes it a very accessible family activity – all you need is a handheld GPS receiver, some coordinates, and a healthy sense of adventure.

In practice, this accessibility presents a few problems for geocaching as a family activity. Since anyone can hide, find, and move a cache, there is always some uncertainty about where or what the cache is. 99% of the time, the cache is family-friendly – logbooks, tokens, item swaps. However there is never a guarantee that you won’t find something more objectionable…if you find anything at all. After a few frustrated attempts searching for nonexistent caches and one container full of cigarettes, we knew that we had to find a more consistently family-friendly method. This was the genesis for the “virtual geocaching” that families can now enjoy in the GPTrex app.

Another pitfall, highlighted by this morning’s headline, is placement. As our communities place a greater emphasis on public safety and precaution, it is especially important for us all to practice “responsible geocaching.” If you are placing a geocache, make sure you have the permission of the land owner or venue management. This will, hopefully, prevent false alarms about unmarked containers such as yesterday’s bomb scare. If you are looking for a cache, be mindful of where you are exploring and what you leave behind. Ask permission to look inside buildings, avoid trampling gardens, and make sure you leave behind something that is family-friendly. You never know who will be finding that cache after you!

Category: Discoveries | Tags: geocaching

Posted on January 21, 2011

Are you a zoo, park, garden, or nature center educator looking to connect with new audiences and enhance your site’s visitor experience with mobile tours, scavenger hunts, and games? If so, this is the perfect time of year to get started! Creating GPTrex adventures is quick and easy for sites of all size and types. With assistance from our NAI-certified staff, you can have your custom adventures up and ready for the spring crowds!

Unlike audio tours or popular “map apps” available at some destinations, the GPTrex application seeks to elicit whole-family interaction by providing engaging location-based adventures for the most popular mobile devices.  What sets GPTrex apart from the pack?

• Location-based content makes each adventure personal using Assisted GPS, digital compass, and WiFi triangulation.
• Adventures are media-rich, able to support text, images, audio, video, interactive questions, and more at each destination.
• The GPTrex app brings together branded adventures from sites across the nation, bringing your branded adventures to new family audiences.
• The GPTrex app is designed to be data-light for downloading “on the go.” This means adventures can be advertised and downloaded on-site quickly using normal data connections.
• The GPTrex app supports in-app purchasing and promotion. Your adventures can generate revenue, drive business, and promote additional programs.

And the best part of it all? Getting started doesn’t cost you a dime! Our mission is to provide affordable family-friendly adventures that drive engagement at community and educational sites. Our flexible revenue-sharing and partnership options make it possible for sites on a tight budget to get started now at no cost!

So what are you waiting for?  Get started now by letting us know that you are excited about bringing GPTrex adventures to your site!

Category: News | Tags:

Posted on November 3, 2010

GPTrex is proud to partner with the Museum of Life and Science to present “Rudolph’s Santa Train Adventure!” This very special holiday adventure will be available FREE to families attending the Museum’s Santa Train event. Click here to purchase your tickets to this exciting event in Durham, NC.

Rudolph needs your help to find all the candy canes for Santa’s tree! Follow the clues and keep your eyes open for hidden candy canes! To get started, just download the free GPTrex app onto your iPhone. This free app offers a growing collection of family-friendly scavenger hunt adventures at educational and tourism destinations across the country.  Click here to download the free GPTrex app.

When you arrive at the Santa Train event, just open the GPTrex app and start “Rudolph’s Santa Train Adventure” from the main menu. Good luck, and happy holidays from all your friends at GPTrex!

Category: News | Tags:

Posted on September 26, 2010

What is our approach to getting families outside to explore their world?

How do we support local community and interpretive sites?

What is the future of mobile family adventures?

Find answers to this and more by listening to the September 25 episode of1360 WCHL’s “Today’s Business with Jeremy Salemson.”  This interview covers a range of topics of interest to families, interpretive sites, and fellow Chapel Hill start-ups.  You can stream the episode online at:
http://www.wchl1360.com/archivesHomewide.html?sid=371

Category: News | Tags:

Posted on September 25, 2010

The Science Seekers need your family’s help to solve a scientific mystery! Follow the scientific method as you collect clues and solve the mystery of why the sky is Carolina Blue!

Complete this special one-day only adventure during the UNC Science Expo on Saturday, September 25 and enter the prize drawing.* One lucky family will win a FREE family membership to the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center!

Learn more about the UNC Science Expo and related events across North Carolina at www.ncsciencefestival.org.

Also visit the GPTrex table for demonstrations of local GPTrex adventures and souvenir prizes while supplies last!

Category: News | Tags:

Posted on September 20, 2010

Free iPhone app gives families more to explore at cultural and tourism destinations

Chapel Hill, North Carolina – GPTrex announced the release of a new iPhone application that is revolutionizing the way in which families experience cultural, community, and tourism destinations nationwide. The free GPTrex application for iPhones provides “more to explore” with interactive adventures, tours, and scavenger hunts designed specifically for families with children 8-12 years old.

Using the iPhone’s built-in GPS, compass, WiFi triangulation, and intuitive touch screen interface, the new GPTrex application offers an interactive and fun activity for families that is like no other. Unlike audio tours or popular “map apps” available at some destinations, the GPTrex application elicits whole-family interaction to explore sites, find clues, and solve puzzles.

“As a mother of two, I understand how challenging it can be to find activities that engage both kids and parents,” said Lisa Huggins, Co-Founder of GPTrex. “Our family loves visiting local museums and parks, and kids can never get enough of new technology. Developing the GPTrex app was a perfect way to bring together the family time that mom and dad love with the interactive gaming and exploration that the kids love!”

The GPTrex application is now available as a free download on the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, and iPhone 3G. The application is specifically designed to load fast and run light, which means it is optimized for any Internet connection – EDGE, 3G or WiFi.

From within the application families are able to search the growing collection of place-based adventures by destination, keyword, or popular rating. Individual adventures sponsored by cultural, community, and tourism destinations are free for all visitors. Unsponsored and unofficial adventures cost only $2.99 each for unlimited play.

Brian Cain, President of GPTrex, explained, “Historically, only big tourism destinations could afford to offer smartphone apps and handheld rentals to visitors. The most exciting aspect of the new GPTrex app is our ability to create and market customized adventures for all kinds of venues regardless of their size, resources, or operating budget. Our easy content creation process, flexible partnership options, and innovative in-app promotions remove the traditional barriers to entry for our educational partners. Moreover, GPTrex works with partners to maximize the interpretive value of their customized adventures, cultivate new revenue opportunities, and implement marketing strategies to attract more family visitors.”

Cultural, community, and tourism venues interested in developing and marketing customized GPTrex adventures to family visitors are encouraged to learn more about partnership options by visiting www.GPTrex.com.

About GPTrex, Inc.
GPTrex was founded in 2009 when a group of parents and educators came together around two common goals: find new ways to provide affordable, fun, whole-family activities; and generate support for the community’s cultural, historical, and educational venues. After testing a number of concepts, the GPTrex iPhone application was launched in September 2010. This application gives partner venues a new interpretive tool and families more to explore through interactive adventures and scavenger hunts. By offering an easy content creation process, flexible partnership options, and innovative in-app promotions, GPTrex helps venues of all sizes and budgets enrich their visitor experience and reach new family audiences.

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Category: Press Releases | Tags:

Posted on September 7, 2010

Aloha, adventurers!
You can now follow GPTrex on Twitter to get the latest on great family-friendly events and activies nationwide! Just look for us at:
http://twitter.com/GPTrex
TTFN!

Category: News | Tags: