Through a thick drizzle I gaze at the ominous gray stone buildings of the Tower of London, England's most notorious prison. I wander from one to the next, trying to imagine what it was like to be held captive here hundreds of years ago. That's when I hear a ghost. "Psst, you there... I'm sentenced to die tomorrow morning. Please, I beg you, can you help me escape?" >>Full Story
Thoughts// A fascinating story from Wired touting the latest tour at the tourist-filled Tower of London. As the article discusses, the Tower of London with assistance from HP, launched an (truly) interactive tour based upon some of the more famous prisoners and their escapes from the Tower.
As part of the tour, visitors receive a PDA, a GPS unit, and a radio transmitter. Then, as tourists walk through the historic grounds they are prompted to join in the virtual adventure when they enter certain rooms or locations. Once the game has started, players must visit certain locations within the Tower to help their prisoner escape (Ranulf Flambard, Bishop of Durhma, pictured). As the article says, the idea of the program is to surround the visitor with an experience, rather than just reading various plaques and signs.
Not only is this a great program for the Tower of London, but it begins to make you think about what other well-known (and possibly well-visited...read, I have seen it before) attractions could benefit from such an interactive experience.
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