Did you know that horseshoe crabs are unable to eat unless they are walking ? Or that a multi-day battle was fought during the Civil War near the Island ’ s roundabout entrance ? If you didn ’ t , you would be similar to many longtime residents and visitors to Kiawah . To enable participants to acquire a broader understanding of Kiawah ’ s natural beauty and history , the Kiawah Conservancy has developed a series of self-guided biking and walking tours of our home island .
The program , hosted by the TravelStorysGPS application and titled Naturally Kiawah Pathways , presently includes seven tours . The application is free and can easily be downloaded to most smart phones or mobile devices . Four of the tours are geographically based ( western , central , and eastern Kiawah and The Preserve ) and three are focused on our wildlife neighbors ( Treasures of the Beach ; Kiawah ’ s Ponds ; and Capturing the Beauty of Kiawah ). Each includes 10 – 12 locations where something special about Kiawah is revealed . When you arrive at a location , a GPS-activated commentary will automatically start up , or you activate an icon about a particular subject ( for example , our friend the horseshoe crab ). Each tour can be completed in 60 – 90 minutes or undertaken in smaller portions .
This spring Kiawah property owners were sent a brochure that describes the program in more detail . The brochure includes a color-coded map of all the tours , a description of the locations comprising each tour , and the background of the program . Additional copies are available at the Conservancy office . If you would like additional copies for family or friends , please contact the Conservancy at ( 843 ) 768-2029 or jennifer @ kiawahconservancy . org during weekday business hours .
Here are some of the enthusiastic reactions from participants thus far : “ I described the application to someone I met biking and they asked for the download instructions that very minute .” “ Even if I had never left my house , these tours would have deepened my love for this beautiful place .” So kick your bike tires ( or those of your family and friends ) and be part of one the coolest new experiences on Kiawah . To take a tour , visit the App Store or Google Play and download the free TravelStoriesGPS application . Open the App and choose one of the seven Naturally Kiawah Pathways tours available . Make sure your device ’ s volume is on and turned up . The audio tour will automatically play as you approach each point of interest in the tour you selected . For help press the settings icon .
We hope you will enjoy the App , recommend it to your family and friends and share your experiences , photographs , and stories with us . We look forward to seeing you on Kiawah ’ s pathways ! NK
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