Beck Tour

The Knoxville African-American Tour of Cultural Heritage

Presented by The Beck Cultural Exchange Center

The Beck Tour is a 2011 SEED Award winner! Check out the awards web page: http://seedawards.consultsherra.com/2011winners/#/professional/study/3

Choose your own pace as you tour through 13 historic sites of cultural significance in and around downtown Knoxville, Tennessee. Just tap each site on the GPS-enabled tour map to view professionally narrated videos, historic photos and interpretation by noted local historians. Spend some time exploring Knoxville's historic neighborhoods and learn about noteworthy African-Americans and historic moments that shaped Knoxville's growth.

Enjoy this media rich tour experience as you walk through the historic Old City along grand old Gay Street and colorful Market Square, in and around landmarks, museums, parks, and entertainment venues. From early settlements to recent social change, experience Knoxville's past as you walk in the present.

The tour features 13 historically and culturally significant sites in and around downtown Knoxville. While at or near each site, the app enables users to read brief narratives about the site’s importance and view photos of notable people, neighborhoods, and events in Knoxville’s history. Adding to the uniqueness of this application, tour participants can view 4-6 minute videos about the historic and cultural significance of 10 of the 13 sites.

While there is no prescribed route, walking to each site from either end of the tour area is approximately 1.5 miles. Navigation assistance includes:
- Tour stops clearly displayed as push-pins on map
- Current street-level photos of each site to assist with orientation
- A "Find Me" button, which displays your exact location within the tour area
- Street address of each site displayed along with each tour site listing

Most of the tour content and data used in the app is build into the software, however, a data connection through Wi-Fi or your cellular carrier is necessary to view the video content, which streams to your iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad.

The Beck Cultural Exchange Center was founded in 1975, as a place to research, preserve, and exhibit African-American achievements and culture. Since that time, the Beck Center has reached more than a half million people from local residents to individuals from all over the world, and is now the largest African-American membership organization in East Tennessee. This mobile application is the first step in helping the rich archival resources of the Beck Center become more accessible to the public. The Beck Center staff invites you to use this app to explore the African-American history and culture of Knoxville, and hopes you will visit the Beck Cultural Exchange Center as part of your tour of Knoxville.

The Beck Cultural Exchange Center – where African-American history comes to life and links with the future.