Santa Barbara Woman Creates Virtual Tour of Waterfront

http://www.noozhawk.com/noozhawk/article/011110_santa_barbara_woman_creates_virtual_tour_of_waterfront/

By Sheila Fox Tanksley

Sheila Fox Tanksley turns her photos into a downloadable audio file

Visitors to Santa Barbara now have a more convenient way to access tour sites through their cell phones.

Sheila Fox Tanksley, a longtime Santa Barbara resident, has recorded a walking tour of the Santa Barbara waterfront on VisualTravelTours.com, a new one-stop travel tour site.

Users can download audio tours directly from the site onto their computers, iPods and most new cell phones.

“Photos have long been a great way to get an idea of a place you’ve never been before,” Tanksley said. “The difference here is, the pictures are narrated and you can connect with them immediately.”

Tanksley took numerous photos of the waterfront and then turned them into a tour.

“Many of the sites on the Santa Barbara waterfront are a wonderful way to explore with your children,” she said. “My daughters and I have had pleasant experiences here, and I thought it would make a great tour.

“I love taking pictures. I love to write. Creating this tour was a great way to do both. VVT took my words and photos and converted them into a visual podcast, so it’s available to just about anyone who wants to visit the Santa Barbara waterfront in person, wants just to see and hear about it, or to keep as a souvenir of a recent visit.”

Click here for your own peek at the Santa Barbara waterfront.

— Sheila Fox Tanksley is a Santa Barbara resident.

http://www.noozhawk.com/noozhawk/article/011110_santa_barbara_woman_creates_virtual_tour_of_waterfront/