‘Voices of the Lake George Battlefield’ audio tour to premiere Columbus Day Weekend

The Lake George Battlefield Park Alliance will unveil the park’s newest feature, a self-guided audio tour of the historic site, on Saturday, Oct. 10, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The mile-long walking tour begins in the Visitor Center parking lot on Fort George Road and takes tourists through the park, stopping at 12 locations.

“Essentially, we’ve distilled all of the detailed panels you can read in our Visitor Center into 12 audio narratives that are triggered at the battlefield’s most distinctive points of interest as you walk the loop,” says the Lake George Battlefield Park Alliance Trustee Todd Earl, who spearheaded the tour’s development. “These narratives greatly increase a visitor’s ability to understand key events that unfolded at the strategic southern end of Lake George over a 30-year span during the 18th Century.”

As tourists approach specific sites, such as the ruins of Fort George and the Mohawk Warrior fountain, GPS markers will trigger the narrations. ‘Voices of the Lake George Battlefield’ was developed by Smartacus, which harnesses new technologies to create self-guided audio tours.  

“New technologies have made self-guided audio tours more compelling and easier to produce,” says Smartacus Administrator Dan Forbush. “Each time we develop a tour, we gain a better understanding of how to generate the best results.”

This is the fifth tour developed by Smartacus in collaboration with the Warren County Department of Planning and Community Development. Other tours include ‘Voices of Lake Luzerne,” “A Walking Tour of North Creek,” and “Explore Thurman.” All of the tours may be accessed through the mobile app Stories from Open Space.

“This new audio tour of the Lake George Battlefield Park will bring the historic sites in the park alive with vivid imagery and dramatic narratives,” says Dr. Russell Bellico, a longtime Battlefield Park Alliance Trustee who now serves on its Curation Committee. “It will be a wonderful addition to the Visitor Center and the park’s existing signage.”

Light refreshments will be served during the Saturday demonstration. The Lake George Battlefield Park Visitor Center is open 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Friday through Monday of Columbus Day weekend.