Escapees March/April 2016

To help maximize your RV adventures, here are 11 terrific apps that you can use To Make your road trips more rewarding:

Roadside America Looking for some zany fun? Roadside America bills itself as “your online guide to offbeat tourist attractions,”

Audubon Mobile Field Guide Apps

Yelp This hard-to-beat app crowd sources reviews and helps you choose

For years, Audubon has been putting the “great” in the great outdoors with their comprehensive nature guides and has now made them available to mobile users. From reptiles to butterflies and wildflow- ers to trees, these useful apps range from free for the Audubon Bird Guide to $4.99 and up for other guides. Each app offers photos, range maps and even animal sounds, including birdcalls, in the palm of your hand. Free and up on iOS and Android

the best fit for your needs. You can find the highest-rated hair salons, drug stores, art galleries and more. However, my primary use for Yelp is dining. The Nearby search helps locate general restaurants, dining options or coffee/tea houses in your immediate vicinity, but you can also search a specific town and/or a specific type of food. They also offer a cool func- tion called Monocle that lets you point the phone in any direction and see what is nearby as an overlay on the screen. Free on iOS and Android

and they deliver over 10,000 cool places to see. From the America the Beautiful Road in Tijeras, New Mexico; to the Sistine Chapel in Spray Paint in Waterloo, Iowa; the Roadside America app will make sure you never miss your Jolly Green Giant moment. I’m especially fond of the “near me” function alerting users to what’s just down the road, as well as the 70-plus themes search. $2.99 for one of seven US/Canada regions, or $5.99 for all regions. Available only on iOS.

Sky Gazers Deep dark nights around the park lend themselves to star gazing, and it’s a given to cast our eyes to

TV Food Maps Would you like to take a bite out of that in- credible-looking grilled cheese sandwich some- where in Ohio that you

iExit Wondering what’s at the next exit or the next 100 exits as you plan your trip down the road? No

the heavens and ponder the millions of twinkling lights in the sky. Using the free SkyView app for iOS or free Sky Map for Android, point your phone toward the sky and it will identify constellations, stars and even satellites, plus provide interesting information about what you are seeing. Free on iOS and Android

saw on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives ? How about tasting Bobby Flay’s favorite NYC caramel apple pie from the Best Thing I Ever Ate ? Get the scoop on restaurants featured on several of your favorite Food Network shows, including a nifty road trip planner, using this simple app. Free on iOS and Android

longer must you rely on highway signs or hunches. Fuel, food, family-friendly and even a few banks and drug stores are listed on this nifty, valuable app. Highways are sorted by state, highway number and direction, and each exit listed provides a plethora of information. Free on iOS and Android

Roadtrippers Looking for must-sees, off-the-beaten-track attractions or decided-

Untappd With the explosion of craft breweries across the nation, how do you choose? This app lets you get your brew on at any number

GasBuddy No longer must you wonder where the best fuel prices can be found. Download this app and you’ll be

ly oddball stops? Set a starting point and a destination and Roadtrippers will show you attractions, natural wonders and weird stuff along the way. There’s also a “Best of the USA” section that points out destination highlights broken down by state. It’s really amazing what’s out there. Free on iOS and Android

able to search for all fuel grades, including diesel, based upon proximity or by specific locations. Results can be seen in a list or map format and can be sorted by distance or price. After benefitting once or twice, you might even want to help fellow trav- elers by reporting current fuel prices as you roll down the road. Free on iOS and Android

of excellent craft pubs across the U.S. Download it and you’ll be rewarded with information on nearby pubs, what’s being poured, what’s the buzz and top-rated breweries and beers. You can even get so- cial with other beer lovers by rating your “beervana” experiences. Free on iOS and Android

80 . ESCAPEES | March/April 2016 | www.escapees.com