Museums, libraries and communities · For visitor center managers, tourism boards and chamber of commerce staff
A visitor center kiosk that introduces your area through its stories
Travelers stop at the welcome center to decide where to go and what to see. A touchscreen that tells the area’s history, one landmark at a time, gives them a reason to linger and a list of places worth the drive.
No account needed to start. Free to use. No payment details required.
What is a visitor center kiosk?
A visitor center kiosk is a touchscreen in a welcome or visitor center where travelers learn about an area on their own, often while staff help someone else. With HistoryShowcase, the kiosk shows local history and points of interest as stories with photos, years and descriptions, organized in collections that visitors tap through and search by name or word.
Updated
- Made for
- Visitor center managers, tourism boards and chamber of commerce staff
- Where it goes
- Welcome center lobby, Rest area or depot, Chamber of commerce office
- Layouts
- Photo gallery, Timeline, Profiles, Honors ledger
- Visitors can filter by
- Town, Topic
- Cost
- Free to use. No payment details required.
Travelers want the story behind the stop
Visitor centers handle the practical questions well: where to eat, where to stay, which road to take. The brochure rack covers attractions that print brochures. What travelers often can’t find is the story of the place itself, why the town is here, who built the bridge, what happened at the old mill, unless someone at the desk has time to tell it.
A visitor center kiosk tells those stories while staff help someone else. Each landmark, historic site or local figure becomes a story with photos and a short write-up, organized so a traveler can tap through in a few minutes. The same stories live at a web address visitors can open later at the hotel or back home.
How does a visitor center kiosk compare with a brochure rack?
| What matters | Brochure rack | HistoryShowcase |
|---|---|---|
| Taking something along | Grab a brochure for the car | Note the web address and browse later |
| Telling the history | A paragraph on the back panel | A story with photos for each landmark |
| Keeping it current | Wait for reprints; empty slots meanwhile | Edit a story and it goes live |
| Finding a specific place | Scan dozens of brochures | Search by name or word |
| Directions | Often printed on the brochure | No maps; describe each location in its story |
What to put on a visitor center kiosk
How the area began
A short timeline from the first settlement to today, so travelers understand what they’re driving through.
Landmarks and historic sites
Each one as a story with photos and the year it was built, with the address written into the text.
Notable people
Residents the area is known for, as profiles with portraits and the places visitors can go see.
Then and now
Old photos of downtown streets and landmarks next to how they look today.
Annual events
The county fair, the festival or the reenactment, with photos from past years and the season it happens.
Local stories
The legends, odd facts and lore residents love to tell newcomers.
How to organize a visitor center kiosk
Travelers have a few minutes, so keep the home screen to four collections and lead with the places they can go see today.
Your siteWelcome
- Places to seePhoto gallery
Landmarks and historic sites, each with photos and its location in the text.
- Our historyTimeline
The area’s story from settlement to today.
- Notable peopleProfiles
People the area is known for, with portraits.
- Events through the yearHonors ledger
Annual fairs and festivals, each with photos from past years.
Visitors can narrow it by
- Town
- Topic
How do you set up a visitor center kiosk?
Start with the desk’s top questions
Ask front-desk staff what travelers ask about most, and write those places and stories first.
Keep each summary short
Lead with two or three sentences a standing visitor can read quickly, and put the full history in the longer write-up.
Pair it and let it run
Pair the kiosk from the editor, save the start address in its browser so it reopens after a restart, and run it full screen so it saves the site for offline use.
Where should a visitor center kiosk go?
- Welcome center lobbyNext to the brochure rack, where travelers already stop to decide what to see.
- Rest area or depotTravelers stopping for a few minutes have time to read a story or two.
- Chamber of commerce officeNewcomers and visitors stopping in for information.
Visitor center kiosk questions
Does the kiosk show maps or directions?
No. HistoryShowcase shows stories, photos and text, not maps. Put each site’s address and a plain description of where it is in its story, and keep printed maps at the desk.
Was HistoryShowcase made for visitor centers?
No, it was built for schools, and setup asks for a school name and colors. A visitor center or tourism board enters its own name and colors and uses the same editor, layouts and touchscreen.
What if the internet drops at the center?
Running full screen or as an installed app, the kiosk saves the live site for offline use. If an update fails partway, it keeps the last complete version, and it picks up new edits when it reconnects.
Can visitors make the text bigger?
Yes. Visitors can turn on larger text and reduced motion on the touchscreen.
Can travelers look at it later?
Yes. The live site has its own web address. Post it on a sign by the kiosk or link it from your tourism website so visitors can browse from the hotel or back home.
Related ideas
Tell travelers the story of the place
Free to use. No payment details required.
