How an App to Explore Like a Local Makes Public Art More Discoverable

Ever get the feeling you’re only scratching the surface of a place you’re visiting? Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs), Business Improvement Areas (BIAs), and museums often invest significant resources into local programs like public art installations or heritage sites.

Yet, these cultural assets can go unnoticed by the very visitors they’re meant to engage. It’s a common challenge: creating the culture is one step, but making it easily discoverable is another. Imagine walking through a downtown square and passing a striking sculpture. You snap a photo, but it isn't until later that you realize it was a significant piece by a renowned artist with a powerful story. That missed connection, or the lack of context at the point of discovery, is precisely the problem an app to explore like a local is designed to solve.

Turning the Entire City into a Discoverable Museum

The City of Toronto faced a similar situation. As part of its ArtworxTO initiative, the city made a massive investment in public art across its neighbourhoods. The key question became: how do you seamlessly connect people to the narratives behind these installations?

The City of Toronto chose the Driftscape platform to launch interactive, art-based experiences. Instead of relying on static maps, the city transformed its cultural assets into living stories.

Key features launched to help discovery:

• 50+ immersive audio tours that guide visitors through diverse neighbourhoods.

• 4 city-wide scavenger hunts for gamified exploration.

• Location-triggered storytelling that shares context automatically as you approach.

When a sculpture on the corner is paired with an immediate digital story, it becomes an experience rather than just an object. This collaboration shows how a location-aware platform can help transform cultural assets from static points of interest into personal visitor experiences.

Making Culture Inclusive and Accessible

This approach is often about simplifying access to culture. For example, features like hands-free audio tours make the experience more accessible for people with visual impairments or for those who prefer to look at the art instead of at a screen.

The digital guide can help remove the potential "gallery intimidation" factor, inviting people to participate in a way that feels natural. It’s a shift from simply displaying art to experiencing it together.

How a mobile-first approach can support inclusivity:

• Hands-free audio supports people with visual impairments and improves safety while walking.

• Mobile-first design makes cultural discovery accessible for all ages.

• Reduced reliance on traditional signage which can be costly to maintain or easy to miss.

• Spontaneous exploration allows for barrier-free discovery of local culture.

Pro Tip: When launching a digital tour, try to include a "behind the scenes" detail about the artist or the installation process. This layer of insider knowledge is exactly what helps a visitor feel they have found a reliable app to explore like a local.

Extending Reach and Enhancing the Visitor Experience

A smart digital strategy can help optimize resources and give initiatives a longer lifespan. A digital platform extends the reach of a program like ArtworxTO long after the initial launch announcements fade. Since 2021, this collaboration has led to over 65,000 views of the art around the city.

The data shows visitors arriving from over 400 area codes have enjoyed the tours across the city, from Little Jamaica to High Park. These metrics suggest that digital tools don't just serve locals; they draw in tourists who are looking for authentic, self-guided ways to navigate a new space.

Features like Driftscape Quests can turn art discovery into a family-friendly activity. By using augmented reality (AR) technology, a simple walk can become an adventure. This partnership is designed to enhance the physical experience, not replace it. By making cultural assets more discoverable, the City of Toronto reinforces its identity as a destination where visitors are encouraged to explore longer and connect more deeply.

Digital Storytelling is Your Best Ambassador

A destination's stories are a powerful asset, but they need a medium to be heard. An app to explore like a local acts as a personal guide in every visitor's pocket. It empowers them to find hidden gems and understand the soul of a city on their own terms.

This model is flexible enough to fit any destination, regardless of size.

Why this model works for various destinations:

• Flexibility: It can work for seasonal pop-ups or year-round heritage programs.

• Localization: It is often just as effective for rural trail systems as it is for urban art crawls.

• Community Pride: It enables you to celebrate local theatre, food tours, and community history in one place.

Ultimately, this is about forging a deeper connection between people and place. When you make a city’s culture easy to access, you’re not just providing information; you’re creating a more memorable, shared experience.

Ready to see how an app to explore like a local can highlight your city's public art? 

Book a demo with our team to see how you can turn your local installations into interactive visitor experiences.

About the author: Andrew Applebaum is a digital tourism expert at Driftscape who helps destinations, BIAs, museums, and tourism teams create self-guided visitor experiences rooted in local stories. He writes about practical ways to improve visitor engagement, support local businesses, and make tourism initiatives easier to launch and manage. View Andrew’s profile and connect on LinkedIn