One question we frequently get is, “Why does the world need Bird’s Eye View maps?”

A perfectly logical question in this age of mobile apps, GPS units, and online maps.

Here’s our answer: One goal is to get people off of social media as the sole guide. First of all, many of the popular map guides are just not accurate, especially in some of the small communities we specialize in serving. We need to train people not to believe everything they see on their phone.

Only one example is a new business that is on Auguste Street. If you enter the name on the usual mapping sites, the name pops up as Augusta, with an “a” instead of an “e” at the end. “Auguste” is the correct, local, German spelling, and the one that appears on the street sign. But if you try to search for “Auguste,” the program automatically sends you to another business named “August E’s.” The result is frustration for both the visitors and the business owners.

Another reason is that we wanted BirdsEye View maps to be useful, so we made them MORE useable:

• cleaner art work
• more consistent sizes
• increased useable space for more inclusivity and clarity

From frontline hospitality staffers I also learned that, yes, visitors want to get from Point A to Point B. But at the same time, they also wanted know more about the community and all it offers to visitors.

That is why we decided to add more rich information to our maps, namely…

• night life
• parks for kids
• antiques destinations
• wineries/breweries
• restaurants
• historic
• annual events

The bottom line is that the Texas Hill Country and our other highlighted communities have so much to offer to visitors and residents, we made our maps up to the task to deliver that information. There is so much to do and see, Bird’s Eye View maps are the only maps up to the task.

Yes, there are many ways to navigate in our networked world. But the Bird’s Eye View map is the only map you can pick up at any of dozens of locations, hold it in your lap, write on it, fold it, and use it to uncover hidden delights and unknown destinations and events.

And after your trip, you can even take it home with you to begin planning your next visit!