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Is your school in a culture rich urban area, or situated with a beautiful nature preserve? Do you have iconic landmarks nearby or really cool small town hang outs? With your virtual tour, you can identify with those recognizable landmarks and attractions, as well as showcase the little known gems that make your proximity, community, or location great. Here’s how!

Add interactive tour stops to your campus map

Presbyterian Houston is a school nestled in Houston’s Museum District. The area features many museums, the zoo, gardens, performance venues and more. The school has a great arts program and regularly takes students on field trips to the various cultural amenities in their neighborhood. Houston’s Museum of Natural Science and the Medical District is nearby and is also a feature on their map.

What tourstops would you include in your interactive campus map?

Feature local spots — with or without students — in your panoramas

Here are some examples of panoramas shot in the communities of Brewster Academy, The Hun School and McCallie School:

Brewster Academy has a great little “downtown” on the lake with an ice cream shop that students like to gather at.

Downtown Wolfesboro

The Hun School is in Princeton, NJ near Princeton University—a lively area with lots of young people, shops and restaurants.

Downtown Princeton

McCallie School is located in the hills above Chattanooga, TN and they wanted to highlight the riverfront esplanade where students like to walk and gather.

Include hotspots to open slideshows or videos highlighting your area

Hotspots are a great way to extend your tour with relevant and compelling content. A hotspot is basically an icon or button on the screen that opens up media like a slideshow, a video, a text window, a panorama or audio. It can also activate a download, open a form or include a call to action link.

The University of Kansas peppered their tour with panoramas, videos and slideshow images of nearby Kansas City throughout their tour. 

In one of the KU slideshows, you’ll find a photo of a night scene in Kansas City

Design your campus map to include landmarks

These beautiful watercolor campus maps designed by Circlescapes’ very own map artist, feature landmarks – the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco and the Atlanta skyline–  so prospective parents can see the proximity to the city.

Marin Country Day School with San Francisco in the background

Lovett School with Atlanta in the background

“Point” to panoramas of nearby locations in your campus map

McCallie School map: Note the call out to view additional panoramas of Chattanooga on the right side

Slice of Hun School campus map pointing out additional panoramas of Princeton , NJ

Other ways to include your community

  • Include links to a “where to stay page and things to do” so visitors can plan their trips
  • Feature a hotspot that opens your community’s events calendar in real-time
  • Link to your city’s visitor bureau website
  • Include video testimonials about the area from students, teachers or parents

What are your ideas for sharing what makes your location special within your virtual tour?