what we do

PROBLEM

Lack of heritage touring products that connect people with the history of local places.

Typically, local history is warehoused in multiple documents, at various locations, and in multiple formats. For the average person, planning a comprehensive self-directed historical tour from scratch is time consuming, expensive, and difficult. Self-drive tourists need geographically targeted products that collect, screen, and compile information into a usable format.
SOLUTION

Provide heritage touring products and services to optimize experiences with local history.

At Heritage Trek, we take history off the bookshelf to tell you the stories of northwest Florida communities and show you where they happened. We give you all the information you need in a heritage atlas. Each atlas contains mapped routes to historical places, including obscure or seemingly “lost” resources not found anywhere else. We put local heritage at your fingertips so you can take history on the road!

Why Heritage Trek?

No frustration trying to collect, compile, and manage reams of information from multiple sources.

We conduct the front-end research, investigations, and interviews required to produce a comprehensive registry of heritage features. We locate and catalog records and their sources, identify or resolve issues, verify atlas features in the field, and organize information into a convenient and accessible format.

No anxiety from not being prepared or equipped to expand your heritage experiences and knowledge.

Our verified routes, photographs, and site information help you better plan your tour (what we call a trek). We map featured locations and, as needed, provide driving directions. You can follow the suggested routes or create your own paths of discovery. You can focus on your preferences whether they are cemeteries, historic homes, masonic lodges, gristmill sites, or old stores.

No uncertainty about what to see, what you may encounter, what you might have missed, or the significance of what you see.

Our atlases assist you in creating nostalgic, educational, and recreational experiences. We believe unique experiences occur when you put yourself in the places where history happened. Using our atlases, you can be confident about what you will likely see during your trek.

No trekking restrictions, you decide what to do, what to see, and when to see it.

Self-drive trekking lets you decide how to spend your time with the option to change your plans to fit your fancy, moving at your own pace. If you get hungry, find a small-town eatery to sample local flavor, and if you get tired, find a hotel or other accommodation to rest and unwind. If you are traveling with children, you can stop as often as you like or amend your trek to accommodate their needs.

If you have health concerns, self-drive touring affords the capability to avoid exposures to potentially unhealthful situations.

No time lost at sites that are not accessible, cannot be viewed, or cannot be found.

Whether you want to see everything or just certain places, our atlases maximize the quality of your time by helping you spend it on your interests. Ever been an accidental heritage tourist―encountering interesting roadside historic features yet missing the backstory to appreciate their significance? Our heritage atlases empower you with the information to conduct treks with expectations for finding something new, based on what was verified as being there.

OUR PRODUCTS

Atlases are produced in an 8.5- by II-inch, double-sided, spiral-bound format. Each atlas includes maps and directions to historical places and background information about each one as well as general area history. Each atlas is rich with historical images and color photos. We make it easy to truly immerse yourself in local history!

LOOK INSIDE

Each atlas contains descriptions of communities and historic features, maps pinpointing feature locations, and recommended routes to guide your treks. Features include residences, cemeteries, houses of worship, schools, stores, mill sites, Civil War sites, and many others. You can view and learn about the landscapes that governed how people lived and witness the physical imprints of earlier times!

The maps show locations of the heritage features discussed and highlight optional routes to get there. We use symbols and colors to help you identify features and touring routes. To maximize your convenience, we developed a map grid system to quickly get you to the desired feature. Heritage Trek offers the best heritage touring products available to connect you with the history of places!

VIEW EXAMPLE MAPS

The atlas gives you the information to focus your interest, find historic features, and interpret what you see. Our atlases provide essential resources for heritage, cultural, cemetery, genealogy, nostalgia, ancestry, and special interest tourists and history buffs, RVers, and educators. It is a heritage trekking navigation tool and source of historical information about the heritage features you visit. We believe our innovative products and services will be instrumental in revolutionizing how people learn and experience local history!
Buy Your Atlas Now

Upcoming Products

North Hill Historic District, Pensacola, Florida Heritage Atlas
read more
DeFuniak Springs, Florida Heritage Atlas
read more
Milton-Bagdad, Florida Heritage Atlas
read more

OUR Services

We plan to offer a virtual touring subscription service for home-based learning about local heritage features. With the Heritage Trek Digital Map Atlas, you can virtually tour historic places in northwest Florida and other regions. Since the atlas is web-based, there are no logistical or resource restrictions―with a computer or mobile device you can tour places you want to learn about or visit.
Trekking is not just visiting and learning about historic places; it is about the memories created along the way that give experiences their essence. Memories being fickle and fleeting over time are best supported by structured record keeping. Heritage Trek understands the value of recording these snapshot-in-time experiences. Documenting and sharing memories become practical with the right tools, including platforms to record location data, lessons learned, contacts, ideas, routing notes, local eateries, special interest features or events, preservation notes, personal photographs, and other information. We would like to develop a hardcopy and/or mobile app journal and journaling support services to assist our customers in capturing and sharing their trekking experiences, creating a legacy of their adventures.
To maximize customer value, we want to design our services based on your needs and preferences. Please provide your input by completing our Heritage Trek Virtual Touring and Heritage Trek Journaling questionnaires located on the Feedback page.
Guide Our Design

What Others Say

The Okaloosa County, Florida, Heritage Atlas is an excellent guide to the diverse history of the county. Its great maps and precise directions will benefit both the dedicated trail follower and the occasional user. The history presented puts each site in context both architecturally and chronologically. You will want to keep the Atlas in your car as you travel throughout the county.

Diane Merkel
Author, Images of America: DeFuniak Springs
http://waltonpast2present.com/wp/

The Okaloosa County Heritage Atlas is a much-needed addition to the historical record of Okaloosa County. This atlas locates and describes historical sites, both existing and vanished, in the county. For anyone looking to locate old cemeteries, ferry crossings, sawmills, gristmills, turpentine stills or just historic buildings, this will become the go to document to learn about these sites. The atlas includes maps to pinpoint the sites as well as information on each location. It is truly a blessing for historians, genealogists, or anyone interested in the story of Okaloosa County.

Mark Curenton
Coauthor, A History of Laurel Hill,
North Okaloosa County Historian

Who We Are

Headquartered in northwest Florida, Heritage Trek is a heritage tourism company focused on making local history something to be seen and experienced. We are life-long learners, explorers, comedians, trekkers, dreamers, scientists, night owls, managers, bakers, strategists, artists, and overly-curious history buffs with a passion for challenging norms and exceeding expectations—we are Heritage Trek. We believe creating adventure is a matter of having the right tools. Our team locates and records historical information, manages resource data, field validates information, and creates practical products to showcase heritage trekking opportunities. We believe heritage tourism is about sharing stories and providing the historical interpretations that are the basis for a successful touring and learning experience. Our goals are to:

Improve visitor experiences with the past through observation and, as applicable, interaction with local historic and cultural resources.

Enhance awareness and connections with local history, leading to measurable improvements in the protection and preservation of historic and cultural resources.

Founded by Michael Rainer, our team includes a writer, cartographer, editor, and other associates
MICHAEL RAINER

Writer Manager, Researcher, Product Designer, Author, and Field Technican

CHARLES LOPINTO

Cartographer GIS Analyst, Systems Engineer, and Database Manager

JENNIFER COMBS

Editor Graphic Designer, Proofreader, and Document Manager