Put down that heavy history book or travel guide; here's an app that locates points of interest across the country _ or in your neighborhood.
Name: History Here
What it does: Provides nuggets of history about thousands of locations across the United States, including famous homes, battlefields, museums and more. It can be used to prepare for a trip or to discover what's around you on a current trip. You can keep your own to-see list in "My Places."
Available: In the App Store, requires iOS 7.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. In Google Play, requires 4.0 and up.
Cost: Free
What's hot: The four-option menu bar is terrific. Many apps try to give you more features, but here simplicity is key. Choose "Explore" to search for historic locations; "Tour" for curated collections of locations with a connected theme; "Surprise Me," a tool that takes you to a random location in the U.S.; and "My Places," a tool for bookmarking your list.
What's not: There's little to complain about, but I did want to see more photos for each location. That said, there often were more photos for the curated historic tours. Also, why was Palm Springs, Calif., neglected? It's a treasure-trove worthy of a spot in the "Tour" section. If you find a historic location missing, click on the "Suggest a Place" button in the lower right corner of the map screen.
