What does Drive Mode do, exactly?

You tap Start Drive Mode, lock your phone, and start driving. Whenever you come within one mile of a Texas historical marker, LoneStar Landmarks reads the marker aloud through your phone's audio (or your car's speakers via Bluetooth). It plays over music or podcasts you have on and ducks the volume while narrating. The screen can stay dark the entire drive.

Does it work without cell signal?

Yes. The full catalog of ~16,000 markers is cached on your device. Drive Mode, the map, the trails, everything you've already loaded — all work offline. Only account sync (visited markers, wishlist) requires a connection.

Yes. No subscriptions, no in-app purchases, no ads.

Do I need an account?

No. The map, Drive Mode, and the curated trails all work signed out. An account is only needed if you want to sync your visited-marker log and wishlist across devices.

LoneStar Landmarks is built by Bazar Travels, the same team behind the Bazar Travels site. The marker data comes directly from the Texas Historical Commission's public dataset.

LoneStar Landmarks is iPhone-only for launch. An Android version is a potential next step depending on demand.

Texas · iPhone · Free

Drive the state. Hear its stories.

16,000 Texas historical markers in your pocket — read aloud, hands-free, with the phone locked. Drive the Alamo trail, Spindletop, the open range, or any road in Texas.

Download on the App Store See how it works

iPhone · iOS 16+ · Free · No ads, no in-app purchases

LoneStar Landmarks home screen on iPhone showing the Texas marker map.

Three ways to use it

One app, three loops: hands-free audio while you drive, curated themed trails to plan your trip, and a running log of every marker you've visited.

Drive Mode

Lock your phone, keep your eyes on the road. Your phone reads the next historical marker aloud as you drive past it — hands-free, over music and podcasts, with the screen off.

Ten Curated Trails

Themed road trips through Texas history — the Alamo, the Spanish missions, Spindletop, Juneteenth, the open range, the Spanish forts. Each trail is plotted stop by stop in a west-to-east sweep ready to drive.

Collect the State

Log every marker you've visited and build your Texas history passport — one plaque at a time. Save a wishlist of what's next. Browse your map of Texas as it fills in.

See it in action

Screens from the trail detail, Drive Mode in flight, and the Marker detail with the full THC inscription.

Ten curated trails. 350+ stops.

Each trail is plotted in geographic order so it reads like a road trip. Tap “Drive this trail” and Drive Mode scopes to just that trail's markers.

The Republic of Texas

40 stops

San Jacinto, the Alamo, Washington-on-the-Brazos, the Texas Rangers.

Civil War Texas

27 stops

Palmito Ranch, Sabine Pass, the Great Hanging at Gainesville, Juneteenth's Galveston.

Spanish Missions & Colonial Texas

36 stops

The San Antonio Missions, Ysleta, Mission Dolores, Fort Leaton.

Cattle & Ranching

36 stops

King Ranch, LBJ Ranch, Palo Duro Canyon, Charles Goodnight, Doan's Crossing.

Historic Cemeteries

36 stops

The Texas State Cemetery, Concordia (John Wesley Hardin), Boot Hill at Old Tascosa.

Oil Boom Texas

36 stops

Spindletop, East Texas Oil Museum, the Permian Basin, Varner-Hogg.

African American Heritage

36 stops

Emancipation Park, Buffalo Soldiers, Freedmen's Town, Wiley College, Juneteenth.

Rails Across Texas

40 stops

The Katy, the T&P, the H&TC, Union Station Dallas, Pecos River High Bridge.

Native American Texas

36 stops

Caddo Mounds, Hueco Tanks, Seminole Canyon, Palo Duro's rock art, Comanche Springs.

San Antonio Landmarks

36 stops

Alamo Plaza, the Missions, the River Walk, Casa Navarro, Fort Sam Houston.

What makes it different

16,000 markers

Every official Texas Historical Commission marker, from Spindletop in Beaumont to Hueco Tanks in El Paso.

Full THC inscription text

The actual plaque text, read aloud or on screen. No summaries, no AI paraphrasing — the real historical record.

Offline-first

Markers, trails, visited status, Drive Mode — all work with zero signal. Rural Texas highways, no bars, no problem.

Navigate from the stop

Hand off any trail stop or marker to Apple Maps or Google Maps for turn-by-turn directions. We tell you what's worth stopping at; your map app gets you there.

Private by default

No ads, no tracking across apps, no sold data. Your location stays on your device. Account optional — most of the app works signed out.

Free to use

No paywall, no subscription, no in-app purchases. Download it and go.

Frequently asked

What does Drive Mode do, exactly?: You tap Start Drive Mode, lock your phone, and start driving. Whenever you come within one mile of a Texas historical marker, LoneStar Landmarks reads the marker aloud through your phone's audio (or your car's speakers via Bluetooth). It plays over music or podcasts you have on and ducks the volume while narrating. The screen can stay dark the entire drive.
Does it work without cell signal?: Yes. The full catalog of ~16,000 markers is cached on your device. Drive Mode, the map, the trails, everything you've already loaded — all work offline. Only account sync (visited markers, wishlist) requires a connection.
Is it free?: Yes. No subscriptions, no in-app purchases, no ads.
Do I need an account?: No. The map, Drive Mode, and the curated trails all work signed out. An account is only needed if you want to sync your visited-marker log and wishlist across devices.
Who makes it?: LoneStar Landmarks is built by Bazar Travels, the same team behind the Bazar Travels site. The marker data comes directly from the Texas Historical Commission's public dataset.
What about Android?: LoneStar Landmarks is iPhone-only for launch. An Android version is a potential next step depending on demand.

The audio guide to Texas, mile by mile.

Free on iPhone. No ads, no subscriptions, no sign-in required.

Download on the App Store

Marker data courtesy of the Texas Historical Commission. Maps by Mapbox.