American Waypoints Launches Location-Based History App in Washington, D.C.

**American Waypoints brings its gamified mobile app platform to Washington, D.C., helping people discover the history hiding in plain sight.**

WASHINGTON DC, DC, UNITED STATES, October 12, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- What if exploring American history felt more like an adventure than a history lesson?

American Waypoints is launching an initiative to transform Washington, D.C. into an interactive, real-world history experience using geolocation, digital storytelling, exploration and gamification.

Think of it as a real-world treasure hunt where history comes alive.

Instead of hunting virtual creatures, users will hunt for the people, places, monuments and almost-forgotten stories that shaped America, while actually standing in the locations where that history happened.

American Waypoints is launching an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign to help develop the Washington, D.C. experience, create additional Waypoints and expand the technology and gamification behind the platform.

“We want to get history out of the textbook and put people where it actually happened,” said Zachary Green, founder of American Waypoints and a U.S. Marine Corps veteran. “History is literally underneath your feet in Washington. The problem is that most of us walk right past it and never know it’s there.”

HISTORY HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT

Millions of visitors come to Washington each year to see the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, U.S. Capitol and other internationally recognized landmarks.

But American Waypoints is equally interested in what people walk past between those famous destinations.

Near 17th Street and Independence Avenue stands a memorial to John Paul Jones, one of America’s most celebrated Revolutionary War naval commanders. Thousands of visitors to the National Mall may pass nearby without ever realizing it is there.

Along Washington’s Southwest Waterfront stands the Titanic Memorial, dedicated in 1931 to the men who died during the sinking of the Titanic while helping women and children survive. The memorial originally stood near the location of today’s Kennedy Center before eventually being relocated to its current waterfront location.

Then there is the much smaller Butt-Millet Memorial Fountain on the Ellipse, honoring Major Archibald Butt and artist Francis Davis Millet, two prominent Americans who died aboard the Titanic. The memorial even served a practical purpose as a drinking fountain for horses.

These are precisely the kinds of stories American Waypoints wants people to discover.
“How many people have walked within a few hundred feet of these places and never knew the stories were there?” Green said. “That’s the opportunity. America doesn’t have a shortage of incredible history. We have a discovery problem.”

TURNING AN ENTIRE CITY INTO A HISTORY GAME
American Waypoints is being designed around a simple premise: make discovering history fun.
Using geolocation, users can find historical Waypoints around them and physically visit the locations to unlock the experience.

They can learn the story, answer trivia questions, earn points and achievements, complete challenges and compete with friends, family members or classmates.

“Imagine you’re walking through Washington and your phone tells you there’s something incredible 300 feet away,” Green said. “You go find it. You unlock the Waypoint. You learn what happened there. You answer a question, earn points, collect an achievement and then discover there’s another piece of history around the corner. Suddenly history isn’t something you’re being forced to study. It’s something you’re hunting for.”

The platform is intended for everyone from school groups and teachers to families, veterans, tourists, history enthusiasts and people who have lived in Washington for decades.

A class visiting Washington could compete to see which students discover the most Waypoints.
A family could turn its vacation into a historical scavenger hunt.
A veteran could explore stories of service and sacrifice throughout the nation's capital.
A Washington resident could discover that something extraordinary happened two blocks from an office they have worked in for 20 years.

COMPETING FOR A NEW GENERATION’S ATTENTION
American Waypoints is not intended to replace museums, teachers, historians, books or traditional historical education.
It is designed to create the spark that makes someone want to learn more.

“We’re competing for people’s attention with TikTok, YouTube Shorts, video games and everything else on their phones,” Green said. “Instead of complaining that people aren’t interested in history anymore, let’s use that same technology to make history an adventure.”

The difference, Green believes, is place.

Watching a video about a historical event can teach someone what happened. Standing in the place where it happened can create an entirely different connection.

“Watching a 60-second video about something that happened 100 years ago is one thing,” Green said. “Standing on the actual ground where it happened is completely different. There’s something powerful about looking around and realizing, ‘It happened right here.’ That is when history comes alive.”

CROWDFUNDING THE WASHINGTON, D.C. EXPERIENCE
American Waypoints is turning to Indiegogo to help fund the Washington, D.C. expansion.
Funds raised through the campaign will help support historical research, content development, mapping, technology, gamification and the development of additional Washington Waypoints.

The Washington initiative is intended to demonstrate what American Waypoints can eventually become on a much larger scale.

The long-term vision is a nationwide network of historical discoveries that allows people to explore history wherever they live or travel while providing communities with a new way to preserve and share their own stories.

From major battlefields and national monuments to neighborhood plaques, forgotten memorials and locations where extraordinary moments occurred, almost anywhere can contain a Waypoint.

“Some of the greatest stories in America aren’t behind museum glass,” Green said. “They’re on street corners, in parks, on buildings and along roads that people travel every day. We want someone to pull out their phone, discover one of those stories and say, ‘I had no idea this happened right here.’”

For Green, a Marine Corps veteran, entrepreneur, international bestselling author and longtime student of military history, the project brings together technology, experiential learning and a lifelong interest in the stories of the people who came before us.

“The goal is bigger than building another app,” Green said. “It’s getting people curious again. Get them outside. Get them exploring. Get students competing to find history. Get families taking the extra walk around the corner because something incredible happened there.”

And then send them looking for the next Waypoint.

Zachary Green
WARRIOR Enterprises PR/Marketing
+1 513-235-6383
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