Make a Map of My Location and Favorite Places
A map can orient you by showing you your surroundings. Every day, whether visiting a new city or wandering through well-known streets, people pull out smartphones and use its location to find out more. In this post, we’ll show you how to find out what your location is right now, on both mobile phones and traditional web browsers. Even more useful, we’ll show you how to help others make some sense of an area you know well. With your know-how and your friend’s location, you’ll be able to create a hands-off tour experience.
View Make a Map of My Location and Favorite Places in a full screen map
What is my Location Right Now?
There are several ways to find out where you are right now. Perhaps you’re lost, in a new city, or just curious about your whereabouts. Using your mobile phone or computer, you can use an online mapping tool to display a map with your vicinity pin-pointed.
Within your smartphone map app
Open up Apple Maps on your iPhone, or Google Maps on Android or iPhone. The app may automatically find your location. If so, a blue dot will appear at the middle of the map. You are here! Otherwise, try tapping the locator, a target, arrow, or marker icon.
A phone with GPS enabled will use the global positioning satellite chip to find your location. It may augment or replace location by using cell tower or WiFi geolocation.
Direct on Google Maps
From a web browser, open maps.google.com and you’ll often be greeted with your city or neighborhood. To get a more precise location, click the target icon.
For most computers, you’ll need an Internet connection to find your location. And since GPS chips are rarely installed in laptops, you’ll likely be using WiFi geolocation. That means Google will use known access points near you to determine where you are. That means it will be more accurate in densely populated areas where there are more signals and a greater chance they have seen the network before.
Use any BatchGeo map
All the maps created with BatchGeo come with the ability to find your location, as well. Whether using a website, the mobile web, or the BatchGeo for iOS app, you can click the target icon to find out where you are.
Knowing your location is even more useful when you’re surrounded by your own data, such as sales prospects or the favorite places in your neighborhood. Since BatchGeo allows you to put any spreadsheet on a map, you can take any address or other location and copy-paste straight into a map.
Add Your Favorite Places to a Neighborhood Map
There are many reasons you might want to create a map of your favorite places. Maybe you have frequent visitors and want to help show them your city without taking a week off work to play tour guide. Or perhaps you just want to remember the places you like. Regardless of the reason, here are some steps to quickly make a map of your city or neighborhood.
Create a Spreadsheet
Step one in creating a map of your favorite places is to create a spreadsheet. It’s easy to then copy and paste your spreadsheet data on a map with BatchGeo. While Excel is the most common application, this same process also works with Numbers and Google Docs.
Be sure to add headings to your spreadsheet so that you’re able to sort through your data once you copy and paste your spreadsheet on the map. For a map of your favorite places, titles on your spreadsheet may look like:
You may also find a description useful when mapping your favorite places so that you can remember what you loved most about the place, as well as any open or closing times and maybe even restaurant waits.
Add Locations to the Spreadsheet
Of course, we are making a map, so the address is essential! However, if you don’t know the address, no sweat. Try intersections or even street names—you can drag the marker to the right place later.
| Favorite Place | Description | Address |
|---|---|---|
| Round Hill Pines Beach and Marina | The more commercialized beach, this place has rentable paddle boards, lounge chairs and umbrellas a bar, and a cafe all within walking distance – or you can get any snacks or lunch delivered right to where you’re sitting and enjoying the sun! | 300 US-50, Zephyr Cove, NV 89448 |
| Zephyr Cove – North Beach | While a bit rocky (bring shoes!) there is free parking near North Beach if you know where to look. | 460 Highway 50 Zephyr Cove, NV 89448 |
| The Bean Bar | Free wifi, this is the place to be if you have a long paper or need to get some work done away from home. They have amazing coffee that is not very expensive. They use local coffee beans and they are a very organic, natural-focused place. Their Aztec hot chocolate with whipped cream is like $2.50 and oh so good. | 212 Elks Point Rd, Zephyr Cove, NV 89448 |
| Driftwood Cafe | Even for Saturday, the wait is pretty short here. You get a lot of bang for your buck at Driftwood: bacon, eggs, pancakes all for pretty cheap, but definitely delicious. However, the best thing on the menu is the Carolina Connection. It is a MUST GET. Also, two words: cinnamon rolls. Plus, they serve breakfast all day long. | 1001 Heavenly Village Way South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150 |
| Toast | Toast is a family-owned Japanese//American restaurant with comfort food like mac and cheese, hot wings, and salmon that is to die for. They also have a full bar and the restaurant is very kid friendly! | 605 Highway 50 Zephyr Cove, NV 89448 |
| My Thai & Noodle | They have really quick seating on weekdays, which is great because the minute you enter you can smell everything cooking deliciously. However, on the weekends this place gets packed, as it is one of the few Thai restaurants in Tahoe. If you order any appetizers, you absolutely HAVE to get some egg rolls, because they give you so many. | 177 Hwy US-50 Ste 101 Stateline, NV 89449 |
| Base Camp Pizza | What can I say, everyone needs a little bit of pizza in their life, this is the best pizza place on this side of Lake Tahoe. They even give you FREE GARLIC FRIES! They also have a pizza + beer deal, and you have the option to build your own pizza if you aren’t a fan of their options. There is also almost always live music because the owner is a huge music buff. | 1001 Heavenly Village Way South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150 |
| Harumi Sushi | No reservations needed for a couple of people, and they always seat pretty quickly. I’d recommend the caterpillar rolls or dragon rolls, they’re to die for. They also play sports on the TVs. This is my favorite secret spot a bit outside of town. | 212 Elks Point Rd Zephyr Cove, NV 89448 |
| Spooner Summit | In the winter months, they have sledding, and from this you can pick up the Tahoe Rim Trail which goes around the entirety of Lake Tahoe and is 165 miles long. While I haven’t managed to make it around the lake just yet, this trail is a beautiful place to start. | US Hwy 50 Zephyr Cove-Round Hill Village, NV 89448 |
| Anytime Fitness | Open 24/7, when I do get motivated to go to the gym, this is the place to go. It’s super close to anything and so I save money on gas and get in a brisk walk on my way here, double the workout! The owner is almost always there when I stop in during the day, and this place is really well kept and has great machines. | 212 Elks Point Rd Zephyr Cove, NV 89448 |
| Lake Tahoe Yoga | With single classes for only 17 bucks, this yoga studio is the best when I just want to stop in without any sort of planning involved. I have a hard time getting motivated to go to the gym regularly, but I always seem to be up for a quick yoga sesh at Lake Tahoe Yoga. I feel so comfortable and all of the instructors are so encouraging. Jenay is my absolute favorite. She even invited me to her wedding! | 100 Mcfaul Way, Round Hill Village, NV 89448 |
Give Each Location a Category or Type (Optional)
A category or type may be helpful to sort your favorite places by what they are! For example:
| Favorite Place | Description | Address | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Round Hill Pines Beach and Marina | The more commercialized beach, this place has rentable paddle boards, lounge chairs and umbrellas a bar, and a cafe all within walking distance – or you can get any snacks or lunch delivered right to where you’re sitting and enjoying the sun! | 300 US-50, Zephyr Cove, NV 89448 | Beach |
| Zephyr Cove – North Beach | While a bit rocky (bring shoes!) there is free parking near North Beach if you know where to look. | 460 Highway 50 Zephyr Cove, NV 89448 | Beach |
| The Bean Bar | Free wifi, this is the place to be if you have a long paper or need to get some work done away from home. They have amazing coffee that is not very expensive. They use local coffee beans and they are a very organic, natural-focused place. Their Aztec hot chocolate with whipped cream is like $2.50 and oh so good. | 212 Elks Point Rd, Zephyr Cove, NV 89448 | Coffee Shop |
| Driftwood Cafe | Even for Saturday, the wait is pretty short here. You get a lot of bang for your buck at Driftwood: bacon, eggs, pancakes all for pretty cheap, but definitely delicious. However, the best thing on the menu is the Carolina Connection. It is a MUST GET. Also, two words: cinnamon rolls. Plus, they serve breakfast all day long. | 1001 Heavenly Village Way South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150 | Coffee Shop |
| Toast | Toast is a family-owned Japanese//American restaurant with comfort food like mac and cheese, hot wings, and salmon that is to die for. They also have a full bar and the restaurant is very kid friendly! | 605 Highway 50 Zephyr Cove, NV 89448 | Restaurant |
| My Thai & Noodle | They have really quick seating on weekdays, which is great because the minute you enter you can smell everything cooking deliciously. However, on the weekends this place gets packed, as it is one of the few Thai restaurants in Tahoe. If you order any appetizers, you absolutely HAVE to get some egg rolls, because they give you so many. | 177 Hwy US-50 Ste 101 Stateline, NV 89449 | Restaurant |
| Base Camp Pizza | What can I say, everyone needs a little bit of pizza in their life, this is the best pizza place on this side of Lake Tahoe. They even give you FREE GARLIC FRIES! They also have a pizza + beer deal, and you have the option to build your own pizza if you aren’t a fan of their options. There is also almost always live music because the owner is a huge music buff. | 1001 Heavenly Village Way South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150 | Restaurant |
| Harumi Sushi | No reservations needed for a couple of people, and they always seat pretty quickly. I’d recommend the caterpillar rolls or dragon rolls, they’re to die for. They also play sports on the TVs. This is my favorite secret spot a bit outside of town. | 212 Elks Point Rd Zephyr Cove, NV 89448 | Restaurant |
| Spooner Summit | In the winter months, they have sledding, and from this you can pick up the Tahoe Rim Trail which goes around the entirety of Lake Tahoe and is 165 miles long. While I haven’t managed to make it around the lake just yet, this trail is a beautiful place to start. | US Hwy 50 Zephyr Cove-Round Hill Village, NV 89448 | Workout |
| Anytime Fitness | Open 24/7, when I do get motivated to go to the gym, this is the place to go. It’s super close to anything and so I save money on gas and get in a brisk walk on my way here, double the workout! The owner is almost always there when I stop in during the day, and this place is really well kept and has great machines. | 212 Elks Point Rd Zephyr Cove, NV 89448 | Workout |
| Lake Tahoe Yoga | With single classes for only 17 bucks, this yoga studio is the best when I just want to stop in without any sort of planning involved. I have a hard time getting motivated to go to the gym regularly, but I always seem to be up for a quick yoga sesh at Lake Tahoe Yoga. I feel so comfortable and all of the instructors are so encouraging. Jenay is my absolute favorite. She even invited me to her wedding! | 100 Mcfaul Way, Round Hill Village, NV 89448 | Workout |
Copy and Paste Your Locations to BatchGeo
Now it’s time to transfer the contents from your spreadsheet to BatchGeo so that you get your map. It’s quick and easy! To do so, follow these steps:
1. Open your spreadsheet
2. Select (Ctrl+A or Cmd+A) and copy (Ctrl+C or Cmd+C) all your data
3. Open your web browser and go to batchgeo.com
4. Click on the location data box with the example data in it, then paste (Ctrl+V or Cmd+V) your own data
5. Check to make sure you have the proper location data columns available by clicking “Validate and Set Options”
6. Select the proper location column from each drop down
7. Click “Make Map” and watch as the geocoder performs its process
Bring all Your Location Data to Life
You can make sure every single one of your favorite places has an image to go along with it. Your Marker Box can hold more than text, it can also display an image. To add an image to a location, you’ll need to make sure there is a field that contains a full URL to an image on the web. A full URL starts with the http:// or https:// and continues to include the domain name and path to an image file. For example, http://i.imgur.com/pY3JZsH.jpg is a full URL. You’ll need to use your own image host, or point to someone else’s image with permission.
Once you have a column in your spreadsheet containing URLs to images, you can Show Advanced Options to reveal the Image URL drop-down. Select your field and the Marker Box preview will show you how the first item looks with your image.
As you can see, there are endless uses for making a detailed map of your location and favorite places, and BatchGeo can help with this type of map, as well as any other map. It’s as easy as copy and paste with BatchGeo.
