FunPlacesNigeria

Inspiration

Nigeria is a vibrant country filled with amazing destinations from serene parks and lively restaurants to rich cultural landmarks. Yet, as a local and traveler myself, I noticed a big challenge: many of these fantastic places remain hidden or hard to find on global travel platforms. Information is often outdated or incomplete, and discovering trusted, authentic spots feels overwhelming. I wanted to create a solution that truly highlights Nigeria’s best places, tailored for both locals and tourists, enjoyable, and unique experiences.

What it does

FunPlaces Nigeria is a web platform that leverages the powerful Google Maps Platform and its Places API to showcase verified fun places across Nigeria. Users can:

Explore a curated collection of destinations with rich place details such as photos, opening hours, user ratings, and directions.

Filter searches by city, activity type, and user reviews to find exactly what fits their interests. Select their current mood through an AI assistant powered by Gemini AI, which delivers personalized recommendations based on how they feel (e.g., adventurous, relaxed, social).

How we built it

I used Google Maps Platform’s versatile Places API as the backbone for fetching high-quality place data and supporting advanced search and filtering functions. The integration ensures that users receive up-to-date and accurate information for millions of locations.

To personalize the discovery experience, I integrated Gemini AI a next-generation AI assistant that understands user moods and preferences. By combining natural language processing Gemini AI recommends places aligned with users’ feelings, making the exploration both intuitive and fun.

Challenges we ran into

Although the Google Places API provides an excellent foundation with rich and up-to-date place information, many local Nigerian destinations remain underrepresented or lack comprehensive details due to coverage limitations. To address this, I plan to implement a community contribution system that will allow users to submit new places and verify existing ones. This future feature aims to enrich the platform with authentic, locally sourced information and ensure FunPlaces Nigeria stays accurate, relevant, and reflective of Nigeria’s vibrant scene.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Successfully integrating Google Maps Platform Places API to create a rich and locally focused destination database tailored for Nigeria.

Innovatively leveraging Gemini AI to deliver mood-based, personalized place recommendations a feature not commonly found in local discovery app

What we learned

I learned that integrating AI with mapping APIs greatly enhances user engagement by offering truly personalized experiences.

Building with Google Places API made it clear how crucial reliable and comprehensive data is, but also showed the need for local contributions to fill any gaps.

Developing the platform in Next.js allowed me to seamlessly combine full-stack features with both AI services and mapping data, making the app efficient and maintainable.