Marilynn,
You might contact Pilar Garro, Castle Hill Site Engagement Manager at pgarro@thetrustees.org, to discuss the “engagement plan” that I developed for their 2,100-acre site in Ipswich, Massachusetts. One of the biggest challenges involved overhauling the visitor experience at their 59-room “Great House.” A colleague of mine, Dale Jones/Making History Connections, and I developed a range of ideas for breaking the stranglehold of the traditional, information-dumping guided tour that was attracting (or boring) fewer and fewer visitors. Those ideas included various themed experiences facilitated by costumed interpreters and re-trained guides, hands-on participatory activities, new creative uses of interior and exterior spaces, and the incorporation of theater, audio, video, and smartphone technology..
Dale later worked with Pilar to design and implement a new core tour experience ("Guest of the Cranes") which entailed developing new content and training a mostly-new corps of guides. While this was just one of the many changes proposed by the engagement plan, it arguably will have an out-sized impact on public perception of the site and the staff’s attitude toward serving visitors. I can only hope so, as a plan that doesn’t change people’s mindset (and empower them to make something happen) is simply a new laundry list that soon will be ignored.
Think big. Good luck!
Dean
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Dean Krimmel
Interpretation & Exhibit Planning
deankrimmel@qm2.orgCreative Museum Services, Baltimore MD
Original Message:
Sent: 04-25-2016 09:17 PM
From: Marilynn Havelka
Subject: Program Plans
Program Planning
I am trying to complete a program plan for a national historic site, 1500 acres, historic house museum, cultural and natural landscapes. I am finding it difficult to think of new ways of offering tours – we have guided tours in the mansion, self guided on the grounds. Tried I-pads in the mansion and thinking of mobile tours for the grounds/ trails tours. I would be grateful to communicate with others who are perhaps writing a plan themselves , reinventing historic house tours etc.
Even better if someone had a copy of a program plan to share / or resources that would be useful.
Thanks for your consideration in advance…..
Marilynn Havelka
Ruthven Park National Historic Site