One of the problems of NPS visitor centers at sites is they tend to be hermetic in that they only provide information for that site.
I was surprised when I visited Glen Canyon Dam to come across an NPS visitor brochure entitled "Experience National Parks in Arizona," listing all the parks, monuments and other installations across the state.
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It turns out there are similar regionally focused brochures for Alaska, Atlanta, Colorado, the parks of the New York Harbor, the Midwest, and the West's Intermountain Region, among others.
For the DC area, more recently referred to as the DMV--DC, Maryland, and Virginia--there should be a DC Brochure, like the Discover Atlanta, like the one for the Baltimore National Heritage Area,* or the New York Harbor, probably other National Heritage Areas, as well as the regional brochures.
And guess what, there is/was, although I've never seen it in print, Guide to Greater Washington National Parks. It probably dates to 2002, given the LL Bean--the sponsor--tagline of their 90th anniversary.
There is also Washington: The Nation's Capital. So maybe my memory isn't the greatest... Shockingly, this version shows the Metrorail map.
Note that another problem with NPS is that individual visitor information desks don't distribute information from non federal agencies, like local tourist organizations, and pretty much not even other federal agencies like the Forest Service or BLM.
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Anyway, there probably should be more than one such integrated NPS visitor center in the DC region. The one at Glen Canyon Dam had exhibits and a gift shop and is jointly run by NPS and the Bureau of Reclamation.
Note that years ago on Ebay I saw a photo of a "national" information center in DC in the 1940s, but I failed to buy it.
Baltimore, independent of the Heritage Area, has a nice visitor center on the Inner Harbor. DC just doesn't come anywhere near having such an equivalent. According to this past blog entry from 2006, "Baltimore City Visitor Center has enviable financial return," the economic return from the Baltimore center was over $3.5 million annually.
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* For years, I've argued DC should present and manage itself as a heritage area whether or not it is actually designated as one. The Baltimore National Heritage Area brochure is a nice example of how to do it. This should include visitor marketing, but also the management of heritage (historic preservation), including more expanded building protections.
Having some regional brochures and content seems like a no-brainer.
ReplyDeleteFor the visitor center, however, that's a much harder problem. What purpose is it serving? It's not really a regional one - it can't be. The obvious place would be somewhere on the Mall, but that's going to have no value to someone visiting the further reaches of the region.
The Glen Canyon Dam is a good contrast - the visitor center there is at a natural choke point for entry and parking - no such location would exist in DC. And you wouldn't want people who are driving to, say, Antietam to first try to drive and park on the Mall...
And if you are doing something on the Mall, you'd want it to be much more than just NPS or even Federal, you'd want to include various Smithsonian and non-federal destinations, as well.
I-66, I-95 (Virginia and Maryland), Union Station. (Petersburg has one visitor center on I-95, with exhibits).
ReplyDeleteOne way to get around the distribution limitation is to have a joint center. I thought about modifying this entry.
Zion Forever nonprofit is trying to refocus some entry on the east to balance use of the park and they are building a visitor center which will bring together NPS, BLM, and Kane County.
A visitor center I haven't been to in Page Arizona not far from the dam seemed to be joint between local, really maybe the nonprofit group affiliated with the recreation area maybe, and NPS (recreation area). There is a joint center in Escalante that I haven't been to that is NPS, BLM, and USFS. I wonder if there is local information too.
In the DC area I thought the Anacostia Waterfront Park in PGC was a model for really trying, getting the relevant federal and state information plus local. (Along the same river neither the NPS parks nor the USDA Arboretum display other stuff.)
And the visitor center in Hyattsville is small but excellent. Alexandria is super great too, really a model for DC proper. Vienna Virginia too makes a big effort to have DC information
It's been a long time since I've been to the Smithsonian vc. I think they had a map of downtown (obscured under cloudy plexiglass) if not brochures. And the Stone House in Georgetown, NPS, is errant, and did have some local info I think.
I was surprised the Kanab BLM visitor center--all their printed info was in the vestibule--had lots of nonfederal info.
Along your lines, would be joint centers with NPS, Smithsonian and local presence DC, MD, VA depending on the location.
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Separately I have entries on a better system of visitor centers for DC itself.
Yep, I'm thinking the joint center is the best work-around. A lot easier than changing federal policy.
ReplyDeleteProbably hard to get NPS to do it in DC, but it's worth pursuing.
Thanks Alex B. for helping to hone in and clarify the matter.
https://www.flickr.com/gp/rllayman/219U3VD2G1
ReplyDeleteThis photo includes a rendering and a link to the Zion Forever nonprofit initiative to refocus attention to the eastern side of the Zion National Park, to reduce overtouristification and intensity from the West side primary entrance.
They are building a joint center that will include their personnel, NPS, BLM (I think), and the county. County participation means they could distribute local information.
Fwiw, I have been tracking this, not for a joint visitor center in Salt Lake, but for a rebuild of the Garden Center at Sugar House Park (I am on the board).
And (NPS) park rustic style architecture.
It turns out that the George Washington Memorial Parkway NPS unit has a "Long Range Interpretive Plan."
ReplyDeleteIt was published in 2005 and still reads very well, identifying all the kinds of issues "I complain about".
It's two basic sections. One a general discussion, including discussion of the visitor experience and recommendations, and the second with recommendations for individual sites.
It does recommend the creation of a master visitor center, but not a specific site, although Mount Vernon is mentioned or a site in Alexandria with a local partner. So they do identify the potential for a local partner, although not discussing the information distribution issue that I bring up.
With these facilities.
• High visibility from primary visitor routes. • Easy access and egress. • Sufficient parking. • Rest rooms
The initial discussion is really great, relevant to most park systems.
George Washington Memorial Parkway Long-Range Interpretive Plan, 2005
https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/DownloadFile/472776
Always forget how many great planning resources NPS has created, like on civic engagement:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.nps.gov/civic/resources/index.html
Anyway, there is also an interpretive plan for the Independence National Historic Park in Philadelphia that is also great:
http://npshistory.com/publications/inde/lrip-2007.pdf
And they have a joint visitor center there too:
Independence Visitor Center – opened in November 2001, this regional visitor center is a joint venture between the NPS and the Independence Visitor Center Corporation. The building functions as the park’s primary visitor center as well as a center for city and region information. From early spring through the fall, 6,000 -12,000 visitors use it daily.
It turns out there is an interagency visitor management committee.
ReplyDeletehttps://visitorusemanagement.nps.gov/