I have been on a professional break from my work with museums since my little was about 5 months old. This does not include the freelancing for my spouse or the museum conferences I have been to (mostly on behalf of my spouse). But I have been a museum visitor during that time. And bringing a toddler to museums has become a point of interest for me.
Most parents choose to actively avoid the museums where their toddler might cause havoc. If they are going to go to a historic house museum, they will choose the ones that have wide-open lawns and plenty to distract the kids outside. But I am a historian. Having a small child has actually become inhibitive when visiting those places that I want to go. Unlike having a night out to a nice restaurant, the likelihood of me being able to go to a historic site without my toddler is incredibly low.
So, this has gotten me to pondering what historic sites can do to become more family friendly.
Historic sites are a tricky category of museum for many reasons. Sometimes they are not wheelchair accessible, and are often grandfathered out of needing to be. If they are not wheelchair accessible, they are not stroller accessible either. Even more than that, many places will not allow strollers to help protect their floors, while they will allow wheelchairs out of necessity. And if you are a parent, you know: sometimes the stroller is necessary to contain an unruly child.
Regardless of this, there is also a perception that historic sites are for the older crowd. And while I have often seen the demographics skew that way, the young adults and families have been coming out of the woodwork more recently. (This statement is based on personal experience at my last job.) But the idea that historic sites, particularly houses, will be unwelcoming to families with small children is often enough of a reason for most families to avoid them.
Our little, who is currently three, has come with us to a number of historic sites. And while we are picky, often choosing sites with larger lawns, we are often overjoyed to find places that allow for self-guided touring inside the house.
Recently, at a trip to Olana in Hudson, NY, we had an experience that I have been on the other end of. The “our guides have been trained to make tours more fun for little people” speech. I have given that exact speech. I have watched as my guest service ambassadors have given that speech to visitors. I know the speech well. I also did the training for the guides, so I know what those “adjustments” to a tour look like. And when you’ve got 16 adults and one toddler, it is not actually going to be good for the toddler. Parents of toddlers need to be given an escape hatch. There is no bigger escape hatch than a self-guided tour. (I will note that the staff at Olana told us that self-guided tours of the house would return in the spring, so we will likely be going back when we can see the inside of the house.)
The site I worked at had a tour specifically designed for kids that lasted no more than half an hour, and was full of activities designed to keep the kids entertained and active enough to leave the house in one piece. What I loved about that tour was how it enabled kids to get excited about a historic site. We looked for pictures hidden in the woodwork and windows. We built bouquets for the dining table out of false flowers. We looked for a stuffed animal cat that tour staff hid in the house (in a safe location). We found ways to bring the people of the house alive in a game of pretend that allowed us to keep the kids entertained while the parents could ask questions about the house and family. But this practice is not one I see at a lot of historic sites. And it certainly isn’t possible at all historic sites.
So this is my challenge to those of you who do work at a historic site: What could you be doing to bring in more families – especially with small children? The tricks that work with the 6 and up kids don’t work with a three year old. So be creative! Let me know what you come up with! And if you’re having trouble, tell me. What are the challenges at your site that make this harder? Too many original artifacts out on display? Worries about children breaking things? What are some ways we can work around and with these worries that would help activate this site for kids?