Abstract
National park sites draw tourism all across the United States. Although large natural parks see much attention, most national park units are actually designed to protect and interpret unique cultural and historic resources. As an example of this, the National Park Service administers numerous presidential historic sites. However, we know very little about the people who visit them. Understanding visitor motivations to presidential historic sites can help to provide for better visitor experiences of presidential resources. This research uses intercept surveys at the Jimmy Carter National Historic Site in Plains, Georgia, to gain an understanding of visitor motivations. From the results, seven motivation types are identified. The information in this article can be used to better understand public values related to presidential resources, and to help the managers of these resources to improve on-site experiences by addressing visitor motivations.
Highlights
The National Park Service (NPS) is charged with allowing the public enjoyment of cultural, natural, and historic resources while leaving the same resources unimpaired for future generations.This includes a variety of historic sites related to numerous presidents of the United States
The number of National Historic Sites (NHS) managed by the NPS is greater than the number of national parks (59 national parks) [2], very little is known about visitors to presidential historic sites, their experiences, and their motivations
Ninety-nine percent of visitors were from the United States of America, and over 94% of visitors identified as White
Summary
The National Park Service (NPS) is charged with allowing the public enjoyment of cultural, natural, and historic resources while leaving the same resources unimpaired for future generations. This includes a variety of historic sites related to numerous presidents of the United States. The number of NHS managed by the NPS is greater than the number of national parks (59 national parks) [2], very little is known about visitors to presidential historic sites, their experiences, and their motivations. The purpose of this research is to describe visitor motivations at the Jimmy Carter National Historic Site in Plains, Georgia to better understand and manage visitor experiences at presidential historic sites in the NPS. JICA is designated as a NHS to honor and interpret the life, presidency, and other public suggests, JICA is designated as a NHS to honor and interpret the life, presidency, and other public services the 39th
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