Informal survey

Mostly I want to ask people who do not go to your local Parks or public Gardens. Why not?

I am a volunteer with a local Park that has an herb garden. When it first opened in '92 there were hundreds of visitors to take a (free) guided tour, besides which the Garden is open for casual visitors year-round. Every year that number went up, until last year. This year we had 3 groups. We would like to hear from people what might make them go to visit local parks and gardens. I immediately thought of all of my friends here at DG.

We don't offer a gift shop or anything for sale except for one plant sale one day a year; we also have a booth at Farmer's Market for 5 Saturdays in the summer where we sell herbal products (mostly vinegars, herbal blends, and mustards that we make ourselves), but we don't concentrate all our Park effort on trying to sell things. We volunteers lead classes, tour groups, work in the gardens, do a number of volunteer-gardening projects at local churches and nursing homes, etc. We just can't figure out why people don't seem to be coming to the Garden anymore.

Thoughts? Ideas? What would make you more inclined to visit parks in your own neighborhoods or when you are traveling out of your area?

In one word: marketing. The high-dollar, for-profit local attractions spend the money to make sure visitors and locals know they exist. That's hard to compete against, but it can be done.

I think your approach (sending volunteers into groups for classes, etc.) is a good one. How about approaching your local elementary and middle schools, and encouraging them to bring their students for a botanically-geared field trip? It gets you some good free publicity in the form of permission slips and announcements sent home, and if the kids enjoy it, they're likely to tell their family how much fun they had. I would guess families with children are a demographic group you aren't as likely to penetrate speaking to church and nursing home groups, whose participants are likely to be older.

Also find out if you can list your workshops, visiting hours, etc. in the local paper's schedule of events. I believe those are usually free of charge, especially for not-for-profit endeavors.

A successful example: when we lived in Tulsa, we frequently went to Woodward Park, and the adjacent rose garden, because it was heavily advertised through word of mouth - EVERYBODY who lives there knows it exists, and it is hard to find a parking space on the weekend. Forget about parking when they hold their annual spring sale ;) It sounds like a similar model to yours, but they had somehow managed to build their reputation to the point where people knew it was there.

You know, Lupinelover, I'm ashamed to say, I'd probably be more likely to visit a garden while I was traveling. When I'm at home, I'm always heading somewhere "on business", such as groceries, mail, etc., and I might consider stopping to check out the local park, but I wouldn't. When I'm on vacation, my main objective would be to check out the flora from another part of the country.

We have the Alaska Sea Life Center here in Seward, and thousands of people from all over the world come to see it, but I've only viewed the exhibits once, and that was a freebie! I never went to the library to view the movie about the big earthquake of 1964 here in Alaska until my mother came to visit. I was more impressed than she was! I just never thought to go see it.

Having said all that, since I get all excited about other people's gardens and take lots of pictures, I might visit a local park if we had one, but I'd probably be one of the volunteers!

good thought provoking survey...
I like to go to local parks, As go-vols said, ADVERTISING really pays off. and word of mouth.

Here's a link to our local gardens,
http://www.toledogarden.org/

They have an art show in the summer and some of the volunteers do Sat/Sun morning spots on the local news channels too.
I work in a flower shop and can't tell how many couples get married there in the spring and summer, that might be a good thing to look into also. It's the most popular spot in town. Also alot of kids have their senior class pictures taken at the gardens.

So you could look into flower shops, photographers, local media groups for some free advertising.

This is a similar situation...We have the Museum Of The American Quilter's Society in Paducah....locals almost never come,but we have tons of visitors from all over the world.

What they have done to increase local traffic is similar to what vols suggested. Field trips from school,free tickets in the local paper a couple times a year and they sponsor Quilt Camp for kids. It's a 4 day event where kids design and complete their own wall hanging.The spots fill up early and there is a waiting list.Each child gets 4 tickets to the museum with their camp fee.20$ for everything....materials,snacks and kid tours through the Museum.

It's been a great success. Maybe a kids camp where they make potpourri or herbal tea.

Getting the kids involved has worked for the Museum...local attendance is up.

A lot of local parks and gardens lack benches to sit on. I would love to go and sit in one that had several neat areas for contemplation. As a partially handicapped person do you have handicapped access? Try a few days in a wheelchair and see if it is really accessable. When I was in a wheelchair for a few days I found that gravel paths are impossible to navigate. Do you have yearly passes so that it is cheap to go? A gift shop or plants for sale at several weekends in the spring would be nice. And advertising will bring more in. Have wedding areas and places for people to play with their kids and imagination areas for kids to contemplate the meaning of the plants like what foods is this herb used in and then the answer in waterproof signs. Maybe a few recipes should be available in rotating fashion so they have to come back for more in the future. Benches though is my main suggestion as people get tired and wish to sit and you don't want them to go sit in their car and not stay in the beautiful gardens. Good luck. Lani

We have many benches in our garden :) Also a fair number of shade trees. And since I, too, am handicapped (but not in a wheelchair) I know how important that is. Yes, it is almost completely wheel-chair accessible. There is a Garden of Yesterday that is a good representation of how a typical kitchen garden from the 1840's would have been, and that means gravel-lined pathways in that part.

We do have several childrens' programs during the year; we have a Fairy Tea aimed at kids age 4-10 along with a care-giving adult. This is our most popular class. We also do a lot of activities with local Boy and Girl Scout troops. We are currently working on developing a curriculum with two of the local elementary schools that will involve volunteers spending an hour one day a week for a month inside the school. But since most of our volunteers are employed full-time, it is hard to find people to take on this commitment.

Admission is free, and the garden is always open. There are lights for touring by evening. We have tried to have a scheduled time during the summer of "music in the garden". Many of the middle- and high-school students come to give concerts during the summer; we also have a professional harpist who donates her time.

Picture, if you will, evening, the setting sun, an incredibly aromatic herb garden, harp music wafting through the air. 30 people come. It gets kind of disappointing. We advertise as much as possible, but as I say, attendance has really dwindled since it opened 10 years ago. And almost all our visitors are from out of town. Only dedicated herbalists from the neighboring cities come. And fewer of those, every year, too.

Weez, what would it take for you to stop at a local park for a couple of hours?

I am a member of the San Antonio Botanical Gardens, and I like it because it offers a little of everything, including trails and areas that look like they have not been touched by man. Cabins and various structures have been brought from all over the state and re-erected to provide a look into the history of many areas. There is a small restaurant where one can enjoy flowers and plants to eat, some awesome glass buildings in which exotic "forests" live, complete with waterfalls and pools. Since I live 100 miles away, I don't get to participate in the quite formal moonlight galas and similar affairs, but they do fill the gardens and bring in funds for even more expansion. And with my membership, I can take a guest in free of charge.

On the outskirts of Austin, near where I raised my brood, there is a place called Pioneer Farms, and I hope I have the current name here. Throughout the year, there are exhibits of numerous old-time activities, with period-appropriate costumed volunteers who milk goats or whatever is being milked that week, gather eggs, make soap and homemade goodies from the crops grown there by volunteers, spin thread, and in general really do an accurate enactment of pioneer life. Schools are on waiting lists for a visit, scouts routinely use it for credit, and many adults take guests there after they themselves become enthralled with the place.

Years ago, I arranged with a new and struggling zoo to have a treasure hunt pass through their grounds. Later, they picked up on the idea and put on their own treasure hunt. Local radio stations publicized it, some even participated by offering treasures in the form of free passes to events, free 45 records, even a name in a future drawing for cash. A treasure hunt can be long or short, and participants can even be added along the way, so it can reach many groups one might not otherwise reach. We did have a problem with a small boy who insisted he needed into a cage to search for the clue.

I think the secret of all of these groups is the volunteers and their willingness to do whatever it takes, and the imagination of the guiding board members.

How nice that it is free and that there are benches and shade trees too. I would definately come and visit several times a year if this was available here or nearby. And harp music sounds wonderful in the moonlight. I don't understand why there aren't many more people there for the fun stuff that you offer. Have you sent notices in advance to garden clubs that are local? Or posted notices on bulletin boards in grocery stores or malls or such places around that have bulletin boards. Here our Wal-mart even has a bulletin board that I look at when I am in the store.
Maybe a dinner out in the gardens with a murder mystery where the people play roles would be popular there. They draw lots of people here and they even charge money for that too.
Also just a thought that sometimes people don't trust things that are entirely free. I don't know the mindset of the people that you are trying to attract but that may be some of it. Have you ever handed out questionaires to vistors or a suggestion box?

For the groups that arranged guided tours in the past, can you contact them and inquire as to why they didn't schedule subsequent tours? The answer might be as simple as "been there, done that" but some follow-up questions like "What would entice you to come back" and "Would you recommend this tour to other groups" and "What suggestions would you make for changes to the tour and/or facilities" could help you dig into the reasons for your recent trend.