America's Byways® Resource Center

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Authentic Experiences: Tools For Creating Authentic Experiences On Your Byway

By Curt Pianalto, Byways Specialist, with assistance from Sharon Strouse, Amish Country Byway

One of the America’s Byways Resource Center’s key points from its vision statement is that America’s Byways® can be a vehicle to help create authentic visitor experiences for travelers. But what does this really mean? In our society, the concept of authenticity is often used without regard to its true meaning. We live in an information culture where we are exposed to thousands—if not millions—of images and messages throughout our daily lives. The byway experience offers a retreat, for visitors and locals alike, from what would be a hollow and synthetic overload. That retreat can be in the form of rewarding and authentic experiences.

It can be debated whether we can truly create authentic experiences. Authenticity is difficult to define. In the lead article, Cheryl Hargrove gave one definition of authenticity: “worthy of acceptance because of accuracy.” Another definition is “not false or copied,” according to the Encarta World Dictionary.

With that definition in mind, think of a historical event. It might be impossible to create an authentic experience that is the actual occurrence of that historical event. However, with the help of interpretation, re-creation and other creative outlets, we can push people closer to historical authenticity.

Think about culture as another example. Consider a worker in an industry whose livelihood and everyday existence help tell the byway story. It might be difficult to create a truly authentic experience of working in a factory for travelers. As byway practitioners, we can push people closer to authenticity with other mechanisms, such as factory tours or interpretive programs that allow visitors to participate in simulated factory activities or allow access to public locations that are part of factory workers’ lives.

Your corridor management plan (CMP) inventories the assets of your byway corridor. In creating deeper and more meaningful experiences, take your CMP and the inventory of assets to the next step. You may even need to reexamine that inventory.

As we push visitors closer to authenticity, though, we have to be cognizant of the risks associated with doing that, including:

• Safety: Promote safety for travelers and visitors
• Privacy: Ensure that travelers and visitors are not impeding on the personal property and privacy rights of local residents
• Resource Protection: Check that additional visitor exposure will not degrade the actual intrinsic quality resource

Think back to the historical authentic experiences discussed earlier. Many byways have created interpretative panels that attempt to tell those stories. Should we stop there? While these panels can serve an important function in succinctly telling a story, do they allow a visitor to see, feel, touch, hear and experience firsthand the important events that took place? Is the visitor given a sensory experience that connects to the historical event?

Many everyday facets of your local byway environment can help visitors move closer to those authentic experiences. Dining, shopping, commerce, industry and agriculture may provide authentic experience opportunities that invite people closer to your byway’s intrinsic quality story. Think about something as common as food. Can a dining experience contribute to creating authentic experiences? Absolutely.

Should we be trying to create authentic experiences for each of those everyday facets along your byway? Not necessarily. However, if elements from those everyday facets can help push visitors closer to authenticity and strengthen your byway’s intrinsic quality experience and help preserve the actual resource, then by all means, look for ways to create and enhance authentic experiences.

Plan And Deliver More Authentic Experiences

The tagline of promotional materials provided for the America’s Byways® collection is “Come Closer.” This, in essence, is what creating authentic experiences is all about. We want to provide greater access for enhanced and meaningful visitor experiences while being cognizant of the associated risks with that added access.

Using the outline given by Cheryl Hargrove in the lead article, think about creating authentic experiences with dining experiences, specifically restaurants. Cheryl has given a general overview of how you could begin to create authentic experiences. Go to the America’s Byways Resource Center website to find a checklist tool to help you create authentic dining experiences. Check the website often to find additional tools for creating authentic experiences in venues such as historical buildings, agriculture, industrial settings, shopping and more.