Great Tours!

Barbara A. Levy first practiced her interpretation skills as a choral conductor, singer, and music teacher. Although she moved on to work in the historic site field, her experiences in music and teaching confirmed her belief that interpretation in any field required understanding and effective communication. Her professional commitment to creating great interpretive experiences at historic sites began when she was the Interpretation Planner for the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Management, Planning Division, and continued when she became Director of Education and Interpretation for the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities. In 1993 she founded Barbara Levy Associates, a consulting group that has helped history museums and historical organizations across the country improve their interpretation, planning, and education programs. Well known as a skilled interpretive planner, teacher, and trainer, she is also a frequently requested presenter at regional and national professional conferences. She holds a B.M.A (with distinction) from the University of Michigan, and both M.M.A and M.A degrees from Boston University.Sandy Mackenzie Lloyd first interpreted history to the public as a kindergartner when she wrote, directed, and starred in a play about Betsy Ross. A year later she began collecting antiques and she was hooked. Her combined love of history and "things" led to a degree in American Studies from Smith College and the Winterthur Program in Early American Culture. She was the first curator of Wyck, a historic house in Philadelphia, and the curator of education at Cliveden, a property of the National Trust. She has written several Historic Structures Reports for significant buildings in Philadelphia, given tours of historic sites for over twenty years, conducted guide training, lectured, and taught the toughest historic site audience—school children. She lives in Philadelphia with her family where she works as a museum consultant to many historic sites including Pennsbury M

Great Tours! is a wonderful resource for sites that want to improve their interpretation and guide training. With loads of activities and practical advice, the book is designed to be adaptable for sites of varying sizes, resource levels and sophistication. Great Tours! does a good job of addressing new issues and problems facing historic sites today. . . . The book's format is easy to use and its program will help any site to strengthen and discipline its interpretation. Great Tours! provides practical help and advice for historic sites, helping them to address the increasingly important and linked questions of visitor experience, good interpretation, and changing audiences.

• Part 1 ForewordPart 2 AcknowledgmentsPart 3 PrefacePart 4 Part 1: Developing the Thematic TourChapter 5 IntroductionChapter 6 Chapter 1. Preparation: Assemble the FactsChapter 7 Chapter 2. Planning: The Theme Development Team and the Roundtable WorkshopChapter 8 Chapter 3. Creating: Writing, Testing, and Revising a Thematic Tour OnlineChapter 9 Sample MaterialsPart 10 Part 2: Training Guides to Give Thematic ToursChapter 11 IntroductionChapter 12 Chapter 4. Site Specifics and Historical ContextChapter 13 Chapter 5. Material Culture: The Physical EvidenceChapter 14 Chapter 6. Interpretive Themes and the Thematic TourChapter 15 Chapter 7. Communication: Audience and Presentation TechniquesPart 16 Part 3: Managing Guides EffectivelyChapter 17 Chapter 8. Managing Guides EffectivelyPart 18 IndexPart 19 About the Authors