Visitor Experience Best Practices
Whether you’re a small nature center or a huge national park, these visitor experience best practices almost certainly apply to you. Explore the list, dive into the ones you most want to focus on, and considering going through the full self-assessment here. We’re here if you need anything.
-Ky and The Visitor Experience Team.
Engaging New Audiences
Every visitor first becomes aware of your site through outreach: your website, social media, word‑of‑mouth, or conversations at a local community event. Outreach services are the entry point on the Staircase to Stewardship – where we first engage the next generation as they begin their path to stewardship. Learn more about outreach here.
Prioritize Diversity – Strengthen your organization by intentionally engaging diverse audiences through inclusive outreach practices.
Reflect Your Community – Ensure that your outreach represents the culture, voices, and demographics of the communities you serve.
Build Bridges – Reconnect with underrepresented groups by partnering with trusted community leaders and organizations.
School Engagement – Turn students into stewards through strategic outreach to local school groups.
Interpretive Social Media – Use social media not just to inform, but to interpret and inspire new audiences.
Booths and Tabling – Choose your outreach events carefully to reach the people you most hope to engage.
Welcomes and Wayfinding
Visitors come to your site looking for something. Initially they’re looking for the park entrance, how to check in, and eventually for their trailhead, campsite, or picnic area. Orientation services help them find what they’re looking for. Signage, trail maps, and warm smiles all welcome visitors and help them feel that they belong. Learn more about warm welcomes and meeting basics needs here.
Warm Welcome for All – Deliver inclusive, outstanding customer service that makes every visitor feel they belong.
Minimize the Unexpected – Meet new visitors’ courage with comfort by anticipating and reducing unknowns.
Intuitive Wayfinding – A clear, intuitive wayfinding system prevents disorientation and supports visitor service.
Authority of the Resource – Support enforcement staff with interpretive strategies that foster compliance and reduce conflict.
Through Their Eyes – View your site from a fresh perspective to identify barriers and blind spots.
Accurate Online Presence – Ensure third-party websites accurately reflect your site for orienting new visitors.
Recreation Creates Memories
Visitors come to your site in search of an experience. It might be a relaxing fishing trip, a backpacking weekend, or a walk through history. We play an active role in facilitating these experiences through the recreation opportunities we provide. Learn more about recreational opportunities here.
Universal Design – Design recreation opportunities that allow everyone to fall in love with your site.
Adventure Education – Teach visitors the skills they need to safely and confidently explore the outdoors.
Try Before You Buy – Provide loaner gear to lower barriers and invite people to try something new.
Parks for Community Health – Partner with wellness organizations to position your park as a hub for health.
Digital Accessibility – Use virtual tools to welcome visitors with mobility or geographic limitations.
Natural Play – Create nature-based play areas that build confidence in children and caregivers.
Listening to Learn – Center visitor feedback through deep listening to continuously improve experiences.
Interpretation Builds Appreciation
We don’t settle for smiles and good memories. Interpretation helps visitors see how our parks and resources are connected to important values in their lives. It’s how we reveal the deeper significance of a site and plant the seeds of stewardship. Learn more about interpretation here.
Interpretive Signage – Let your signage speak when staff can’t be present, guiding visitors with thoughtful interpretation.
Interpretive Direction – Ground your programs and products in a clear, unified interpretive direction.
Guided Connections – Offer live programs—on-site or online—that connect people personally to your site.
Self-Guided Discovery – Provide tools that let visitors engage meaningfully on their own.
Interpretive Training – Build a culture of mastery with shared interpretive standards and support.
10 Essential Visitor Services – Encourage all staff and volunteers to develop foundational interpretation skills.
Captive Audiences – Use interpretation to serve those with limited agency or choice in their visit.
Exhibits and Nature Centers – Design interpretive spaces that inform, inspire, and become destinations in themselves.
Calls to Action Create Stewards
Stewardship is the pinnacle of the visitor experience. We want visitors to fall so deeply in love with our sites that they can’t help but share their time and resources – joining us in protecting parks. Every park site depends on this cycle of moving our constituents towards stewardship. Learn more about calls-to-action here.
Help Visitors Help You – Turn visitor passion into action with clear, accessible opportunities to give back.
Volunteer Coordination – Build a strong, diverse volunteer team that enhances visitor experiences.
Friends Groups and Foundations – Collaborate with nonprofit partners to amplify your mission.
Leverage Stewardship Groups – Develop systems that empower aligned groups to contribute meaningfully.
Engage Stakeholders – Build lasting relationships with civic leaders and elected officials who care about your site.
Donation Optimization – Make it easy for supporters to contribute with thoughtful, well-placed donation tools.