THE CHALLENGE
Two National Park Service sites—the George Washington (GW) Memorial Parkway and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore—sought an innovative, decentralized way to educate residents in nearby urban locales and neighboring states to become park visitors.
OUR SOLUTION
Montage designed, produced, and fabricated a custom mobile visitor center for each park, transforming ordinary delivery vans into unique traveling exhibits. Both visitor centers feature stunning exterior displays incorporating images of each park, historic and nature facts, and illustrated maps. Fold-out panels at the rear of the vehicles facilitate self-led exploration through inviting, interactive exhibits and detail other park features and amenities.
A retrofitted interior allows for park rangers to host activities while off-board displays carry the same branding and reinforce the content of the exhibits on the vehicle itself. Vehicles feature solar panels and interior walls and cabinets made from sustainable and found materials.
While the GW Memorial Parkway visitor center largely remains within the designated national park site, the Sleeping Bear Dunes vehicle travels throughout Michigan to spread awareness about the national lakeshore and its biodiversity, particularly among students and youth groups.
THE RESULTS
- The GW Memorial Parkway Mobile Visitor Center serves as the only physical education and information site for the park, which spans two states. It has remained in continuous operation since 2018.
- The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Mobile Visitor Center enables the park to reach and educate people across the region who might not otherwise be able to visit, including students and inner-city residents.
