Colonial Williamsburg losing money to unticketed visitors, memo says
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- čas přidán 21. 03. 2017
- Unticketed visitors could be costing Colonial Williamsburg millions, according to a memo the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation shared with city council.
why is it not a national park?
Colonial Williamsburg would be a lot less interesting if it were run by the National Park Service.
I am a long time visitor. Stayed in colonial houses many a time. Have been going there almost annually since 1960 with a break for Army, college, and then back to going every year I could. I would be happy to pay for general access IF Colonial Williamsburg would stop buying cheap Chinese crap and selling it as if it was made in America. They used to solely deal with American companies for everything from brass, silver, furniture, doo dads, hats, etc. Now it is all nearly made in China. That really grates me when they are portraying American colonies and craftsmen. When I started going to Williamsburg part of the real pleasure was just walking around the streets and gardens. Eating at the taverns. Paying to get in to the crafts and venues that interested you, and just relaxing in a peaceful historic setting when not. If they take that away, and make it a restricted access theme park, while buying all their crap in China, that will be the kiss of death to Rockefeller's dream and Colonial Williamsburg. i guarantee it.
They should understand that Colonial Williamsburg is a money pit, people love to walk around because it is free, beautiful and interesting. They spend money everywhere else and maybe a little in CW. Taxes from that are what should support CW. Charging people just to walk around will destroy CW. Maybe put out donation boxes and that could help some.
This unfortunately is not just an issue at Colonial Williamsburg. Historic sites across the country are in Jeopardy. Living history events as well as participants are also under siege. You have generations that have been taught to hate their history based on pure emotion vs context and being able to look at it as a timeline, “those are the the times the nation was born in and some of the wrongs and rights of that era, and here is where we are today.” This is the age of the knee-jerk and as they say “the kids are not alright.”
You are absolutely correct. Not only are young people being taught to have disdain for their history, the internet has eliminated the necessity of physically visiting historic sites in order to acquire information.(although it does have its uses). I wonder if Colonial Williamsburg will even exist in twenty-five years. It breaks my heart to even think of it.
That is an absolute understatement. I recently visited for the 4th of July celebration and ran into tourists who had driven for 10 hours to watch the fireworks, but yet had no tickets what so ever. I'm afraid that Colonial Williamsburg was conceived in a time where ethics were much more in the forethought of the populous on the whole. That you would not even think of just strolling through the living history museum without the cost of a ticket. It's called "Dollar Voting" for the uninitiated. You vote with your dollars to see what you want to continue to have and see in this case. I have an Annual Pass Ticket as well as I am a Donor, even while being presently unemployed myself. It's unconscionable to not have at least a Day Pass while visiting.
"So true Ken1NC.
I buy an annual pass every year and make it to CW four or five times each Spring/Summer season. I must get there for the Christmas Illumination, as I hear it is something worth experiencing.
Last year I marched up the walkway to the George Tucker House and became a donor, after reading CWF's Pres and CEO Mitchell Reiss' compelling letter explaining the up and down trajectory of CW's finances. CW is one of the neatest places to visit for individuals, honeymooners or families. Surely not as costly as Disney or a water-park. And certainly more enriching to the mind than other family trip locals we end up going year after year. Sure, water-play and carnival rides are great fun, but there is more out there and maybe we should choose CW on one of our future trips so this special town can continue enriching, teaching and informing us about how America began and why. It is an interesting, vibrant story taught and told so well by the dedicated historic interpreters and tradespeople so committed to sharing history in a captivating way; these people sometimes so inadequately compensated for that hard work and loyalty. And lately, due in part to being so financially unbalanced, hundreds of positions have been eliminated in attempt to balance the books. Perhaps salaries at the top need to be cut while focus is put back on retaining the historical interpreters out there every day telling out Nation's history to the world's visitors.
Man! This is where our ideals, our values, our Nation was born; amidst fiery convictions and impassioned patriots committed to a cause they fervently believed in . What an exciting point in world history!
Say 1,500 people read this and each goes to history.org and donates $5.00 to the CWF; that's $7,500 in the CW Foundation pot.
If each dropped a ten, that would be $15,000. Impressive! Just from small contributions from a handful of readers.
I think that's amazing.
Now, think small donation amounts multiplied by millions who care about preserving History and the dreams and vision of those who went before. Those numbers added to the foundation on a regular basis can possibly save future job loss and help Williamsburg continue on. Plus, donations may fend off unpleasant or gimmicky changes we may view unfavorably, as more desperate ideas are dreamt up in effort to save the place.
Let us not see desperate times ushering in desperate, disparate measures, made adverse due to the radical or too modern spin people may resort in efforts to save the historic piece of American history.
Already changes are being implemented that have been perceived as bad for town.
Let us not see CW fall into neglect and disrepair because outside people who don't care about history assume positions once held by educated, impassioned, long time committed workers since let go.
Nothing worse than walking through a once vibrant town, the people ceased caring about. Like a run-down, abandoned Wild West Gold Rush boom town.
That, my friends could happen if Williamsburg is not managed responsibly and if we stop supporting it.
Skip a $12.00 fast food lunch once a week and plunk the savings down into supporting our country's birthplace of freedom.
And if really feeling kindly and generous, buy a Good Neighbor Pass or Annual Pass.
Just don't freely enjoy that little piece of pre-Revolution American History without at lest giving something back.
Billions of philanthropic private investment dollars and years of research and hard work went into rebuilding this National treasure.
sign me:
Patriot