NPS Visitor Services Project Bundled Package

	Social Science Program National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Visitor Services Project

Boston National Historical Park

Visitor Study

OMB Approval 1024-XXX (NPS# 08-XXX)

Expiration date: XXX-2009

IN REPLY REFER TO:	United States Department of the Interior NATIONAL PARK SERVICE Boston National Historical Park Charlestown Navy Yard Boston, MA 02129
July – August 2009 Dear Visitor: Thank you for participating in this important study. Our goal is to learn about the expectations, opinions, and interests of visitors to Boston National Historical Park. This information will assist us in our efforts to better manage this park and to serve you, our visitor. This questionnaire is only being given to a select number of visitors, so your participation is very important! It should only take about 20 minutes after your visit to complete. When your visit is over, please complete this questionnaire. Seal it with the stickers provided on the last page and drop it in any U.S. mailbox. If you have any questions, please contact Margaret Littlejohn, NPS VSP Director, Park Studies Unit, College of Natural Resources, P.O. Box 441139, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho 83844-1139, phone: 208-885-7863, email: [email protected]. We appreciate your help. Sincerely, Need electronic signature Terry Savage Superintendent

DIRECTIONS

At the end of your visit:

1) Please have the selected individual complete this questionnaire.

2) Answer the questions carefully since each question is different.

3) For questions that use circles (O), please mark your answer by

filling in the circle with black or blue ink, or a pencil with dark

(e.g. #2) lead.

4) Seal it with the stickers provided.

5) Drop it in a U.S. mailbox.

Thank you!

PRIVACY ACT and PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT statement:

16 U.S.C. 1a-7 authorizes collection of this information. This information will be used by park managers to better serve the public. Response to this request is voluntary. No action may be taken against you for refusing to supply the information requested. Your name is requested for follow-up mailing purposes only. When analysis of the questionnaire is completed, all name and address files will be destroyed. Thus the permanent data will be anonymous. Please do not put your name or that of any member of your personal group on the questionnaire. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.

Burden estimate statement: Public reporting burden for this form is estimated to average 20 minutes per response. Direct comments regarding the burden estimate or any other aspect of this form to Margaret Littlejohn, NPS Visitor Services Project, College of Natural Resources, University of Idaho, P.O. Box 441139, Moscow, ID, 83844-1139; email: [email protected].

Your Visit To Boston National Historical Park

NOTE: In this questionnaire, your personal group is defined as anyone that you are visiting the park with, such as spouse, family, friends, etc. This does not include the larger group that you might be traveling with, such as school, church, scouts, or tour group.

1. a) Prior to your visit, how did you and your personal group obtain information about Boston National Historical Park (NHP)? Please mark (_•) all that apply in column (a).

b) If you were to visit Boston NHP in the future, how would you and your personal group prefer to obtain information about the park? Please mark (_•) all that apply in column (b).

a) Prior to this visit b) Prior to future visits

O Did not obtain information prior to visit  Go to part b of this question

O Previous visits O

O Friends/relatives/word of mouth O

O Travel guides/tour books (such as AAA, etc.) O

O Maps/brochures O

O Newspaper/magazine articles O

O E-mail/telephone/written inquiry to Boston NHP O

O Television/radio programs/videos O

O Boston NHP website: www.nps.gov/bost O

O Other websites O

O School class/program O

O Local businesses (hotels, motels, restaurants, etc.) O

O Chamber of Commerce/visitors bureau/state welcome center O

O Other (Please specify below) O

This visit Future visit

c) From the sources you used prior to this visit, did you and your personal group receive the type of information about the park that you needed?

O No O Yes  Go to Question 2

d) If NO, what type of park information did you and your personal group need that was not available? Please be specific.

2. a) Prior to this visit, were you and your personal group aware that Boston NHP (Charlestown Navy Yard, Bunker Hill, and Dorchester Heights) is a unit of the National Park System?

O Yes O No

b) Prior to this visit, were you and your personal group aware of Boston NHP Freedom Trail partners (Old South Meeting House, Old State House, Paul Revere House, Faneuil Hall, Old North Church)?

O Yes O No

3. a) Prior to your visit, were you and your personal group aware of the security procedure to enter the Charlestown Navy Yard Visitor Center and USS Constitution?

O Yes O No

b) Did the security procedures deter you and your personal group from entering?

O Yes O No

4. On this trip, what was the primary reason that you and your personal group came to the Charlestown Navy Yard/Boston area? Please mark (_•) only one.

O Resident of the area (within 20 miles of park)  Go to Question 5

O Visit Boston NHP

O Visit other attractions in the area

O Visit friends/relatives in the area

O Business

O Other (Please specify)

5. On this trip, were the signs directing you and your personal group to and around Boston NHP adequate? Please mark (_•) one answer for each of the following.

a) Highway signs O Yes O No O Did not use

b) Pedestrian signs in communities O Yes O No O Did not use

c) In park O Yes O No O Did not use

d) If you answered NO for any of the above, please explain.

Highways:

In communities:

In park:

6. On this trip, what were the reasons that you and your personal group visited Boston NHP? Please mark (_•) all that apply.

O Visit historic site

O Learn history

O Saw sign on highway

O Travel through to other destination

O Show the park to friends/relatives

O Visit other attractions in the area

O Visit a National Park Service site

O Obtain stamp in National Park Passport book

O Other (Please specify)

7. a) On this trip, how long did you and your personal group spend in Boston NHP and in the area within 20 miles of the park? (Please list partial hours as 1/4, 1/2, 3/4)

O Resident of area within 20 miles of the park  Go to this Question part b

Number of hours, if less than 24 hours

Number of days, if 24 hours or more

b) How long in total did you and your personal group visit Boston NHP only?

Total number of hours (Please list partial hours as 1/4, 1/2, 3/4)

8. a) Compared with what you had planned, how much time did you and your personal group spend visiting Boston NHP? Please mark (_•) one.

O Didn’t have a planned amount of time  Go to Question 9

O Spent longer time than planned

O Spent about the time planned

O Spent less time than planned

b) If the amount of time you and your personal group spent visiting Boston NHP differed from the amount that you planned for this visit (longer or shorter), what were the reasons for changing your plan?

O Fewer things to do/see than expected

O More things to do/see than expected

O Park sites were too crowded to gain an entry at our desired time

O Unable to locate park sites

O Other reasons (Please specify below)

c) What would encourage you to spend a longer time visiting Boston NHP? Please be specific.

9. a) Prior to your visit, were you aware that Boston NHP and Freedom Trail sites are connected by a common theme, the effort to gain independence through revolution?

O Yes, aware of both the connection and the theme  Go to Question 10

O No, was not aware of the connection

O Aware of the connection, but did not know what the theme was

b) As a result of this visit, did you learn about the connection between Boston NHP and Freedom Trail sites through a common theme, the effort to gain independence through revolution?

O Yes O No

10. Have you and your personal group ever visited Dorchester Heights, George Washington’s first victory, which American soldiers secured on the night of March 4, 1776?

O Yes O No

11. a) On this trip, did you and personal your group visit the Battle of Bunker Hill Museum?

O No O Yes  Go to Question 12



b) If NO, why not?

12. a) On this trip, did you or your personal group climb the Bunker Hill Monument?

O Yes O No

b) In the future, if the park needs to more closely regulate visitation inside Bunker Hill Monument, would you and your personal group be willing to visit the monument using a free timed ticket system with a 20-minute time limit?

O Yes, likely O No, unlikely O Not sure

13. a) Boston NHP consists of three federally owned sites along the Freedom Trail— Charlestown Navy Yard, Bunker Hill, and Dorchester Heights. The rest of the sites are privately or city owned or managed. On this trip, which of the following sites along the Freedom Trail, a 2.5-mile walking trail marked by red bricks in the middle of the sidewalk, did you and your personal group enter to visit? Please mark (_•) all that apply.

O All sites along the Freedom Trail  Go to Question 14

O Bunker Hill Monument O NPS Visitor Center-Downtown

O Battle of Bunker Hill Museum O Old State House

O USS Constitution (“Old Ironsides”) O Old South Meeting House

O USS Constitution Museum O USS Cassin Young

O Copp’s Hill Burying Ground O Paul Revere House

O Charlestown Navy Yard Visitor Center O Granary Burying Ground

O Information Kiosk in Boston Common O State House

O King’s Chapel and Burying Ground O Old North Church

O Faneuil Hall O Boston Massacre Site

O Other (Please specify)

b) Were you and your personal group able to find the sites that you wanted to visit on the Freedom Trail?

O Yes O No

c) When your group first arrived at Boston NHP, what was the first site that you and your personal group visited on the Freedom Trail?

Specify site:

O Don’t remember

14. a) On this trip, did you and your personal group take a walking tour on the Freedom Trail? Please mark (_•) one.

O No, did not take a tour  Go to Question 15

O Yes, free ranger-led tour  Go to Question 15

O Yes, commercial private tour by costumed guide (for a fee)

O Yes, self-guided tour with National Park Service brochure

O Yes, self-guided tour with brochure issued by other organization

O Yes, other (Please specify)

b) Were you and your personal group aware of the free ranger-led tours before taking a private or self-guided tour?

O Yes O No

15. a) During this visit to Boston NHP, did you and your personal group have any personal interaction with a park ranger outside a ranger-led program?

O Yes O No  Go on to Question 16

2. If YES, please rate the quality of your interaction with the park ranger. Please mark one (_•) for each item.

Park ranger, other than ranger-led program	Very poor	Poor	Average	Good	Very good
Helpfulness	O	O	O	O	O
Courteousness	O	O	O	O	O
Responsiveness	O	O	O	O	O
Quality of information provided	O	O	O	O	O

16. a) Please mark (_•) all of the visitor services and facilities that you or your personal group used at Boston NHP during this visit.

b) Next, for only those services and facilities that you or your personal group used, please rate their importance to your visit from 1-5.

c) Finally, for only those services and facilities that you or your personal group used, please rate their quality from 1-5.

a) Visitor services/facilities used? Mark (•)

b) If used, how important? 1=Not important 2=Somewhat important 3=Moderately important 4=Very important 5=Extremely important

c) If used, what quality? 1=Very poor 2=Poor 3=Average 4=Good 5=Very good

O Park brochure/map

O Indoor exhibits

O Outdoor exhibits

O Charlestown Navy Yard Visitor Center

O Downtown Visitor Center

O Visitor center bookstore sales items

(selection, price etc.)

O Battle of Bunker Hill Museum

O Directional signs to find park sites

O Assistance from park staff/volunteers

O Ranger-led programs/talks

O Shipyard Gallery (food concession)

O Restrooms

O Access for disabled persons

17. a) On this visit, did you and your personal group visit any of the Eastern National bookstores—in the Charlestown Navy Yard Visitor Center, Downtown Visitor Center or at the Battle of Bunker Hill Museum?

O Yes O No

b) What items, if any, that are not currently provided in the bookstores would you and your personal group like to see sold in the future? Please be specific.

18. a) Did you and your personal group use the park website (www.nps.gov/bost) for planning trips to Boston NHP?

O Yes O No  Go to Question 19

b) If YES, please rate how helpful the website was in planning your visit by marking (_•) one response below.

Not at all Somewhat Moderately Very Extremely

helpful helpful helpful helpful helpful

O O O O O

c) Please rate the following aspects of the park website. Please mark (_•) one for each aspect.

	Very poor	Poor	Average	Good	Very good
Ease of use	O	O	O	O	O
Type of information provided	O	O	O	O	O
Amount of information provided	O	O	O	O	O
Photo gallery	O	O	O	O	O
Ease of downloading videos	O	O	O	O	O
Overall quality	O	O	O	O	O

19. a) Prior to your visit to Boston were you and your personal group aware of the following National Park System sites within 5 miles of Boston NHP?

b) Have you and your personal group visited, or plan to visit, these sites in the future? Please mark (_•) one response for each site.

a) Aware?			b) Visited or plan to visit?
Yes	No			Yes	No
O	O	Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area		O	O
O	O	Boston African American National Historic Site		O	O
O	O	Longfellow National Historic Site		O	O
O	O	John F. Kennedy National Historic Site		O	O
O	O	Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site		O	O

20. a) If you were to visit Boston NHP in the future, would you and your personal group be interested in any of the following audio tours? Please mark (_•) one response for each choice.

b) For the audio tour that you are interested in taking, would you be willing to pay a fee of not more than $20.00 for taking that tour? Please mark (_•) one response for each tour.

a) Interested?				b) Willing to pay?
Yes	No		Yes, likely		No, unlikely
O	O	Cellphone tour	O		O
O	O	Podcast tour	O		O
O	O	Other (Please specify below)	O		O

21. If you were to visit Boston NHP in the future, how would you and your personal group prefer to learn about cultural and natural history/features of Boston NHP? Please mark (_•) all that apply.

O Not interested in learning about the park  Go to Question 22

O Static exhibits O Visitor/orientation center

O Park website: www.nps.gov/bost O Special events

O Movies/films O Evening events

O Historian/expert lectures/talks O Children’s programs

O Ranger-led talks/interpretive programs

O Living history programs/dramatic presentations (people in costume)

O Self-guided audio tours (with map/publication, audio, cell phone)

O Interactive exhibits (displays on computer/palm pilot/blackberry, etc.)

O Roving rangers available to answer questions

O Printed materials (brochures, books, maps, etc.)

O Other (Please specify)

22. On this visit, were you and your personal group part of the following types of organized groups?

a) Commercial guided tour group O Yes O No

b) School/educational group O Yes O No

c) Other (scouts, work, church) O Yes O No

d) If you were with one of these organized groups, how many people, including yourself, were in this group?

Number of people in organized group

23. a) On this visit, with what kind of personal group (not guided tour/school/other organized group) were you?

O Alone O Friends

O Family O Family and friends

O Other (Please specify)

b) On this visit, how many people were in your personal group, including yourself?

Number of people in personal group

c) On this visit, how many vehicles did you and your personal group used to arrive at Boston NHP?

Number of vehicles or O Did not use any vehicle (on foot,

used bicycle or public transportation)

24. For you and your personal group, please provide the following. (If you do not know the answer, leave blank).

	a) Current age	b) U.S. ZIP code or name of country other than U.S.	c) Number of lifetime visits to Boston NHP (including this visit)
Yourself
Member #2
Member #3
Member #4
Member #5
Member #6
Member #7

25. a)Are you or members of your group Hispanic or Latino? Please mark (_•) one for each group member.

	Yourself	Member #2	Member #3	Member #4	Member #5	Member #6	Member #7
Yes, Hispanic or Latino	O	O	O	O	O	O	O
No, not Hispanic or Latino	O	O	O	O	O	O	O

b) What is your race? What is the race of each member of your personal group? Please mark (_•) one or more for you and each group member.

	Yourself	Member #2	Member #3	Member #4	Member #5	Member #6	Member #7
American Indian or Alaska Native	O	O	O	O	O	O	O
Asian	O	O	O	O	O	O	O
Black or African American	O	O	O	O	O	O	O
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander	O	O	O	O	O	O	O
White	O	O	O	O	O	O	O

26. a) Does anyone in your personal group have a physical condition that made it difficult to access or participate in Boston NHP activities or services?

O Yes O No  Go on to Question 27

b) If YES, what services or activities were difficult to access/participate in?

27. a) Would you recommend visiting Boston NHP to others?

O Yes O No

b) Would you and your personal group visit Boston NHP again in the future?

O Yes O No O Not sure

c) What would encourage you and your personal group to visit Boston NHP again?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

28. a) What did you and your personal group like most about your visit to Boston NHP?

b) What did you and your personal group like least about your visit to Boston NHP?

29. If you were a manager planning for the future of Boston NHP what would you and your personal group propose for changes?

30. Is there anything else you and your personal group would like to tell us about your visit to Boston NHP?

31. Overall, how would you rate the quality of the facilities, services, and recreational opportunities provided to you and your personal group at Boston NHP during this visit? Please mark (_•) one.

Very poor Poor Average Good Very good

O O O O O

T

Printed on recycled paper

hank you for your help! Please seal the questionnaire with the stickers provided and drop it in any U.S. mailbox.

OFFICIAL BUSINESS

Visitor Services Project

Park Studies Unit

College of Natural Resources

University of Idaho

P.O. Box 441139

Moscow, Idaho 83844-1139