The RV/MH Hall of Fame is going through a few changes this spring with new wayfinding signage and an upcoming exhibit celebrating 250 years of the United States of America.
Museum Director Jose Rodriguez said the idea for new signage came from a reorganizing and restructuring of the RV museum this past winter that enabled visitors to experience the displays in chronological order.
“We literally emptied every single unit out of the out of the museum, reorganized, took some stuff out of rotation,” Rodriguez said. “Overall, we wanted to make it a new experience, a different flow for people that have been through and a nicer one for new guests.”
As Rodriguez and his team were working on new designs for a few of the exhibits, they wanted to preserve the storytelling while making it more visually appealing.
“Everything’s consistent in the RV museum now, all of our exhibits now have a 360-degree view of the actual RV in the exhibit,” Rodriguez said. “We’re looking to start making that same enhancement in the manufactured housing museum as well.”
As part of the redesign, new wayfinding and exhibit signs have been installed over the last few weeks.
From cross-country travel itineraries to unique ad campaigns, the RV industry is celebrating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence all summer long.
The RV/MH Hall of Fame is getting in on the fun with the “Freedom to Roam” exhibit showcasing the anniversary.
“We are highlighting everything from the origins of our nation and people traveling along the Oregon Trail west,” Rodriguez said, “all the way to RV and manufactured housing today.”
The exhibit will feature antique lanterns used by western travelers as far back as the 1930s. While guests will not be able to touch the lanterns, there are a few interactive elements to the exhibit.
“The last panel on our exhibit is going to feature an audio track where a guest can press a button and a recap of what they just learned in the exhibit will play,” Rodriguez said. “Kind of giving you a heads up about the quiz you’re about to take, because the last panel is a fun quiz on what they have learned.”
Another interactive piece of the exhibit is a chalkboard guestbook where those who have finished the exhibit can write what the “Freedom to Roam” means to them.
While there is no exact date set for the opening of the anniversary exhibit, Rodriguez said it will be up and running within a month.
Moving forward, Rodriguez said the RV/MH Hall of Fame would love to create more exhibits on a variety of RV topics and are looking for sponsors.
“We have potential to make things like this throughout the museum, to enhance the guest experience,” Rodriguez said. “We are always looking for partnerships within the industry to make that happen.”
