A Day in the Life of Minnetrista Visitor Connectors & Experience Guides
Have you ever wondered about the smiling faces that greet you when you enter the Center Building at Minnetrista Museum & Gardens? They’ll probably be the first Minnetrista employee to welcome you unless you see a Horticulture or Grounds team member on your way into the building. These wonderful individuals are our Visitor Connectors, here to help you get the most out of your time at Minnetrista. Christine and Jamie volunteered to get into the nitty-gritty of their roles and show us an inside look at a typical day in their life as Visitor Connectors!
When the Visitor Connector arrives at the beginning of their shift, they start by getting the front desk and lobby ready to open. This means powering the computer, starting the programs they’ll use, opening the Heritage Gallery, and turning on the lobby music, display lights, and TV. Jamie added, “We also will spend some time in the morning shift making sure that our list of sold tickets is updated, so we know who all we expect to come in. After that, we greet folks as they come in and help them in whatever way we can.”
After welcoming visitors inside, the Visitor Connector provides customer service by checking in guests who have already purchased tickets, processing admission for others, selling memberships, answering questions, and more. They’re also responsible for doing all of these tasks over the phone. The most common need from visitors is information about available experiences on campus. The Visitor Connectors are experts at all things Minnetrista, so they’re the perfect resource for this type of request. They can provide brochures with membership information, business cards of Minnetrista employees, the campus map, information about current and upcoming exhibits, programs, and events, and recommend other things to check out in Muncie. Christine mentioned that they also help keep things moving on the inside by watching the loading dock for deliveries and communicating with Minnetrista staff by radio.
After you’ve checked in and are ready to explore, you’ll find Experience Guides located around campus. They’re a great resource for each visitor. Grace is an Experience Guide who enjoys this element of the role. She said most guests are looking for basic information about Minnetrista, the Ball family, and Bob Ross. “We also provide answers on how to extend your visit. Often, visitors will come for one specific aspect or event to see; however, the guides and I provide more information on what other events or experiences are available that guests would enjoy,” said Grace.
The Experience Guide can hold one of three positions: Bob Ross Experience Interpreter, Oakhurst Experience Interpreter, or Roaming Interpreter. The Oakhurst and Bob Ross Experience Interpreters stay in those exhibits to monitor the area and help interpret the space. Grace remarked,
“While visitors are walking through the experience, our priority is to enhance their experience through our own knowledge and interactions with them. I try to be well-versed in the common questions that visitors ask and have interesting facts to bring up in conversations about different parts of the home. Our main priority no matter where on campus we are is to ensure visitors have a great time and enhance it with knowledge and interaction.”
The Roaming Interpreter is responsible for opening the exhibits in the Center Building and monitoring them during their shift. They mainly travel around campus as needed. The Roaming Interpreter is also responsible for the Text a Guide phone. The Text a Guide program allows visitors to text the guide to ask any questions they have about Minnetrista from any location on campus. The program is beneficial during signature events like Faeries Sprites & Lights, Garden Fair, Farmers Market, and the Enchanted Luminaria Walk when we have a lot of visitors. That number can be found on campus signage.
As the day goes on and visitors come and go, Connectors and Guides have the perk of connecting with each and every one of them. Watching guests experience Minnetrista and interacting with them can be very rewarding. Grace commented, “I have worked in museums and historic places multiple times, and my favorite thing to do is talk with visitors and engage them in conversation. This could mean either making others more knowledgeable of historical facts, talking about Bob Ross paintings that are on view, or guiding them on other fun activities Minnetrista offers.” Grace likes to see visitors fully experience the space. Three women stood out to her because of the joy they found at The Bob Ross Experience. Grace said they made the most of their time by using the items in the exhibit and having fun with it. They took paintbrushes and pretended to paint on the canvas as if they were Bob Ross, using the cameras to pretend to film each other. Christine remarked that her favorite event is Faeries, Sprites & Lights, “It was wonderful working during FSL and seeing all the costumes the little kiddos wore, the glitter everywhere, and how happy visitors of all ages were to be there–it was truly magical.” Another connector, Jamie, said he enjoys meeting guests who have a connection with Minnetrista or Indiana history. He added, “I met one patron whose mom was a good friend of Betty Ball, another person who owns the old bus from the Hoosiers movie, and an older couple who had made it their life’s goal to travel to all 92 counties in Indiana.”
At the end of each shift, the Visitor Connectors and Experience Guides either close or hand off the space to the following staff member. They pack up their items, switch off the radio, and leave campus with the wonderful stories they heard throughout the day. Creating these stories with visitors is what staff members said drew them to work at Minnetrista Museum & Gardens. In Jamie’s view, the entire guide team has “a privileged spot here.” He said, “We all appreciate that we get a front-and-center role in creating a happy experience for our visitors.”
So, next time you visit Minnetrista Museum & Gardens, interact with this amazing team and become part of their day. They are happy to help! You can plan your next visit here.
If you have your own story to share about visiting Minnetrista, you can send it to stories@minnetrista.com. We’d love to hear from you!