Jared Crawford
Director of Communications, Hall of Giants
Tell a kid you’re taking them to an amusement park on Saturday and you know what happens. They won’t sleep a wink Friday night.
Tell that same kid you’re taking them to a museum and, depending on the kid, the reaction may be much, much less enthusiastic.
And look – that’s not a knock on museums! Great museums can be fascinating, and plenty of children love them. But amusement parks inspire an unmistakable brand of anticipation. You don’t just go there to see something – you go expecting something wonderful to happen to you.
At Hall of Giants, we think there’s a lot to learn from that difference.
Yes, we’re building a serious cultural institution devoted to American entrepreneurship. But we also want Hall of Giants to be a place that families are genuinely excited to visit. That’s why we’re borrowing from the world of theme parks.
Imagine experiencing the history of American transportation by “riding” a horse-drawn wagon, a steamship, a locomotive, an automobile, a jet plane, and finally, a rocket to Mars! Instead of simply reading about each technological leap on a plaque, visitors will experience at least some of the excitement that accompanied it.
Rides are only part of the interactive opportunities we’ll have on offer.
Entrepreneurship is a story of choices made under pressure. Imagine an entrepreneur who has risked his savings on an idea that might fail. He has to choose between competing strategies without knowing which one will work. Then comes a devastating setback. Does he cut his losses, or risk even more and try again?
We will bring that drama to life.
An interactive attraction might put you in his shoes. Perhaps you’re trying to raise the capital you need to keep the business alive. Perhaps a new technology offers enormous possibilities, but betting on it could cost you everything. While we know how the stories of great entrepreneurs turn out, those entrepreneurs didn’t. At Hall of Giants, visitors will get a taste of that excitement – and uncertainty — for themselves.
We know there are some great precedents for this approach. The National WWII Museum uses cinematic and theatrical experiences to bring history to life, while the Kennedy Space Center combines historic artifacts with space capsule simulators. Dollywood uses the landscape and lore of the Great Smoky Mountains as part of the fun. In different ways, these attractions get that education and entertainment reinforce each other.
Hall of Giants will do the same for entrepreneurship.
A kid may beg to come because riding a rocket to Mars sounds like fun. Maybe she returns because she’s heard there’s something new to experience, or she wants her best friend to ride what she rode. Along the way, she discovers the men and women who took enormous risks, suffered heartbreaking failures, built great businesses, and transformed the way Americans live.
That’s how Hall of Giants can be serious without being solemn, and how we can educate without being dull. We will entertain without sacrificing substance.
And someday, a kid won’t be able to sleep on a Friday night.