Innovator of the Year Award Finalist

Grand Bend, ON – Lambton Heritage Museum is an Innovator of the Year award finalist in the 2019 Innovation Awards from the Southwest Ontario Tourism Corporation (SWOTC). Award winners will be announced at the Ontario’s Southwest Tourism Conference being held in Chatham-Kent on March 4, 2020.

The Innovator of the Year award recognizes businesses, organizations and leaders who are building the tourism industry within Ontario’s Southwest with purpose and passion. Finalists in this category are using new or refurbished innovative strategies to improve their tourism experience or marketing activities.

“We are thrilled Lambton Heritage Museum is an Innovator of the Year award finalist,” says Laurie Webb, Manager, Museums, Gallery & Archives. “The changes that have taken place over the last two years at the Museum are truly transformative – both in appearance and visitor experience.”

Lambton Heritage Museum has undergone significant renovations to enhance the site and provide engaging experiences for visitors over the last two years. Behind the scenes operations have been brought to the forefront and visitors are able to experience previously off-limits areas of the museum, like the impressive collections centre.

Additionally, the visitor experience has been expanded beyond the physical walls of the museum with the development of a hiking trail and the installation of interpretive signage tracing the natural history of the area. These additions to the outdoor space create an immersive, active experience for visitors. During the winter months, snowshoes are included with museum admission for use on the trail.

“The trail and snowshoe activity allows us to animate a previously passive site with static historical buildings,” says Dana Thorne, Lambton Heritage Museum Supervisor/Curator. “The activity encourages outdoor adventure and supports visits in the shoulder seasons when visitor traffic declines.”

Overall, the renovation shifts the approach of museum collections management and site interpretation from the static display of artifacts to a behind the scenes invitation for visitors to learn more about the fascinating work of museum professionals in caring for the historic artifacts, documents and photographs, which preserve the history of Lambton County.

Lambton Heritage Museum cares for over 25,000 historic artifacts, photographs and documents, preserving the history of Lambton County. In addition to the main exhibition centre, the museum maintains five historic buildings, two display buildings and visitor amenities like the 1 km Woodland Heritage Trail. The museum is located off Highway 21 across from Pinery Provincial Park. Come discover our story and connect with community.

For more information on Lambton Heritage Museum, visit www.heritagemuseum.ca or follow the museum on Facebook.

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