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Got a free museum tour just by asking the front desk guy in Akron
Last weekend I was in Akron for a wedding and had like 3 hours to kill. I walked into this small local history museum, ticket was $8 which is fine but I was just curious. The guy at the front desk, maybe late 60s, saw me lingering by the map and asked if I wanted the quick version. I said sure but I'm cheap, and he laughed and said 'this place is half empty, just walk around and I'll tell you the good stuff'. He ended up giving me a 45 minute personal tour, pointed out this old fire engine that had a story about a 1927 flood, and even showed me a hidden staircase behind a bookshelf. Didn't pay a cent extra, just tipped him my leftover snack bar granola bar which he thought was hilarious. Has anyone else found that just talking to the staff at smaller places gets you way more than paying for fancy tours? Later we found a $2 mini golf place down the street that was weirdly fun too.
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kelly.nora22d ago
The flip side of this is that small museums often have volunteers who are bored out of their minds. That guy probably gave you the tour because you showed genuine curiosity, not just because you were there. Most people walk through those places with their phones out, not actually looking at anything. The workers notice that. They’re sitting there for eight hours waiting for someone to ask about the weird artifact in the corner. You basically gave him a reason to do his favorite part of the job. The granola bar was just a bonus, he probably would have told you stories for free all afternoon if you’d stayed. That’s the real secret, staff at these places are like living archives, but you have to act like you care before they open up.
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