The new RV/MH Hall of Fame/Museum adjacent to the Indiana Toll Road in Elkhart County, Ind., has been drawing a steady stream of visitors since its March 26 opening.
“The first week went absolutely wonderfully,” said foundation spokesman Al Hasselbart. “We had RV travelers, local people and two bus groups. Finally, we are doing what we said we were going to do: show off the industry to everybody and anybody.”
The facility’s “soft opening” was held in advance of the official opening scheduled for Aug. 5, the day before the RV/MH Heritage Foundation Inc.’s 2007 Hall of Fame induction dinner.
A key attraction is the Hall of Fame’s Go RVing pavilion, which features interactive kiosks, a continuously running Go RVing video, campground and RV dealer locators, and a representative sampling of new RVs.
A supplier exhibit hall has yet to be occupied, and construction will follow on a wing of the museum to house RV historian David Woodworth’s 1,800-piece collection of antiques and camping memorabilia. A separate hall currently houses the foundation’s own collection of about two dozen RVs with historical significance.
“The purpose for the soft opening was to allow visitors to come through and begin to see any areas that need to be revamped in preparation for the grand opening,” said B.J. Thompson, president of B.J. Thompson Associates, the Go RVing Coalition’s liaison to the foundation.
The foundation’s staff in December moved into the building, which also houses a library and meeting room. The hall of fame/museum previously was located in downtown Elkhart.
For more information, call (800) 378-8694 or visit www.rv-mh-hall-of-fame.org
To search for campgrounds in the area, visit http://www.tldirectory.com or http://www.ecampsite.com/campgrounds
