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C h a p t e r 10

recreation, attractions,
and Clubs

L E A r N i N G o B J E C T i V E S

after reading and studying this chapter, you should be able to:

• Discuss the relationship of recreation and leisure to wellness.

• explain the origins and extent of government-sponsored
recreation.

• Distinguish between commercial and noncommercial recreation.

• Name and describe various types of recreational clubs.

• Identify some of the major attractions in the United States.

• Describe the operations of a country club.

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428 Part iii tourism, recreation, attractions, Clubs, and Gaming

Recreational activities include both active and passive activities. Passive
activities include all kinds of sports—team and individual. Baseball, softball,
football, basketball, volleyball, tennis, swimming, jogging, skiing, hiking,
aerobics, rock climbing, and camping are all active forms of recreation.
Passive recreational activities include reading, fishing, playing and listening
to music, gardening, playing computer games, and watching television or
movies. Recreation is an integral part of our nation’s total social, economic,
and natural resource environment. It is a basic component of our lives and
well being.1

recreation, Leisure, and Wellness
as postindustrial society has become more complex, life has become more
stressed. the need to develop the wholeness of the person has become
increasingly important. Compared to a generation ago, the stress levels of
business executives are much higher. the term burnout—and indeed the
word stress—has become a part of our everyday vocabulary only in recent
years. recreation is all about creating a balance, a harmony in life that will
maintain wellness and wholeness.

recreation allows people to have fun together and to form lasting rela-
tionships built on the experiences they have enjoyed together. this rec-
reational process is called bonding. Bonding is hard to describe, yet the
experience of increased interpersonal feeling for friends or business asso-
ciates as a result of a recreational pursuit is common. these relationships
result in personal growth and development.

the word recreation implies the use of time in a manner designed
for therapeutic refreshment of one’s body or mind.2 recreation is syn-
onymous with lifestyle and the development of a positive attitude. an
example of this is the increased feeling of well being experienced after
a recreational activity. Some people make the mistake of trying to pur-
sue happiness as a personal goal. It is not enough for a person to say,

“I want to be happy; therefore, I will rec-
reate.” Nathaniel hawthorne wrote in the
mid-nineteenth century: “happiness in this
world, when it comes, comes incidentally.
Make it the object of pursuit, and it leads
us a wild-goose chase, and is never attained.
Follow some other object, and very possibly
we may find that we have caught happiness
without dreaming of it.”3

recreation is a process that seeks to
establish a milieu conducive to the discov-
ery and development of characteristics that
can lead to happiness. happiness and well
being, therefore, are incidental outcomes of
recreation. thus, happiness may be enhanced

LearNING OBjeCtIve 1
Discuss the relationship of
recreation and leisure to
wellness.

Windsurfing is definitely an active
recreational activity.

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chapter 10 recreation, attractions, and Clubs 429

by the pursuit of recreational activities. personal
recreational goals are equally as important as any
other business or personal goals. these goals might
include running a mile in under six minutes or
maintaining a baseball batting average above .300.
the fact that a person sets and strives to achieve
goals requires personal organization. this helps
improve the quality of life.

Leisure is best described as time free from work,
or discretionary time. Some recreation professionals
use the words leisure and recreation interchange-
ably, while others define leisure as the productive,
creative, or contemplative use of free time. history,
by this latter definition, shows again and again a
direct link between leisure and the advancement
of civilization. Ironically, however, much of the
leisure we, as a society, enjoy is the direct result of
increased technological and productivity advance-
ments or just plain hard work.

▶ check Your Knowledge

1. Discuss the relationship of recreation and leisure to wellness.

Government-Sponsored recreation
various levels of government that constitute government-sponsored
recreation are intertwined, yet distinct, in the parks, recreation, and leisure
services. the founding fathers of america said it best when they affirmed
the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness in the Declaration
of Independence. Government raises revenue from income taxes, sales
taxes, and property taxes. additionally, government raises special revenue
from recreation-related activities such as automobile and recreational
vehicles, boats, motor fuels, transient occupancy taxes (TOTs) on hotel
accommodations, state lotteries, and others. the monies are distributed
among the various recreation- and leisure-related organizations at the
federal, state/provincial, city, and town levels. recreation and leisure
activities are extremely varied, ranging from cultural pursuits such as
museums, arts and crafts, music, theater, and dance to sports (individual
and team), outdoor recreation such as hiking and camping, amusement
parks, theme parks, community centers, playgrounds, libraries, and
gardens. people select recreational pursuits based on their interests and
capabilities.

parks and recreation groups are up against numerous challenges, espe-
cially as leisure and recreational resources become more highly valued assets

Hiking is a great exercise and an ideal way
to get back to nature.

LearNING OBjeCtIve 2
Explain the origins and extent
of government-sponsored
recreation.

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430 Part iii tourism, recreation, attractions, Clubs, and Gaming

in the community. Funding for staff and services is one area these groups
find challenging. Following are some other issues with which recreation pro-
fessionals must deal:

• Comprehensive recreation planning

• Land classification systems

• Federal revenue sharing

• acquisition- and development-funding programs

• Land-use planning and zoning

• State and local financing

• Off-road vehicle impacts and policy

• Use of easements for recreation

• Designation of areas (such as wilderness, wild and scenic rivers,
national trails, nature preserves)

• Differences in purposes and resources (of the numerous local, state/
provincial, and federal agencies that control more than one-third of the
nation’s land, much of which is used for recreation)

national Parks in the United states
the prevailing image of a national park is one of grand natural playgrounds,
such as Yellowstone National park, but there is much more to parks than
that.4 the United States has 407 designated areas throughout the country
and the U.S. territories. the National Park Service was founded in 1916
by Congress to conserve park resources and to provide for their use by the
public in a way that leaves them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future
generations. In addition to the better-known parks such as Yellowstone and
Yosemite, the park service also manages many other heritage attractions,
including the Freedom trail in Boston, Independence hall in philadelphia,

the antietam National Battlefield in
Sharpsburg, Maryland, and the USS
Arizona Memorial at pearl harbor
in hawaii. the park service is also
charged with caring for myriad cul-
tural artifacts, including ancient pot-
tery, sailing vessels, colonial-period
clothing, and Civil War documents.

the ever-expanding mandate
of the park service also calls for
understanding and preserving the
environment. It monitors the eco-
system from the arctic tundra to
coral atolls, researches the air and
water quality around the nation,
and participates in global studies

The splendor of nature awaits us in our national parks.

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chapter 10 recreation, attractions, and Clubs 431

on acid rain, climate change, and biological diversity. the idea of preserv-
ing exceptional lands for public use as national parks arose after the Civil
War when america’s receding wilderness left unique national resources vul-
nerable to exploitation. recent years have seen phenomenal growth in the
system, with three new areas created in the last 20 years. these include new
kinds of parks, such as urban recreational areas, free-flowing rivers, long-
distance trails, and historic sites honoring our nation’s social achievements.
the system’s current roster of 407 areas covers more than 80 million acres of
land, with individual areas ranging in size from the 13-million-acre Wrangell–
St. elias National park and preserve in alaska to the thaddeus Kosciuszko
National Memorial (a philadelphia row house commemorating a hero of the
american revolution), which covers two one-hundredths of an acre.

annual visitation to the national park system approaches 300 million
visitors, who take advantage of the full range of services and programs.5
the focus once placed on preserving the scenery of the most natural parks
has shifted as the system has grown and changed. today, emphasis is placed
on preserving the vitality of each park’s ecosystem and on the protection of
unique or endangered plant and animal species.

national Park Management
the National park Service is in the Department of the Interior and is over-
seen by a director who reports to the Secretary of the Interior. the director
of the National park Service establishes and approves service-wide natu-
ral resource policies and standards. the director is ultimately responsible
for establishing natural and cultural resource programs that conserve natu-
ral resources unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations and for
ensuring that such programs are in compliance with directives, policies,
and laws.6

each national park has a superintendent, and the superintendent is
responsible for understanding the park’s resources and their condition. the
superintendent is responsible for establishing and managing park backcoun-
try-management programs and ensuring that they comply with directives,
policies, and laws. the superintendent initiates the development of back-
country recreational use plans as necessary. the superintendent should coor-
dinate the visitor use-management plans with neighboring land managers
as appropriate. each superintendent with designated or eligible wilderness
should designate a wilderness coordinator to review all activities ongoing in
the wilderness.7

the National park Service budget request for 2014 and 2015 was around
$3 billion, employing a staff of 22,000 permanent, temporary, and seasonal
employees. Beyond these appropriated funds, the National park Service is
also authorized to collect and retain revenue from the following specified
sources:8

• recreation fees: approximately $172.9 million per year

• park concessions franchise fees: approximately $60 million per year

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432 Part iii tourism, recreation, attractions, Clubs, and Gaming

• Filming and photography special use fees: approximately $1.2 million
per year

• additional funding comes from individual donations.

Managing a national park is a complex task that involves skilled pro-
fessionals from many fields. park management is not achieved by merely
relying on experience and instincts. Whenever possible, it is based on solid
scientific research, conducted not only by park staff, but by universities and
independent researchers as well. Financial constraints are always an issue
while managing our national parks.9

the Great Smoky Mountains National park is the most visited of the
national parks, receiving over 9 million visitors a year. this park has the fol-
lowing main operating departments:

Ranger—rangers provide the chief response and visitor protection and
are the sole law enforcement in the park. rangers operate the camp-
grounds, perform search and rescue, and provide emergency medical
services.

Resource Education—creates curriculum and delivers courses ranging
from elementary students to adults and seniors. Known as “walks, talks,
and tours,” they cover pre-visitation to guided tours of the park.

Resource Management and Science—is responsible for the ongoing
health of the natural and cultural resources.

Facility Management—responsible for a $2 billion infrastructure of roads,
350 nonhistoric buildings, and 72 bathrooms.

Administration—takes care of human resources, purchasing, contracts,
and property management.

remember that the park service has the mission to conserve natural
resources. this can prove very challenging, as nonnative pests and dis-
eases threaten the biological diversity of the park, such as the case of the
woolly adelgid, an aphid-like pest that kills hemlock trees. the Great Smoky
Mountains National park has over 90,000 acres of hemlock trees that are
likely to be killed by these pests unless something can be found to stop the
pests quickly.

Let’s look at another national park, Cape Lookout National Seashore.
there are natural and cultural resources and numerous historic structures
that are managed within the 56 miles of seashore. In all national parks,
the need for efficient, innovative park management is especially important
in order to protect the very best of this nation’s rich heritage. and the law
of the land dictates that, in turn, these resources, and the american public
that owns them, deserve the very best that the National park Service can
give them.10

the National park Service is required to maintain an up-to-date general
management plan (GMp) for each unit of the park system. the purpose of
each GMp is to ensure that the park has a clearly defined direction for asset
preservation and visitor use. this foundation for decision-making is to be

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chapter 10 recreation, attractions, and Clubs 433

developed by an interdisciplinary team, in consultation with relevant offices
within the park service, other federal and state agencies, interested parties,
and the general public. the GMp should be based on use of scientific infor-
mation related to existing and potential asset conditions, visitor experiences,
environmental impacts, and relative costs of alternative courses of action.
the GMp should take the long view, which may project many years into the
future, when dealing with time frames. the plan should consider the park in
its full ecological, scenic, and cultural contexts as a unit of the National park
Service and as part of a surrounding region.11

No two days are alike in the park service. On one day, a meth lab may be
discovered; on another, a tornado may create havoc or visitors may get lost
and need rescuing. Yet every day at the Great Smoky Mountains National
park there are thousands of visitors to take care of at the visitor center. each
visitor has questions ranging from “Where are the bathrooms?” to “Can I see
a bear?”

Public recreation and Parks agencies
During the early part of the nineteenth century in the United States, the
parks movement expanded rapidly as a responsibility of government and
voluntary organizations. By the early 1900s, 14 cities had made provisions
for supervised play facilities, and the playground movement gained momen-
tum. private initiative and financial support were instrumental in convincing
city government to provide tax dollars to build and maintain new
play areas.

about the same time, municipal parks were created in a number
of cities. Boston established the first metropolitan park system in
1892. In 1898, the New england park association (predecessor of
the american Institute of park executives) was established to bring
together park superintendents and promote their professional con-
cerns. Increasingly, the concept that city governments should pro-
vide recreation facilities, programs, and services became widely
accepted. Golf courses, swimming pools, bathing beaches, picnic
areas, winter sports facilities, game fields, and playgrounds were
constructed.

▶ check Your Knowledge

1. Name a few parks in the United States and in Canada. What are
some characteristics that make the parks you named special?

2. explain the origins and extent of government-sponsored
recreation.

3. Name your favorite park. Share with your classmates why it is
your favorite.

Street basketball is a great
team sport.

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434 Part iii tourism, recreation, attractions, Clubs, and Gaming

Commercial recreation—attractions
Recreation management came of age in the 1920s and 1930s, when rec-
reation and social programs were offered as a community service. Colleges
and universities began offering degree programs in this area. Both public
and private sector recreation management has grown rapidly since 1950.

Commercial recreation, often called eco- or adventure tourism, provides
residents and visitors with access to an area’s spectacular wilderness through
a variety of guided outdoor activities. Specifically, commercial recreation is
defined as outdoor recreational activities provided on a fee-for-service basis,
with a focus on experiences associated with the natural environment.12
Commercial recreation includes theme parks, attractions, and clubs.

theme Parks
the idea of theme parks all began in the 1920s in Buena park, California,
with a small berry farm and tea room. as owner Walter Knott’s restaurant
business grew, different attractions were added to the site to keep waiting
customers amused. after a gradual expansion, over 80 years after its humble
beginnings, Knott’s Berry Farm has become one of the largest independent
theme parks in the United States.

today, Knott’s Berry Farm is 160 acres of rides, attractions, live enter-
tainment, historical exhibits, dining, and specialty shops. the park features
four themes—Ghost town, Fiesta village, the Boardwalk, and Camp Snoopy,
which is the official home of Snoopy and the peanuts characters. In addition,

the California Marketplace is located right outside the park, and
offers 15 unique shops and restaurants.

Knott’s Berry Farm has truly been a great influence on the
american theme park industry. hundreds of parks, both indepen-
dent and corporate owned, started to develop following the birth
of Knott’s. Creator Walter Knott may have figured out why amuse-
ment parks became so popular so quickly. he was quoted as say-
ing, “the more complex the world becomes, the more people
turn to the past and the simple things in life. We [the amusement
park operators] try to give them some of those things.”13 even
with the ever-increasing competition, Knott’s continues to attract
guests with its authentic historical artifacts, relaxed atmosphere,
emphasis on learning, famous food, varied entertainment, inno-
vative rides, and specialty shopping.14

Knott’s Berry Farm is now owned and operated by Cedar Fair
entertainment Company.

size and scope of the theme Park industry
visiting theme parks has always been a favorite tourist activity.
theme parks attempt to create an atmosphere of another place
and time, and they usually emphasize one dominant theme around
which architecture, landscape, rides, shows, foodservices, cos-
tumed personnel, and retailing are orchestrated. In this defini-
tion, the concept of themes is crucial to the operation of the parks,

LearNING OBjeCtIve 3
Distinguish between
commercial and noncommercial
recreation.

LearNING OBjeCtIve 4
Name and describe various
types of recreational clubs.

A water park is an example of
a single-themed park.

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chapter 10 recreation, attractions, and Clubs 435

with rides, entertainment, and food
all used to create several different
environments.15

theme parks and attractions
vary according to theme, which
might be historical, cultural, geo-
graphical, and so on. Some parks
and attractions focus on a single
theme, such as the marine zoologi-
cal SeaWorld parks. Other parks
and attractions focus on multiple
themes, such as Kings Island in
Ohio, a family entertainment cen-
ter divided into seven theme areas:
action Zone, Coney Mall, X-Base,
International Street, Oktoberfest,
planet Snoopy, rivertown, and Soak
City. another example is California’s
Great america, a 100-acre family
entertainment center that includes
the following areas and attractions:
action Zone, all american Corners, Celebration plaza, County Fair, Orleans
place, planet Snoopy, and Boomerang Bay.

there is an abundance of theme parks located throughout the United
States, visited by more than 300 million people each year. the estimated
400 theme parks and attractions throughout the United States generate more
than $12 billion in revenue and account for an estimated 600,000 jobs annu-
ally, which significantly contributes to the country’s economic activity. these
parks have a variety of attractions, from animals and sea life to thrill rides
and motion simulators. there are parks with educational themes and parks
where people go simply to have a good time.16

Roller coasters are staples at most amusement parks.

There are hundreds of theme parks in the United States alone, and while we commonly think of popular Florida
theme parks such as Disney World, Universal Studios, SeaWorld, and Busch Gardens, the majority of theme parks
are lesser-known and smaller parks throughout the country like Little Amerricka in Wisconsin, Dutch Wonderland
in Pennsylvania, and Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari in Indiana. Mark Froman, the manager of a smaller under-
the-radar North Carolina theme park, shared some of his responsibilities for overseeing the day-to-day opera-
tions of the theme park when it is active during the busy spring and summer season.

H O w t O M a n a g e t H e M e P a r K D a Y – t O – D a Y
O P e r a t i O n s

Courtesy of James McManemon, M.S., University of
South Florida Sarasota–Manatee

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436 Part iii tourism, recreation, attractions, Clubs, and Gaming

1. Ensure a positive environment: Each day, as park manager, I arrive at the park at 6:00 a.m.,
several hours before opening and walk the grounds to make sure the initial appearance of the park
is spotless. I pick up any trash I find that was missed by the night cleaning crew, and I check each
bathroom for proper levels of cleanliness to ensure that all health and safety standards are in place
before the first guest is admitted into the property. In addition, I will conduct several additional
walkthroughs during park hours to again check for health and safety standards and to make sure
park employees are on task. We expect that each park employee provides a high level of customer
service and follows park policies. During all walkthroughs, I take notes on both park appearance
and staff performance in order to ensure that any issues I see will be addressed at the next staff
meetings.

2. Customer care liaison: At this smaller theme park, as park manager, I am directly responsible for
handling customer complaints in real time. If a customer has expressed dissatisfaction with the park
experience or has an issue that needs to be handled on site, I, as park manager, am immediately
radioed to the scene. While the park takes great pride in providing great customer service and a
positive experience, there are still generally a few issues or complaints per day ranging from ticket-
ing issues to general inquiries about the park. One day, a guest simply wanted to know if they could
receive either a refund or complimentary tickets to return on another day because the guest’s child
had started to feel ill less than an hour after admittance and the guest had to leave to attend to the
child’s health. Another day, there was a guest who presented two complimentary tickets that were
expired and was upset when the tickets could not be redeemed at the admission office. In this case,
although policy does not typically allow redemption of expired tickets, as park manager, I made an
exception because the customers were repeat guests and had traveled from out of state specifically
to visit the park for several days.

3. Park maintenance: During theme park hours, should a maintenance issue arise with any ride, game,
or other theme park feature, as manager, I am called to the scene first and made aware of the issue. It
is the park manager’s responsibility to determine the proper procedure for closing the area to guests
and informing them of the issue, calling in the maintenance staff to begin working on the issue, and
informing guests of the estimated time before the ride will be open again to the public. At the end of
each day, the manager meets with staff members and is made aware of any feedback, concerns, or
ideas for improving the guest experience. As park manager, I always encourage park staff members
to take ownership of the park and set goals for monthly attendance. At our park, we allocate a staff
salary bonus based on meeting our goals. This provides staff members with an incentive to constantly
voice their opinions to improve the park operation.

4. Staff manager: As park manager, I am also responsible for creating and adjusting the weekly staff
schedule. Because many park staff members are high school and college students on summer vaca-
tion, there is occasional turnover and weekly schedule changes needed due to staff calling in sick.
When a staff member calls in sick, it’s necessary to work quickly to fill the shift with another staff
member. Additionally, if a staff member quits in the middle of the week, it’s necessary to quickly
interview and hire a new employee to fill the position. I keep a steady number of resumes and ap-
plications on file for that purpose, but in the interim, I will ask other staff members to fill the shift
until a new hire is made.

H O w t O M a n a g e t H e M e P a r K D a Y – t O – D a Y
O P e r a t i O n s (Continued)

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chapter 10 recreation, attractions, and Clubs 437

Many of the country’s most well-known parks are located in Florida. Walt
Disney World, SeaWorld, and Universal Orlando resort are just a few of the
many parks located in Orlando. Busch Gardens and adventure Island are
both in tampa.

Busch Gardens, located in both tampa, Florida, and Williamsburg,
virginia, is perhaps the most well known of the animal-themed parks. Busch
Gardens is like a zoo with a twist. It features equal amounts of thrill rides
and animal attractions. Guests can take a train ride through the Serengeti
plain®, where zebras and antelope run wild, hop aboard a giant tube ride
through the Congo river rapids®, or ride on one of the parks’ many world-
record-holding roller coasters.

Many cities in the United States are well known for their festivals, which
bring in droves of vacationers year after year. One of the most well known is
Mardi Gras (Fat tuesday) in New Orleans. Mardi Gras began over a hundred
years ago as a carnival and has evolved into a world-renowned party. Mardi
Gras takes place every year in February, the day before ash Wednesday,
the beginning of Lent. the days leading up to Fat tuesday are filled with
wild parades, costume contests, concerts, and overall partying. the famous
Bourbon Street is the scene for most of the party-going crowd, and it is often
too crowded even to walk around. Beads are big at Mardi Gras, and thou-
sands are given out each year. the culture of New Orleans greatly adds to
the festiveness of Mardi Gras, because traditional jazz and blues can always
be heard on most street corners.

another famous site of interest is the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville,
tennessee. the Grand Ole Opry is a live radio show in which country music
guests are featured. Begun almost 90 years ago, the Grand Ole Opry is what
made Nashville the “Music City.” Since the Opry’s start, Nashville created a
theme park, Opryland (closed in 1997), and a hotel, the Gaylord Opryland
resort. Famous musicians come from all over the world to showcase their
talents, and tourists flock from everywhere to hear the sounds of the Opry
and see the sites that Nashville has to offer.

Introducing Walt Disney: a Man
with a vision
In 1923, at the age of 21, Walt Disney arrived in Los angeles from Kansas City
to start a new business. the first endeavor of Walt Disney and his brother
roy was a series of shorts (a brief film shown before a feature-length movie)
called Alice Comedies, which featured a child actress playing with animated
characters. realizing that something new was needed to capture the audi-
ence, in 1927, Disney began a series called …