Pop-up visitor center closes at Minute Man
The pop-up program was meant to buttress the shuttered visitor center during the early days of the government shutdown.
Recent visitors to Minute Man National Historical Park in Acton found only locked doors at the North Bridge Visitor Center.
The town wound down a pop-up program meant to buttress the shuttered center during the week of October 13. Portable toilets will stay in place through the end of the month.
While some people might still be surprised by the shutdown’s effects, Town Manager Kerry Lafleur hopes the pop-up helped get Acton through the worst of the tourist disruption.
“It really was kind of a stopgap,” she said while the pop-up was still running.
Lafleur noted people who might have already been en route to Acton might have missed the news that most parking lots, bathrooms, and visitor centers were closed.
Town Tourism Manager Beth Williams organized the pop-up in the Monument Street parking area, the only Minute Man lot still open during the shutdown.
Town tour guides and volunteers staffed the tent daily through October 13. The pop-up served more than 10,000 visitors, according to town estimates.
Williams previously told The Acton Bridge that October is Acton’s busiest month for tourism. With National Park Service workers temporarily off the job due to the October 1 lapse in government funding, Acton staffers and volunteers answered questions and directed visitors to other local attractions — something federal workers aren’t allowed to do, according to Williams.
Officials the week of October 20 said local establishments such as The Robbins House and “many downtown restaurants” reported record visitation.
