Gain Skills to Craft and Deliver Outstanding Visitor Experiences
Interpretive Training for Parks, Museums, Heritage Sites, and more.

Sense of Place &
the Art of Interpretation

1) Micro-Trainings

2-Hours | Online or Onsite

Focused sessions to gain a tool you can apply right away. Elevate your programs with a new skill and a fresh perspective.

Choose from Three Session Options:

1) Craft a Sense of Place Story: Gain foundational story skills and deepen personal sense of place connections.

2) From Fact to Meaning: Take a fact and create a story that resonates and can become your program outline.

3) Build an Inclusive Technique Toolkit: Get inspired to apply techniques that will engage different learning styles.

Individual $125
Team $1,500 (up to 15)
Travel fees are additional

Contact Erica to Learn more →

2) Masterclasses

4-Hours | Online or Onsite

A deeper dive to learn, integrate, and practice a concept. Includes time to practice, refine, and develop a skill with peer support and instructor guidance.

Choose from Two Session Options:

1) Craft and Deliver Sense of Place Stories: Develop skills in creating and delivering sense of place narratives. Practice a personal and site-based story to hone the art of concise, effective storytelling.

2.) Develop a Sense of Place Sequence: Craft narrative experiences that are sequenced to unfold progressively, revealing the layers of depth, meaning, and complexity sites, objects, and stories hold.

Individual $250
Team $2,500 (up to 15)
Travel fees are additional

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3) Comprehensive Training

7 to 21-hours | Online or Onsite

Multi-day or Multi-week formats Intensive training to move from idea to implementation and from knowledge to mastery.

Two Training Tracks:

A. Sense of Place Foundations
Learn the philosophy and framework to shift your approach to program design and planning.
4 Core Modules + optional 2-Module Application Lab

B. Interpretive Skills Training
Implement skills gained to craft and deliver programs and media that deeply connect people and place.
Three formats: Intensive (7 hrs) | Skills (14 hrs) | Comprehensive (30 hrs)

Individual $300-$550
Team $3,000-$5,500 (up to 20)
Travel fees are additional

Contact Erica to Learn more →

What if interpretive training did more than build skills— but also restored your sense of purpose, presence, and creativity?

This practical and creative approach to interpretation is designed for interpreters, educators, guides, and leaders at all levels, whether you're just starting or decades into your career.

Sense of Place and the Art of Interpretation training combines proven techniques and skill-building practices. It offers a learning environment that sparks creative solutions, inspires innovation, and provides time to deeply connect with why this work matters.

Erica's framework has been polished and honed through years of in-the-field experience working with sites nationwide, from Hawaii Volcanoes to Independence Hall.

Walk away with clear, practical methods to engage visitors meaningfully, confidence in your voice, and flexibility in delivery, and leave recharged from a chance to reflect, reconnect, and grow in your practice.

“I used to DREAD the outline process. I would be stuck in the muck for days. Erica has given me the boots I need for this terrain! I will definitely use the tools/techniques and am inspired to create great visitor experiences. Thank you for the gift of this outstanding training.”

Sitka NHP, AK

Meet Your Trainer

Erica Wheeler is an interpretive trainer, visitor experience specialist, and founder of Sense of Place Consulting.

Her background in natural history, conservation, writing, and the performing arts all come together in her training, which has been honed through years of in-the-field experience working with parks, heritage sites, museums, and other organizations across the country. Her expertise includes providing training for the staff at over 45 National Park Service sites since 2013.

Erica's programs help interpreters bring more presence and purpose into their work. Her training offers tools and practices to elevate skills, avoid burnout, and stay aligned with what matters most.

Happy Clients

  • "We brought Erica in to help us master the art of storytelling and to learn how to share the meaning of these places even more effectively. When we worked with Erica before, it was one of the most meaningful experiences of my career. I was thrilled by seeing the growth in rangers and the inspiration they gleaned.”

    National Mall and Memorial Parks, Washington, DC

  • "I observed my staff applying Erica's approach and feel that the level of programs this year was just outstanding. Even our more "science based" interpreters brought in more of the emotional, reflective techniques. I personally used her techniques in my programs and found they were incredibly powerful every time, with all ages."

    Cape Cod National Seashore, MA

  • "Erica provided our interpretive staff with a fresh angle on interpretation, new techniques, and the opportunity to stretch and experiment. This training served as a solid foundation for our seasonal training and complimented prior training around audience-centered engagement techniques, peer coaching, and resource content.”

    Marsh-Billings-Rockerfeller NHP & Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site

  • "You are missing out if you aren't trying to book Erica for your upcoming workshop or training event. Her work with the ‘sense of place’ concept through her Soulful Landscape workshop provides excellent hands-on exercises in an area that is so often perceived as intangible, while her keynote was just the dose of inspiration we needed.”

    Chief of Interpretation, Arkansas State Parks and Tourism

  • "I am a conservation professional, and although I hadn't put my finger on it until the workshop, I had been struggling with a sense of loss regarding my connection to nature that first inspired me to work in this field. The workshop rekindled that connection. I left with the tools and resolve to more intentionally tap into the power of place as well as the inspiration to help others do the same."

    Claire Dacey, Naturalist, Artist, Historian, MA

  • "Erica creates a kind of alchemy in the room where even the most timid of us is inspired to find the writer within. She gave us new tools and reminded me of tools I once knew and had long forgotten. She inspired me to get back to an interpretive project I had put aside which I am now working on with renewed enthusiasm and focus."

    National Association for Interpretation

  • "We invited Erica out for a week to help celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the Big Sur Land Trust with a variety of events. Her positive impact reverberated throughout our community and continues to this day. Erica's ability to connect people and place beautifully aligned with our mission to strengthen communities and inspire stewardship"

    Bill Leahy, Executive Director, Big Sur Land Trust, CA

  • "At the end of the 3- part writing prompt, I had enough material to write several powerful essays as well as a new idea for an inspirational card deck. If that wasn't enough, Erica listened to what I wrote and in less than a minute had whipped up a terrific song. If anyone can rally the preservation troops to get "a sense of place" off the endangered species list, it's Erica Wheeler."

    Giulietta "Julie" Nardone, Participant, Upton Forest State Park, MA

Ready to Bring This Training to Your Site?

Whether you're looking for a quick skill-building session or comprehensive team training, let's discuss what fits your needs, timeline, and budget.
Request a Free Consultation — Let's discuss what training format fits your team's needs
Request Training Menu (PDF)— I’ll send you the list of detailed descriptions and pricing for all offerings
Ask for more info. Reach out anytime.

Contact Erica

Prior Trainings

National Park Service Sites

Acadia NP

Adams NHP

Assateague Island NS

Bandelier NM

Big Thicket NP

Cape Cod NP

Denali National Park and Preserve

Everglades NP

Fredrick Law Olmsted NHS

Ft. Stanwix NHS

Gateway NRA

Governors Island NM

Grant-Khors NHS
Great Sands NP
Great Smokies NP
Hawai’i Volcanoes NP
John Fitzgerald Kennedy NHS
Hopewell Furnace NHSHot Springs NP
Independence NHP
Marsh Billings Rockefeller NH
Mesa Verde NP
National Mall and Memorial Parks

Niagara Falls National Heritage Area

Organ Pipe Cactus NM

Petrified Forest NP

Salem Maritime NHS

Saint Gaudens NHS

Sagamore Hill NHS

Saugus Iron Mill NHS

Springfield Armory NHS

White Sands NM

Women's Rights NHP

Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve

Yosemite NP

Participants leave with:
✓ Stronger interpretive techniques
✓ Clear narrative structure and program arcs
✓ Practical tools they can apply immediately
✓ Greater confidence working with complex content
✓ Foundational interpretive fluency that transfers across programs, sites, stories, and audiences

Teams gain a:
✓ Shared language for further development
✓ Sense of cohesion and collaboration
✓ Spirit of innovation that lasts throughout the season and beyond.

Results:

“With everyone, from our permanent to seasonal rangers, I noticed changes right away. After the training, they had adjusted the structure of their program and had a clearer theme. They seemed to have found their focus and grew from there.”

Women’s Rights NHP, NY