Establishing Authenticity in a Tourist Landscape : Spring Mill Pioneer Village

Abstract

his study examines authenticity in a heritage tourist landscape - Spring Mill Pioneer Village in Lawrence County, Indiana. Authenticity as a socially constructed concept has multiple meanings, which make it rather difficult to locate in the landscape. The main goal of this paper is to follow several perspectives of authenticity - objective, constructive, and postmodern - through this landscape to determine their utilities. While each perspective is valuable, the use of all three in conjunction provides for the most insightful analysis of both the tourist landscape and the human experience within it.