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Abstract
As a concept, authenticity is widely debated across tourism studies and theoretically approached from numerous perspectives. This mixed-method qualitative study utilizes a constructivist framework for examining tourists' motivations, perceptions of authenticity and landscape experience in a self-proclaimed ‘authentic reproduction’ pioneer community. Spring Mill Pioneer Village is the original location of the former village; however, as a heritage landscape, it is composed of restorations, reproductions, and replicas of nineteenth-century structures. Thus, it is an appropriate case study for the examination of tourists' perceptions of authenticity. Moreover, tourists note authenticity as a motivating factor in their decision to visit the village, yet they define the concept in numerous ways. As a result, tourists’ pioneer community experience is governed by more than their perceptions of authenticity, but engages the village landscape, active atmosphere and their own imaginations.
Acknowledgements
The author would like to acknowledge and thank the Indiana Department of Natural Resources and Spring Mill State Park for their support of this research. Special thanks to Daniel Knudsen, Charles Greer, Cem Basman, April Sievert, Michelle Metro-Roland, and the anonymous reviewers who offered insightful feedback and constructive critique.
Notes
‘Hoosier’ is the colloquial name for anyone who was born, raised, or lives in Indiana.
Village history has been compiled from the works of Evans (Citation1953), Overlease (Citation1956), Ansari (Citation1984), and Brooks (Citation2005).