AHNB’s 52nd Annual Conference – Theme Announcement and Call for Presentations
“Engaging the Senses – The Sight, Smell, Sound, Touch and Taste of NB’s Heritage”
St. Andrews, NB
November 4th – 6th, 2026
How does it feel to be a visitor at a New Brunswick museum or heritage site? What
opportunities do we offer to our guests to explore history through sight, smell, sound, taste, and
touch?
At this year’s conference, presentations will explore the richness of our heritage and how we
present it to the people who visit our sites. From teas to touch tanks, there is incredible value in
the sensory experience of New Brunswick’s heritage. What we do is not solely about the facts
we learn from our past, but what traditions we are bringing into the future to share in abundance with our guests. It is not only the history and the stories, but the traditions and activities that were established by our ancestors that continue through our work. How have we fed ourselves over the years with what grows naturally in our region? What would you be hearing if you were working at a 19th-century shipbuilding site? Or attending the First Acadian World Congress? How does it feel to spin a skein of yarn, or weave a tapestry, and what does it mean to use traditional methods and technology to do so? How do heritage sites use food to attract visitors and enhance experiences? How does culinary tourism work as revenue generation? Can appealing to the senses rescue or repurpose an at-risk heritage building? These questions and many more may be explored at this year’s conference.
Not only can sensory activities enrich the heritage experience and create lasting memories for
visitors, but they can also create a more peaceful and accessible experience for neurodivergent
children and their families. Activities that include sound and touch elements can help kids with
autism and other unique sensory needs to remain focused and feel included. Moreover, walking
tours and photo collections of historic buildings give tourists the opportunity to go on a real
journey through time while visualizing a historic setting and placing themselves within it.
The value of really experiencing our heritage through our senses is immeasurable, and the
results are engaged and regulated visitors that are eager to return.
