Cognitive/Learning Disability Accessibility

Tours of the Ranch house end on the back porch seen here.  The porch may feel crowded with a full tour of 12 adults on it.

NPS Photo

Visitor Center

During summer months, the Visitor Center can be crowded. You may have to wait for assistance at the information desk or bookstore.

Ranch House Tour and Ranger Talks

All ranger talks strive to engage multiple senses and learning styles and some programs may include tactile objects. Please ask for more information about available programs at the Visitor Center. Ranch House tours can include up to 12 people. During the tour, the group will pass through narrow hallways and small rooms. Tour participants may have to stand close together in these confined spaces. Please let rangers know at the beginning of the tour if this could present concerns within your group. Touching items inside the ranch house is not allowed, to protect the original furnishings.

Exhibits

Some exhibits feature tactile elements and audio experiences. Exhibits in Bunkhouse Row and the Ice House/Tack Room include button operated interpretive audio recordings. There are tactile exhibits in the Visitor Center, Garage/Blacksmith Shop, Leeds Lion Barn, and Chuck Wagon.

 

The train usually passes through the ranch twice each day.  There is a legal crossing, which requires the train to blow the horn, about 280 ft. from the front of the Ranch House.

NPS Photo/Mike Ostreich

Noises, Smells, and Quiet Spaces

Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site is an operating cattle ranch. There may be loud and unexpected sounds from livestock and ranching equipment. Demonstrations in the Shop can also be loud. An active railroad line runs through the site, very near the Visitor Center and Ranch House. Trains frequently blow their horns as they pass through. These noises can be very loud and occur suddenly. Traffic noise also carries throughout the ranch from nearby main street and I-90. There is also a significant songbird population at the ranch most of the year, which may be disruptive to some visitors.

Strong smells may be present throughout the site and in some of the buildings. The Draft Horse Barn may smell of horses and manure. The Blacksmith Shop may be smoky and smell strongly of burning coal. A campfire next to the Chuck Wagon may make the area smoky.

Depending on the time of year and during special events, ranch facilities can be crowded. Benches outside of the Visitor Center, in the Dairy, and behind the Chuck Wagon might offer areas away from crowds, noises, and smells.