New Visitor Center: Welcome Mat of Wyoming - KGWN –Cheyenne, WY– Scottsbluff, NE News,Weather, Sports

New Visitor Center: Welcome Mat of Wyoming

On Friday hundreds of tourists stopped at Wyoming's new visitor center on I-25.

The new Southeast Wyoming Welcome Center will give visitors an impressive start to their travels in the state and the $13 million public investment in tourism is going to be open for a complete inspection by anyone interested October 12. The center is situated along the east side of Interstate 25 at the new High Plains Road exit (Exit 4) near the Colorado/Wyoming border.
 

"We are very thankful for the legislative support that made this project possible and the untiring efforts early on by Governor Freudenthal and continued backing from Governor Mead. They realize tourism is a vital industry to Wyoming and a gateway welcome center enhances the visitor experience. It is an effective means of directing tourists to many interesting Wyoming locations they might have missed otherwise," said Diane Shober, state tourism director.
 

The main exhibit showcases the region's early inhabitants in the form of a Columbian Mammoth cast. There are interactive displays particularly hands-on for kids along with wildlife exhibits and several video stations.
 

The public is welcome to attend an open house Friday, October 12 beginning at 3 p.m. Governors Mead and Freudenthal are expected to make short remarks. The entire facility will then be open for leisurely touring. "It's really a stunning piece of architecture and functionally it is outstanding for visitors," said Shober.