Visitor Center receives 2022 Travelers’ Choice Award
Visitor reviews place the Sanford Lab Homestake Visitor Center among top 10% of attractions worldwide on Tripadvisor
The Sanford Lab Homestake Visitor Center (Visitor Center) received the 2022 Travelers’ Choice Award, placing it among the top 10% of attractions worldwide. The award is based on a full year of visitor reviews and ratings on Tripadvisor.
“This award demonstrates the hard work that our staff has put into making the Visitor Center a welcoming environment,” said Kelly Kirk, Visitor Center director. “We have an incredibly knowledgeable staff that helps visitors dive into the history of Homestake and Lead, as well as the science currently happening underground.”
Located near the Open Cut in Lead, South Dakota, the Visitor Center welcomes visitors to explore the legacy of the region, the history of the Homestake Gold Mine and the science happening a mile underground at the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF).
In January 2022, ownership of the Visitor Center transferred to the South Dakota Science and Technology Authority (SDSTA). Since then, the SDSTA has updated exhibits, increased interactive programming and expanded inventory at the museum store.
“We are creating more opportunities for visitors to have meaningful, memorable experiences,” said Ursula Ward, visitor experience manager. “We want to take our visitors beyond reading exhibits to really interacting with scientists, educators, local experts and authors through pop-up events.”
New programming includes the “Ask a scientist” series, giving visitors opportunities to talk directly to SURF scientists about the research at SURF, and “STEM Pop-up” events, where SURF educators host activities for curious minds of all ages.
The Visitor Center boasts unique exhibits, including panels detailing the history of the region and the science happening underground; a suspended 3-D scale sculpture of the vast underground workings; a virtual cage ride to the underground; the Davis Ring, a piece of the Nobel Prize-winning Solar Neutrino Experiment; the decommissioned LUX dark matter detector; and an observation deck to view the expansive Open Cut. The Visitor Center also offers seasonal tours of Lead and the Yates Hoistroom at SURF.
The Visitor Center is home to SURF’s popular Deep Talks lecture series and must-stop location during the facility’s annual Neutrino Day science festival.
“We have some really exciting things coming up, and we hope people will continue to stop by to see what’s new,” Ward said.
Learn more and plan your visit to the Sanford Lab Homestake Visitor Center.