Wyoming Welcome Centre Exterior

An eco-friendly, interpretative and interactive centre

Wyoming Office of Tourism and Governors Matt Mead and former Wyoming Governor, Dave Freudenthal will unveil the new Wyoming Welcome Centre on October 12, 2012 at 3PM to the travelling public.

Located on Interstate 25 at the new High Plains Road exit near the Colorado/Wyoming border - just south of the capital, Cheyenne , the new US $13 million building was designed by Anderson Mason Dale Architects and features impressive state-of-the-art interactive and interpretive viewing for visitors.

“We are very thankful for the legislative support that made this project possible along with the untiring efforts of  Governor Freudenthal and continued backing by Governor Mead. Both governors realised that tourism is a vital industry to Wyoming's economy and believed that a gateway welcome centre would further enhance the visitor experience," says Diane Shober, Wyoming's State Tourism Director.

As an interactive and interpretive setting, the Wyoming Welcome Centre will provide visitors with a fresh and progressive introduction to the State of Wyoming. Along with showcasing interactive displays, in particular a host of hands-on presentations for children along with wildlife exhibits and several video stations, visitors will gain a true sense of Wyoming's early inhabitants in the form of a Columbian Mammoth cast.

"The centre's high visibility and easy access will not only be effective in directing tourists to many interesting Wyoming locations they might have missed otherwise, but based on the very comments by our guests who've been in to see us, our very location will greatly bolster our ability to send visitors to all four corners of the state," adds Ms. Shober.

Spanning 10.92 hectares, the new centre includes the development of a substantial wetlands environment that captures storm water runoff; an area that will now be lined with native Wyoming flora and serve as an outdoor environmental learning landscape, complete with trails and site structures promoting visitor interaction with the ecology of Wyoming. Inside, the manipulation of natural light, floor design and building materials including the solar panels, earth walls and wind turbines interplays with the natural surrounding topography.

“The new Wyoming Welcome Centre is a stunning piece of architecture and its functionally, including the low carbon footprint, is simply outstanding for both visitors and the natural environment,” says Ms Shober.

As confirmed by Cheyenne Light, Fuel & Power Company officials, the building’s renewable energy generation system at times produce enough energy to sustain the entire welcome centre. The deliberate positioning of trees and 'shelter belts' against the severe Wyoming winds and snowdrifts will also bode well for the future. 

“I think what we are going to see as the facility and landscape matures will be a fine example of what can be done with a large, open space on the high plateau,” adds Ms Shober.

The centre is one of several tourism innovations designed to engage the visitor. Four months ago, Wyoming Office of Tourism launched a mobile version of its website, featuring bold imagery, high definition video and a new ROAM FREE section for the vacationer looking for ideas on how to best plan their trip to Wyoming. The site connects consumers from any web-enabled phone and smartphone and other devices including Android tablets and iPads.