We'll be in Yellowstone National Park, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, on Aug. 25 when the new Old Faithful Visitor Education Center is dedicated and opened to the public. We hope you are too -- but if you can't, here's a sneak peak.

It's been two years in the making, after the old Visitor Center at Old Faithful was torn down in the fall of 2006 and spring of 2007 to make way for a new, energy-efficient facility. Many will remember the old visitor center, a concrete triangle that, while sporting some good views of Old Faithful, was probably too small when opened and never fit in the historic parkitecture of the area.

The new building certainly does.

Featuring a design that echoes Old Faithful Inn and Old Faithful Lodge, the new Visitor Education Center opens with a dedication ceremony starting at 11 a.m., on Wednesday, August 25. Superintendent Suzanne Lewis is hosting the event, which will feature the park’s Mounted Color Guard, music by the Wyoming National Guard’s 67th Army Band, and remarks by several special guests, with noted Yellowstone historian and author Paul Schullery giving the keynote address.

Over half the cost of the new facility -- $15 million of the $27 million cost of design and construction -- came from the nonprofit Yellowstone Park Foundation.

The new building features more than just view of Old Faithful and a film loop: it features several interactive exhibits, including a working model of a geyser (shown above), general exhibits on Yellowstone National Park (shown at the bottom of the page) and a special area for kids (shown below).

If you're planning on attending and want to meet with some members of the Yellowstone Insider staff that morning before the ceremony, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it : the first cup of coffee at Old Faithful Lodge is on us!

All images courtesy of the National Park Service.

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