Visitor and Learning Center at Antelope Island State Park
About the Visitor and Learning Center
Local and state officials hosted a groundbreaking ceremony at Antelope Island State Park on Tuesday, July 9th, 2024 to celebrate the upcoming construction of the new and improved building.
This expanded Visitor and Learning Center is set to revolutionize the visitor experience of Antelope Island State Park. The project will transform the 5,600-square-foot facility into a sprawling 27,000-square-foot complex, and promises added restrooms, office space, an enlarged gift shop, enhanced and updated educational and interpretive displays, a 200-person conference room, and a catering kitchen.
The project also includes a large-format theater that will feature the documentary “Secrets of Great Salt Lake” and accommodate over 200 people. The existing building, which will also be extensively renovated, will serve as a state-of-the-art learning center for K-12 students and university institutions.
The current visitor center was built in 1996 as part of a two-phase project. However, phase two was never completed. Since then, the park’s growth and popularity have far exceeded the demands of the current facility, with one million visitors each year.
Along with funding appropriated from the Utah State Legislature, the project saw additional support when the Larry H. & Gail Miller Family Foundation donated $2.2 million to the Antelope Island Learning Center and Utah Water Ways for Utah’s water conservation and educational outreach efforts.
Funding for the Antelope Island Visitor and Learning Center from the Larry H. & Gail Miller Family Foundation will be routed through the Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation— one of the nation’s leading advocates for entrepreneurial thought in conservation. These funds will be used to create an educational curriculum for the Antelope Island Visitor and Learning Center.
Support for the project was also given by the Antelope Island Friends, a non-profit volunteer organization dedicated to assisting the state park with improvements for the benefit of visitors, plans were, who helped spearhead the project initially in 2022.
The Antelope Island Visitor and Learning Center is anticipated to open early next year.
Be a part of this historic project by donating today!
Continued Funding Needed
Antelope Island Friends has identified three exciting projects at the new Visitor and Learning Center which will require the support of people like you who love the island and want to enhance the visitor experience for generations to come.
Rock Cycle and Basin Range Interactives
Fundraising Goal: $10,000
Indigenous Histories and Antelope Island Archeological Research
Fundraising Goal: $54,000
Dark Sky Interactive Experience
Fundraising Goal: $41,000
Please consider donating by clicking on the Venmo QR Code or Logo above. We will be offering more donation options in the near future, so sign up to our newsletter below to stay informed.
