'Must-see' destination

One year and 70,000-plus visitors later, the Homestead National Monument of America Heritage Center is making an impact.

Tuesday will mark the one-year anniversary of the Homestead Heritage Center which opened its doors on May 20, 2007, Mark Engler, superintendent of Homestead National Monument of America, said. In that first year, the number of visitors to the monument has increased considerably from about 50,000 each year to more than 70,000.

“Our staff couldn’t be happier with the impact the Heritage Center has had on the monument,” Engler said.

“The building, exhibits and film really help us do our job of explaining and interpreting homesteading history for our visitors. The many years of work and planning on the building was very much worth it.”

More than 70,000 visitors, representing all 50 states and several countries around the world including England, Germany, Switzerland and Cambodia, have come to the Heritage Center since it opened last year, making it the busiest year for visitors in Homestead’s 72-year history, Engler said.

He also said there has been an abundance of visitors from the local area.

“They’re just amazed after they’ve been here about how big the story is and how much the building has to offer,” Park Ranger Susan Cook said.

With the recent addition of the new film, “Land of Dreams: Homesteading America,” Cook said there has again been an increase in visitors this past month.

Through the signed guestbook pages, visitors have left many messages of appreciation for the center, Engler said. For example, one visitor from London, England, wrote that it was “a must-see U.S.A. destination.”

“I think those comments are very telling,” Engler said.

The center is doing what it was built to do, explain and engage people into the story of homesteading through film clips, audio, games, photographs and exhibits, Cook said.

“It’s kind of putting visitors in the shoes of those that were directly affected by the law and see how the law affects them,” she said.

Not only are visitors coming to the center, but they are spending time exploring the entire monument, Engler said.

“They are taking time to explore the park and exploring the story that tells me that families and individuals are having fun,” he said.

With the increase in visitors, Engler said the center has definitely had an impact upon the local economy. In previous years, the monument was estimated to be responsible for about $5 million annually in tourism generated income. With the opening of the heritage center, Engler estimates that it has just about doubled.

There is much more to come for the Homestead, Engler said.

This summer the monument will continue to evolve as it provides new and different opportunities for visitors to the monument, including the Junior Ranger program and the Kids in Park program, he said.

The Kids in Park program is new this year that will allow children to explore the monument and participate in scientific projects related to the area.

This summer, new informational trailside exhibits will be added around the monument that will help tie the homesteading story into the local area.

In the future, the old exhibit room at the Education Center will be remodeled and converted into a room that will serve as a classroom and exhibit gallery, Engler said.

The Homestead is hoping to attract many familiar and new visitors to the site this summer.

“It’s not only a fun place, but a cheap place to visit,” he said.