GATLINBURG, Tenn. - The newly renovated Sugarlands Visitor Center has been rededicated in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Park Superintendent Dale Ditmanson told The Mountain Press there's an updated sense of arrival now when visitors walk in.
Among the changes were moving the information desk to the back wall to make it a focus of attention, updating the exhibits, installing LED lights to conserve energy, putting in new flooring and painting the interior a pleasing shade of green.
The ribbon was cut Saturday by park officials and park boosters, the Great Smoky Mountains Association and the Friends of the Smokies.
Park crews worked during evening hours during the winter, so the center remained open for visitors.
About 850,000 visitors come through the center annually.