Interpretive Center:
The Need

Devil’s Lake State Park now operates a cramped and outdated nature center that provides basic information and lacks the space and facilities to provide a variety of educational programming and dynamic exhibits for the park’s 2.4 million annual visitors.

The current nature center was originally developed almost 100 years ago as a warm-season golf course clubhouse. In the 1960s, it was renovated as a temporary facility to house the park’s naturalist program.

The idea of creating an educational/interpretive center at the 10,000-acre park is not new. In fact, it was first proposed in the park’s 1982 master plan.

The need for the center has grown as the park’s popularity has expanded. During the COVID-19 pandemic, people nationally turned to outdoor recreation in large numbers, and that demand for connection to nature at America’s State Park is expected to continue well into the future.

In addition to an adequate nature center, the new welcome center will also afford rich learning opportunities for local schoolchildren and those from around Wisconsin who visit the park as part of their classwork and field trips. The center will be a hub of inspiration and discovery, enabling students to deepen their knowledge of nature and history.

The new center will also provide year-round facilities for events, restrooms and drinking water, and concessions. Currently, restroom, drinking water, and concession facilities are only available in warm seasons.

We believe the new center will also boost our local, regional and state economies by showcasing and promoting Sauk County and Wisconsin Dells outdoor recreation attractions as well as other state parks and natural areas as tourist destinations. It will be a gateway, helping visitors venture beyond the park. It will help meet the needs of park visitors, while providing an opportunity to lessen impact on Devil’s Lake by inspiring visitors to explore other areas in addition to Devil’s Lake State Park.