Destination Cinema today opened its newly expanded and re-named venue at the Grand Canyon, now to be known as the National Geographic Visitor Center at the Grand Canyon.
With significant additions in visitor education and services, plus the continued run of the spectacular IMAX feature, Grand Canyon: The Hidden Secrets, the National Geographic Visitor Center provides the premier orientation and information spot for tourists seeking a vivid and memorable Grand Canyon experience.
Those entering the National Geographic Visitor Center at the Grand Canyon will see views, stories, and secrets of the Grand Canyon that only National Geographic, the world's most respected resource for natural history, can provide. From interpretive displays to photo galleries to satellite image displays of this natural wonder, National Geographic will surround guests in the breathtaking wonder of the Grand Canyon.
The National Geographic Visitor Center provides the perfect launching point for visitors about to enter Grand Canyon National Park, with convenient services such as Grand Canyon National Park Express Pass sales, an information and reservation desk for Canyon-area attractions, Canyon maps, suggested visitor itineraries and food and beverage services. Located one mile south of the South Rim entrance to Grand Canyon National Park, the National Geographic Visitor Center also houses a branch of the Arizona Tourism Office, sightseeing reservations, and two National Geographic stores.
Playing in the National Geographic Visitor Center's 500-seat IMAX Theater is Grand Canyon: Hidden Secrets, a 35-minute immersive film experience that vividly shows the exploration and history of the Grand Canyon. The most popular giant screen film of all-time, this movie celebrates its 20th anniversary in the summer of 2004, having drawn more than 20 million visitors to view the film. The film moves through time, starting with the mysterious Anasazi who inhabited the Canyon 4,000 years ago, to Major John Wesley Powell's challenges in conquering the unexplored Canyon and raging Colorado River in 1869. The film's new logo was created to reflect the largeness of both the Canyon and IMAX experiences.
"National Geographic is the only partner we felt could best help educate and inspire visitors to appreciate one of the world wonders, the Grand Canyon," says Bob Perkins, chief operating officer of Destination Cinema. "For the past two decades our IMAX film on the Grand Canyon has been shown to visitors from around the world. With the added support of National Geographic, not only will future visitors to our facility get to enjoy this wonderful film, but will also benefit from a variety of new amenities."
Perkins adds that the theater has been a robust visitor experience for 20 years. "Our mission is to enhance the visitor experience by combining world-class interpretation through National Geographic and entertainment in an IMAX format to provide an unprecedented family vacation experience at one of the most popular natural wonders," says Perkins. "The Grand Canyon is best experienced through the eyes of those who inhabited it for the past several hundred years. The National Geographic Visitor Center gives you that experience and provides you with everything you need to know to make the most of your visit under one roof."
Destination Cinema is an affiliate of National Geographic. The new National Geographic Visitor Center reveals a new facade, parking lot and landscaping, as well as new signage.