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Visitor Center Hours:
Apr 1 - Friday of Memorial Day Weekend:
Daily: 12pm – 5pm
Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend - Labor Day:
Daily: 11am – 6pm
Tuesday after Labor Day - Oct 21:
Oct 22 – Mar 31: *****Closed*****
Remodeled in 2010 the Saylorville Lake Visitor Center offers a wide variety of environmental education opportunities. Interactive displays and a theater room offering multiple educational videos with the ability to seat 30 guests makes the Saylorville Lake Visitor Center unique to this area.
Saylorville Lake Visitor Center Phone Number - 515-964-0672
Saylorville Lake Park Rangers and Volunteers offer a wide variety of free educational programs available to the organized youth groups. These programs can be scheduled by contacting our Park Office at 515-276-4656. Watch our Saylorville Lake Facebook page for planned scheduled events around central Iowa. For more information about a specific event, please email us at SaylorvilleLake@usace.army.mil.
Teachers, Boy Scout Leaders, Girl Scout Leaders, 4-H Leaders, FFA Advisors, etc. Educational programs are available and presented by Park Rangers and Volunteers. Most programs are 30-45 minutes in length and are given on project. Water safety programs may be scheduled at your site. Programs must be scheduled at least one month in advance and have between 5 to 25 participants (larger groups can be split into sections). To schedule an educational program fill out the Request for Program form and email the form to SaylorvilleLake@usace.army.mil. For more information contact Park Rangers at 515-276-4656.
Rangers and Volunteers give numerous educational programs to local school groups, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, youth groups, ect. To schedule a program please fill out a Request for Program and email it to SaylorvilleLake@usace.army.mil. For additional information or questions call 515-276-4656.
Within the Visitor Center is a movie theater which allows your to watch up to 4 different movies relating to the history of Saylorville Lake, Water Safety, and land mangement/caring for the environment. The theater room has seating for 30. Stop in the Visitor Center and see the new educational displays on fish identification, different environmental commnuties and a 3D laser map showing locations of recreation areas located at Saylorville Lake. Be sure to bring a penny when you visit as we have added a Penny Press machine with Saylorville Lake specific designs. If you need assistance while at the Visitor Center it is always staffed with a volunteer who is willing to help.
If the weather is nice and you would like to get outdoors feel free to take the Neal Smith Trail a short distance to the Butterfly Garden. With over 20 different flower beds, enjoy the beautiful flowers as well as the different species of butterflies in the garden. There are interpretive signs at the garden to learn about the plants and butterflys in the garden!
As you walk back take a hike on our trail through the timber adjacent to the Visitor Center and identify tree species, plant species, do some bird watching or just hike the trail for some excersize.
There is a gift shop at the Visitor Center with everything from puzzles to t-shirts to stuffed animals...of course everything relates to nature. Currently there are no food or drinks items sold at the gift shop. The gift shop is ran through a partnership with the Iowa Academy of Science.