Those wanting to visit Stonehenge in Wiltshire, England might be in for a slight surprise as the English Heritage site will be opening a new visitor center on Wednesday and changing how people visit the ancient site.
The $44 million visitor center is located 1.5 miles away from Stonehenge and will now be visitors' first sight if they want to see the stones. According to The New York Times, there are several original manuscripts on display, as well as coins, jewelry and early surveying equipment. In total there are about 250 prehistoric objects to see as well as reconstructions of what Neolithic man might have looked.
A short bus ride or a walk down a path will get you to Stonehenge as the A344 that used to run by the site has now been grassed over after being closed in June, reports BBC News. The decades old parking lot and visitor center will begin to be decommissioned in the following months.
Chief Executive of English Heritage Simon Thurley is glad the visitor center is finally done and those traveling to check out Stonehenge can more fully experience the site.
Culture secretary Maria Mill spoke of the new visitor center, "Stonehenge is one of the UK's most iconic sites, undeniably worthy of its Unesco world heritage status, attracting one million tourists every year." She added, "So, it's only right that, after decades of indecision, we can now offer them a visitor exhibition centre and experience they deserve."
image: Wikimedia Commons