Joshua Tree National Park opening new cultural center this weekend

Joshua Tree National Park is gearing up for the grand opening of its new cultural center, which replaces a more than 60-year-old staple of the park's infrastructure.

Filled with the rich history of native tribes, the new cultural center in Twentynine Palms is a product of the massive growth the park has recently seen, park officials said.

Crews are still putting the finishing touches on the building, but Park Superintendent David Smith said he hopes the grand opening this weekend will blow people away.

"Oh my gosh, this should be your first stop if you're coming up and you're up here for a day trip," Smith said.

The exhibits focus on tribal stories of the indigenous people from 15 different tribes that lived in Joshua Tree and those who still live there today.

"Their stories are ribbons that go through everything, all the life that we have here in the park," Smith said. "Whether it's the Torres Martinez, whether it's the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, there's sections inside the museum that will be telling each of those stories and how they use Joshua Tree."

The $2 million project was paid for by the city of Twentynine Palms. It comes after Joshua Tree closed down the Oasis Visitors Center earlier this week, about a mile away near the north entrance of the park.

"I would say 10 years ago, we recognize that the Oasis Visitor Center was too small," Smith said. "The footprint there was not able to serve the the 1,000 to 3,000 people a day that were coming to get information. So this visitor center is significantly larger than the other."

For Smith, it's a bittersweet transition. "Change is always difficult. The Oasis Visitor Center has been there for 60 years," he said. "It's a challenge to leave that place. But there's so many more opportunities here to be able to serve the people."

The all-day grand opening of the cultural center is Saturday, May 7, starting at 8:30 a.m. It's at Freedom Plaza in Twentynine Palms and will offer live music and prizes. The event is free.