Crater center opens in downtown Wetumpka

A dream has come true for the Wetumpka Impact Crater Commission.

A visitor center has opened on Company Street to educate the public on one of the world’s best preserved marine impact craters. The center has been in the works for years, and volunteers have diligently told the crater’s story through lectures, tours and art work. Now, much of the information is in one place — the Wetumpka Impact Crater Discovery and Visitor Center.

Crater commission board member Kevin Reuter said the center is a partnership with the City of Wetumpka and Elmore County. The city’s new tourism department will be located in the center once the position is filled. 

But instead of waiting, the commission wanted to open the center on a limited basis.

Volunteers joined Reuter Saturday to work out a few kinks in technology in the center to cycle through videos on the crater on a large screen television. It will aid everyone in telling the story of the crater.

“This is a moment for me,” Reuter said. “I finally got the videos to work. I put them all on a flash drive and it's working. I was curious how this was going to behave going from one video to another.”

Everyone got acclimated to telling the story and answering questions about the crater. Usually, it starts with understanding how much visitors know about the crater itself. THat allows volunteers to gauge what to share.

“Most know very little about it,” Reuter said. “For many it’s in their backyard and they don’t really know anything other than there is a ridge here.”

The crater was formed about 85 million years ago when the area around Wetumpka was about 100 feet under water from the oceans. A meteor about the size of a college football stadium struck, sinking into the earth. The rebound caused the 4.7 mile rim that is visible today. Downtown Wetumpka is on part of the rim. Parts of the crater can be seen in the Coosa River from the Bibb Graves Bridge with layers of rock pointing up towards downtown and the top of the rim of the crater. 

Inside the center visitors can find panels with descriptions, artist conceptions of life in the area 85 million years ago, a black marble model of the crater and rock from the crater.

“It is one of the best preserved marine craters on earth,” Reuter said. “It is one of the things that makes Wetumpka unique.”

The center is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. Crater tours will be hosted next month, starting with a lecture by geologist Dr. David King who confirmed the presence of the marine crater in Wetumpka more than 20 years ago. King will speak at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 22 at the Wetumpka Civic Center. Tours will leave from Trinity Episcopal Church and take registered guests on tours of the crater pointing out locations such as The Cliffs. Costs are $25 for adults and $15 for students. Reservations can be made by calling 334-567-4637. King’s presentation is free of charge.