Sanford Lab Homestake Visitor Center
Free visitor center in Lead, South Dakota, telling the story of the Homestake mine and the underground physics lab; seasonal hoistroom and trolley tours run from it.
Ways to visit
Visitor center exhibits and observation deck Open
The special-hours table on the page lists only 2025-26 holidays.
- What you see
- Visitor center, Exhibitssanfordlab.org, 2026-10-26
- How
- Walk insanfordlab.org, 2026-10-26
- When
- MonTueWedThuFriSatSunOpen Monday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mountain Time. Closed Sundays; the page lists Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Day as closed in 2025-26.sanfordlab.org, 2026-10-26
- Booking
- Not statedThe page gives no booking step for the exhibits.sanfordlab.org, 2026-10-26
- Cost
- FreeFree admission and parking.sanfordlab.org, 2026-10-26
- Requirements
- None stated.
Yates Hoistroom guided visit and Lead trolley tours (seasonal) Seasonal
The pages say these tours are seasonal but give no dates, times or prices.
- What you see
- Inside tour, View from outsidesanfordlab.org, 2026-10-26
- How
- Scheduled toursanfordlab.org, 2026-10-26
- When
- Seasonal. No dates or times are given; call the visitor center on (605) 584-3110.Season: (Seasonal; no dates published.)sanfordlab.org, 2026-10-26
- Booking
- Not stated · by phoneFor more information, contact the visitor center at (605) 584-3110.sanfordlab.org, 2026-10-26
- Cost
- Not stated on the official pagesanfordlab.org, 2026-10-26
- Requirements
- None stated.
About
The visitor center sits on Main Street in Lead, beside the open cut of the former Homestake gold mine, and is run by the authority that manages the Sanford Underground Research Facility. It has exhibits, an observation deck over the open cut and a museum store, and admission is free. The lab itself does not offer public tours; the center runs seasonal trolley and Yates Hoistroom tours instead, whose dates and prices its pages do not give.
Run by: South Dakota Science and Technology Authority.
Getting there
160 West Main Street, Lead, SD
On Main Street in Lead. The coordinates are the underground research facility, not the visitor center; the lab itself gives no public tours.
The pin marks the site itself, not necessarily the entrance (44.35550, -103.76500). Apple Maps directions go to the street address instead. Show on our map · Google Maps · Apple Maps
Visitor Center: (605) 584-3110 · slhvc@sanfordlab.org
Last checked 2026-10-26. Sources are listed below.
Sources
- sanfordlab.org/slhvc · official page · read 2026-10-26For: name; street address; who runs it; phone and email; Visitor center exhibits and observation deck: kind of visit; Visitor center exhibits and observation deck: cost
- wikidata.org/wiki/Special:EntityData/Q5250… · Wikidata · read 2026-10-26For: location
- sanfordlab.org/slhvc/plan-your-visit · official page · read 2026-10-26For: Visitor center exhibits and observation deck: open or closed; Visitor center exhibits and observation deck: days and hours; Visitor center exhibits and observation deck: booking; Visitor center exhibits and observation deck: requirements; Visitor center exhibits and observation deck: what you see
- sanfordlab.org/visitor-information · official page · read 2026-10-26For: Yates Hoistroom guided visit and Lead trolley tours (seasonal): open or closed; Yates Hoistroom guided visit and Lead trolley tours (seasonal): what you see; Yates Hoistroom guided visit and Lead trolley tours (seasonal): kind of visit; Yates Hoistroom guided visit and Lead trolley tours (seasonal): days and hours; Yates Hoistroom guided visit and Lead trolley tours (seasonal): booking; Yates Hoistroom guided visit and Lead trolley tours (seasonal): cost; Yates Hoistroom guided visit and Lead trolley tours (seasonal): requirements
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