DENVER MINT VISITOR REGISTRATION Público Deposited
The E-Sylum: Volume 7, Number 11, March 14, 2004, Article 14
DENVER MINT VISITOR REGISTRATION
It's still possible to visit U.S. Mint facilities, but it takes
advance planning. An article in a recent issue of The
Denver Post notes that the "Denver Mint still producing
cash, but not many visitors.""As recently as three years ago, the U.S. Mint in Denver
was one of the city's biggest tourist attractions. With
colossal rolls of metal, whirring conveyors and stamping
devices that spit out coins at a dizzying rate, it left a vivid
impression on visitors -- most of whom waited their turn
an hour or more in a line that often stretched around the
block, rain or shine."There's something [fascinating] about being in the Mint
and actually hearing the noise, smelling the oil and feeling
the vibration of the machinery," says tour guide Dick Igel.But since the 2001 terrorist attacks, security has trimmed
the number of visitors to several hundred a month -- all of
whom must receive clearance weeks in advance.Now it appears that the Mint never may be open to same-day
visits, a prospect that dismays local officials who consider the
century-old building a part of the nation's heritage and a hook
that brings people downtown.The continuing restrictions also disappoint walk-up tourists
who don't realize they must obtain reservations through a
congressional office at least two to three weeks before a tour.""Ironically, while the Treasury Department limits visitation to the
coin factory in Denver and the Mint in Philadelphia, its
paper-money plant in Washington -- the Bureau of Engraving
and Printing -- welcomes hundreds of walk-up visitors every
day.Even the U.S. Capitol and the Washington Monument are
open to same-day visitors."To read the full article, see: Complete Article
- 2004-03-14
- 7