So that tourists can “fully enjoy the wonders of evolution” at places “that figure in the science of evolution,” the tax-supported Smithsonian Institution has launched a new travel information service. Evotourism is a growing travel trend with popular destinations, including such familiar evolution-related pilgrimage sites as the Galapagos Islands of Darwin fame and Africa, the so-called “cradle of humankind.”

A puzzling Smithsonian tour choice, though, is Mount St. Helens in Washington State. This remarkable volcano has been a treasure trove for creationist catastrophists since the mountain’s 1980 eruption. Thick rock layers and deep canyon systems formed quickly. The eruption blew apart the established view that such geologic features require millions of years to form.

What is the reason, then, for evolutionist pilgrims to visit a site that offers such strong evidence against a millions-of-years history? It is not geological—for obvious reasons—but rather biological. The Smithsonian magazine says that the volcano created “opportunities for new species” and refers to the area as a “living laboratory” of how life re-establishes itself in devastated areas.

But the amazing ability of life to repopulate even in such devastation points to the wisdom of the Creator, who formed the earth to be inhabited (Isaiah 45:18) and gave His creatures the ability to carry out His wishes. A visit to the Smithsonian’s chosen sites can be a faith-building experience, if Christians keep the right perspective and realize that all creation declares the glory of God (Psalm 19:1).

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/evotourism/Evotourism.html