You can mark it on the calendar: Austin’s largest tourism draw has an official opening date next month.

Hormel Foods Corp. announced the new Spam Museum will open at 101 Third Ave. NE on April 22.

“I just can’t wait for people to see it,” said Nicole Behne, Hormel’s marketing director for grocery products.

The museum will be open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m., though Hormel may later look into the museum being open until 8 p.m. on Thursdays to give the Austin residents a chance to visit after work.

The opening comes about a year after Hormel broke ground on April 21, 2015, on the new Spam Museum downtown on the east side of North Main Street. Work on the 14,000-square-foot building moved quickly with the frame erected by mid-summer 2015 before the building was enclosed before winter set in.

Behne said it’s been exciting to see the museum come together, noting that it looks different every time she sees inside.

“Seeing it come to life has been great,” Behne said.

Behne said the last truck is slated to bring in parts for the new exhibits this week, and they’ll be working to test and work out any bugs with the technology for the new exhibits.

The new museum is expected to be modern and tech-friendly with videos, apps, games and several photo opportunities visitors will be able to share on social media.

“It’s so exciting,” she said.

The museum will have seven main galleries — three new ones and four refurbished and updated from the old museum — along with a gift shop, an extra surprise and more.

“We’re super pumped to share them with the public,” Behne said.

“It’ll be really fun for people to come in and see,” she added.

With this year also marking Hormel’s 125th anniversary, the goal is to to have 125,000 people in the free museum in its first 12 months.

“That would be outstanding,” Behne said.

Vision 2020’s Destination Downtown committee approached Hormel officials in fall 2013 about using the site of a 2009 fire — which had been owned by the Austin Port Authority after the fire — as a new location for the Spam Museum.

With the museum primed to open, city officials hope the increased tourism, along with several other major projects through Vision 2020, will continue Austin’s current growth.

“That’s going to be a huge asset for the downtown areas; it gives the downtown area a true anchor,” Austin Area Chamber of Commerce Director Sandy Forstner previously told the Herald.

While the old museum at 1101 N. Main St. often saw people visit the museum and leave, the downtown museum will bring people within walking distance of downtown businesses and more Austin attractions, which Behne said should help the local economy.

Behne noted Hormel is already looking for ways for the company to be more involved with downtown events through the museum, especially with things like Vision 2020’s annual downtown summer kickoff.

“We’re looking forward to Hormel and the Spam Museum being more of a part of the downtown festivals,” Behne said.

The original Spam Museum opened in 1991 inside the Oak Park Mall. Hormel officials created a new location for the Spam Museum in 2001 at 1101 N. Main St., connected to Hormel’s corporate office south building.

April 22 will kickoff the soft opening for the museum. A grand opening in conjunction with Hormel’s 125th anniversary is slated for July. That celebration will peak on July 29 when country stars The Band Perry headline a free community celebration concert. The performance is planned at the grassy space between the Mower County Jail and Justice Center and the Historic Paramount Theatre along Fourth Avenue Northeast. An exact time has not been set.

Along with award-winning entertainment like The Band Perry, the July 29th community celebration will feature food and activities for the whole family.