Why not just tell them they are going to Mars and then drop them off in New Mexico? They both look the same to me, and in spacesuits, maybe they won't notice the atmosphere is breathable.
Plus, everyone is used to TV shows in "space" with 1g, so weed out the people who would be suspicious about the lack of 1/3rd g. And when they get excited and point out that it's raining, say that it's an effect of global warming.
Even easier - use a large sound studio. Sort of a small-scale version of Truman.