Atomic Testing Museum
The Atomic Testing Museum portrays world history through varied representations of the story of the Nevada Test Site and its programs. The museum features many not seen before, first-person narratives, large iconic artifacts, environmental re-creations, theatrical devices, and interactive elements for personal exploration. It also presents multiple viewpoints expressed in multimedia presentations and stunning graphics.
Science comes alive to the common man at the Atomic Testing Museum in Las Vegas, you can be awe-struck by the facts surrounding the atom bomb. Adjacent to the University of Nevada, this is an ideal place for students to assemble material for projects. Children under six are allowed in for free, so bring them along for an early lesson in awareness. The museum store has collectibles on display for those who’d like a souvenir of this historic and scientific outing.
Founded in 1998, the Nevada Test Site Historical Foundation (NTSHF), the museum’s parent organization, was established to preserve the legacy of the Nevada Test Site. In association with the Smithsonian Institution, the NTSHF opened the Atomic Testing Museum on February 20, 2005, in order to make the history of nuclear testing accessible to the public.
Hours at the Atomic Testing Museum
The museum is open to the public Monday-Saturday from 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. and on Sundays from 1:00 p.m. through 5:00 p.m. The museum will be closed to the public on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Years Day.
The entrance to the museum is through steel doors, and the ticket booth is a replica of a Nevada Test Site guard station. Once you “clear security” ($10 apiece) you can enter, past a life-size cardboard photo of “Miss Atomic Bomb of 1957.” All of the tour guides wear white lab coats.
There are a number of television screens throughout the museum chronicling world events of the time. In addition, there is the Ground Zero Theater, which gives visitors a chilling glimpse of an above-ground detonation. The theater is designed after the concrete bunkers used at the original test site, from long wooden benches to red warning lights.
In the Discovery and Innovation Gallery, exhibits highlight some of the technology first developed for use at the NTS. We stopped at an interactive kiosk, showcasing the use of high-speed photography. Other items of interest were seismic monitoring, drilling, and underground construction.
The museum ends in the Today and Tomorrow Gallery. Here issues about securing our current nuclear weapons, sub-critical testing, and other research conducted at the NTS is explored.
The Atomic Testing Museum is perfect for all ages, although little kids might be scared by the Ground Zero theatre. This is what a museum should be — filled with fun (and properly functioning) interactive displays that your family will love.
The Atomic Testing Museum is a great place to visit with your luxury car rental to learn about the history of a weapon that has changed the earth so dramatically over the last 50 years. Experiences here cannot be matched anywhere else in the United States, as Southern Nevada played such an important role in developing the bomb.
