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Atomic Museum Las Vegas

Florian Buechting Museums & Exhibitions No Comments

Atomic Museum Las Vegas

29 USD
Atomic Museum Las Vegas
4.5

Rating

 4.5/5

Flyctory.com Pros

  • Very interesting museum with many exhibits
  • Technical as well as historic facts

Flyctory.com Cons

  • High admission (discounts available)

A musieum about nuclear power and atomic bombs? Sounds like a place which is either a great scientific one – or a damned tourist trap. As the Atomic Museum is located in Las Vegas, you might lean towards the second option before you visited the place. However, the subtitle on the entrance sign latest is that the museum is a Smithsonian affiliate. During our New Years Eve 2023/24 stay in the Nevada Sin City, my wife and I had a visit to the museum. Here is our impression of the place.

 

Atomic Museum – Location & Admission

The museum has originally been named Atomic Testing Museum. It is located at East Flamingo Road, some 1.5 miles East of the Las Vegas Boulevard (or Las Vegas Strip). Bus 202 is stopping right in front of the museum (EB Flamingo after Palos Verdes stop). There are various kinds of business in the area as well as some sports and other facilities of the University of Nevada. The easiest way to get there is by Uber or car. There is sufficient parking in front of the building.

The museum is opening from 9:00 to 19:00 daily. Last admission is one our before closing. Adult admission is 29 USD.

 

Atomic Museum – The Visit

The museum is majorly focusing on the history of atomic testing, especially in the Nevada desert. The first part of the museum we visited was Beyond the Manhattan Project, which illustrates the initial run for the nuclear bomb, which was really interesting. This part of the museum is located in a separate room, before you enter hhe in fact museum. It was really interesting. Like the whole museum, the museum strikes with a lot of interesting original exhibits. You also learn about the people behind the Manhattan Project. There was also a movie which was very good and descriptive.

 

Main Exhibition

The museum majorly tells the story of the Nevada Testing Site, one of the key locations of the US atomic testing program. At least as a European, who is not that exposed to that part of US-American history. You don’t just learn about the technical structures in the US Army area Northwest of Las Vegas, but also about the social structures. For example, you also learn about the city Mercury, a city in the restricted area, which has been the base city for housing, offices and services. During our trip to Rhyoliite, we later passed that area on the US-95. You also learn about the different testing areas and how the testing impacted social and ecologic life in the area.

However, the Atomic Museum has a clear focus on technical and scientific focus. You find a lot of original items, from original testing site items to the development of rockets, which hold atomic bombs. Towards the end of the exhibition, you can even see and touch some of them or replicas of original items. Nonetheless, you also learn how post-WW2, the testing site was also used for diplomatic purposes. For example, I liked learning about non-befriended countries visited Nevada, which was somehow a matter of determent as well. Thus, the museum is covering the topic from a really wide range of angles.

 

Atomic Museum – Services

The staff was very friendly and helpful. At the end of the visit to the museum, you visit the museum shop, which have some really nice and funny items.

 

Atomic Museum – My View

The Atomic Museum was an absolute positive surprise to me. I wanted to visit the place rather as a matter of curiosity and as there are not too many museums about the topic globally. As in all Las Vegas, the admission is a bit on the aggressive side, but you do find discount codes and Groupon deals for the place. Thus, the museum has been an absolutely interesting part of our time in Nevada, combining facts on the technical side and also acting as a historic museum.

 

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