What Can You Tell Us about the Atomic Museum?

What can you tell us about the Atomic Museum, and do they still run the monthly bus tour to the National Test Site outside of Mercury?

The National Atomic Testing Museum is located on E. Flamingo just past Tuscany about a mile from the Strip.

It was established in 2005 by the Nevada Test Site Historical Foundation, spurred by the need to preserve and educate the public about the history of atomic testing, particularly in the Nevada desert during the Cold War era. It's affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution, which allows it to access resources and collaborate on exhibitions and research projects.

Its many exhibits explore various aspects of nuclear testing, including the science and technology behind it and the social and cultural impacts, such as TV shows, toys, and comic books, via photographs, videos, artifacts, and interactive displays.

One exhibit that's particularly intriguing covers lesser-known nuclear weapons that the U.S. developed, such as the Davy Crockett XM-388 projectile, the B54 backpack bomb, and the AIR-2 Genie air-to-air rocket. There's also a scale model of the type of "diagnostic rack" that holds nuclear weapons and other equipment in place in holes up to 2,000 feet deep.

Rotating exhibits keep the museum fresh and current. A new exhibit is SPY, a partnership with the National Security Agency’s (NSA) National Cryptologic Museum in Fort Meade, Maryland. SPY spotlights the NSA’s gathering of telemetry intelligence, used to obtain data on the internal functioning of missiles and space vehicles being tested by foreign governments, which allows the United States to keep pace with ever-changing technology. Educational programs are frequent, raising awareness about the history and consequences of nuclear testing, while promoting scientific literacy and critical thinking.

And of course, the museum gift shop offers memorabilia and souvenirs related to atomic testing and Las Vegas history, including books, clothing, and novelty items.

Admission is $29 general, $27 seniors, $25 residents, $15 youth.

As for the second question, the Atomic Museum never ran the tours of the Nevada Test Site, now known as the Nevada National Security Site. True, the tour bus leaves from the museum, but it's conducted by the Department of Energy (DOE) and its contractor, National Security Technologies (NSTec).

They take place once a month and are free, but you have to make reservations far in advance. All reservations for 2024 tours are closed. Dates in 2025 that have been announced are January 27, February 24, March 17, April 21, May 19, and June 16. You can register for these starting at 10 a.m. PT on August 26 via an online registration link here.

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Comments

Bob Apr-24-2024

Worth the price of Admission

Nice Museum, with lots of history you won't find elsewhere. been there a couple times, wouldn't hesitate to go again. it would be a great candidate for an LVA Coupon!

Jeffrey Small Apr-24-2024

Explosion

One of the best exhibits is the actual film of an atomic explosion.  The floor shakes and the noise is loud--the problem is that small children get scared and run out of the room.  I've been several times since the father of a friend worked in the tunnels (and subsequently died from cancer, along with many of the others... ).  Some of the docents worked in the testing zone and are the lucky survivors!  I'm glad to hear that the museum is still in business since a f ew years ago there was talk of it moving or being closed.

O2bnVegas Apr-24-2024

clearly very popular

Doesn't look like coupons would be needed to entice visitors.

I don't suppose they have scooters or wheelchairs available at the museum.  

Sounds like a terrific outing.

Candy

Kevin Lewis Apr-24-2024

Definitely worth a visit

The best part is when they put you in front of a console and you get to pick which Russian city to wipe from the face of the earth! Great for the kids!

Toni Armstrong Jr. Apr-24-2024

Atomic Testing Museus

Over the past 4+ decades I’ve made it a point to get off the tourist corridor and find things like this. I’ve done three visits to the Atomic Testing Museum (first time alone by chance, the other times dragging others) and I highly recommend it if anyone has even a passing interest in this topic. There’s a lot inside the museum, the exhibits are varied, and the space includes much to see and learn.

SCOTT Apr-24-2024

Long Bus Ride

I have been to the museum many times and it's pretty cool. My wife and I did the bus tour of the test site about ten years ago. I'm glad I did it but wouldn't do it again- it's a LOT of time on the bus with only getting out when you first get to Mercury and get a snack and use the bathroom at a cafe, then you can get out and walk to the Sudan crater (impressive), then you also get out and explore a tall silo looking building which held the devise that was lowered into the ground for underground testing, then you got off the bus again just before heading back at the same cafe to get a late lunch/ early dinner. They do take you around to areas where they set up structures to see how they handled a direct blast, including one of the famous homes you have seen in test films, but you stay on the bus through all that. Oh, and they have a guy get on and narrate during the time there.

Hoppy Apr-24-2024

No Bus Ride Necessary

Just watch The Atomic Kid. While you're at it, you can Nuke some popcorn.

Question of the Day - 24 April 2024

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