Curious About The Atomic Testing Museum? So Were We.

Where: 755 E. Flamingo Rd. [map], 89119

December 13, 2011 at 3:34 PM | by Richard Lane | Comments (0)

If you visit Las Vegas frequently, it's easy to yearn for non-traditional sources of distractions. So, the idea that there is an Atomic Testing Museum just down the road from Terrible�s Casino, sounded like a curiosity too close to miss.

A serious venture affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution, this small but dense museum endeavors to tell the story of Nevada�s nuclear testing program and place the specter of nuclear power in historical and cultural context. Playing a smaller role to the more famous Los Alamos, New Mexico facility, Nevada still managed to conduct 928 nuclear tests between 1951 and 1992. The majority of them underground.

The Nevada Test site created its own little community of workers named Mercury much to the chagrin of one boss who wanted to call the town Atomic City. But, for a while Las Vegas was a mini-Atomic City. Archival video, memorabilia and interviews within the museum capture the novelty of witnessing mushroom cloud explosions off in the desert. Viewing parties were held. Test dummies were displayed in Downtown department stores. Miss Atomic Blast created a stir. School kids wore mandatory dog tags with personal information in case of nuclear accident. For all the atomic cocktails, there was a sentiment of fear. Duck and Cover. The Red Menace. And the memory of World War II. All are well documented and explained.

The museum on Flamingo, while weighted to the historical fifties, also contains some science to bring you up-to-speed on the basics of nuke lore. Memorabilia of the engineers and staff over the years is prominent. Sections are devoted to radiation slide rules and commemorative keepsakes for the bigger blasts. It is very pro-workers who toiled within the nuclear industry. However, mention is made of international efforts to tone down the nuclear menace and the side projects to test fallout and the destructive impact of their tasks. See: wall of Geiger counters and personal radiation monitors. (James Bond fans will instantly recall the G Section radiation shields in Diamonds are Forever. They were real. Who knew?)

You also get to be up close and personal with a number of de-activated missiles. There is even a Ground Zero Theater that will give you a Disneyland ride version of a nuclear blast.

In some areas, the focus does go very local, featuring geologic displays, early settlers and miners. And, through December, there's a pop culture exhibit, Building Atomic Vegas, just as you exit the main museum. Lots of oddly presented local material. From Las Vegas High School uniforms and a Liberace suit to Robbie Knievel�s motor bike, showgirl costumes and bomb shelter accessories. It is a very strange mish-mash, but sort of a dessert after the stoic nature of the main museum.

The gift shop is surprisingly well stocked with associated books, DVDs and the usual museum knick-knacks. Albeit ones that, if not celebrate, sort of champion the iconography of the nuclear age. This museum is certainly not for everyone. It is an often earnest place befitting the subject. And children and teens ~~brought against their will~~, certainly won�t have their mind turned around. But anyone with a science bent or is a fervent fan of old Las Vegas will find enough to merit the short trip off Strip.

The Atomic Testing Museum is located at 755 E. Flamingo Road, not too far past Terrible�s. Its hours are Monday-Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Admission for adults is $14.00.

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