National Atomic Testing Museum

The National Atomic Testing Museum at 755 E Flamingo Road in Las Vegas, Nevada, is a Smithsonian-affiliated museum documenting the Nevada Test Site, where the United States conducted nuclear tests from January 1951 until the testing moratorium of 1992. The site lies about 65 miles northwest of the city, and during the 1950s atmospheric tests produced flashes and mushroom clouds visible from downtown, which casinos and the city promoted as atomic tourism. The museum explains this period through artifacts, documents, photographs and test film, and tells both the scientific story, including the work of national laboratories and the engineers who ran the program, and the human consequences, such as the health concerns of downwinders. Notable exhibits include a Ground Zero Theater that simulates the experience of a test through sound and motion, a section of steel from the World Trade Center, and displays on the Cold War arms race and on the Area 51 and Nevada Test Site programs. The curatorial approach is thematic and chronological, using multimedia and period equipment to present the Atomic Age as part of both American science and popular culture. Because it is a modern museum rather than a historic building, its preservation focus is on the objects and records, which are kept in climate-controlled galleries. The museum sits near the Las Vegas Convention Center and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, a short drive east of the Strip, so it is easy to add to a day of visits. It offers a fuller picture of Las Vegas in the postwar decades than casino history alone, tying the city's entertainment image to the nuclear age. Visitors can expect interactive stations, detailed text panels and films, and docent-led talks at some times.