Atomic Testing Museum, Las Vegas

The Atomic Testing Museum on East Flamingo Road is a great place for adults and children to spend an afternoon that is both instructive and fun.

In this large, modern museum you will learn about the Cold War and the history of nuclear testing that was carried out on the Nevada Test Site. During the years between 1951 and1992 over 900 nuclear tests were carried out on the site which is located only 65 miles from Las Vegas. In fact when atmospheric tests were carried out, prestigious casinos set up “lookout” terraces for guests to watch the mushroom cloud climbing high in the desert sky. 100 atmospheric tests were carried out, while 828 tests took place underground.

The history is explained through interactive displays, short films, and testimonies from people who worked on the site and real equipment that was used during tests. You can check test-dates with world events and pop culture by timelines on the walls around the museum. There are radiation-testing devices and you can use a Geiger counter to check your own radiation level.

In the Atomic Age Gallery you will begin to understand a little of the paranoia provoked by the Cold War, for there are hundreds of comic books and cartoon adventure strips dating from the nineteen fifties and sixties, all on the theme of nuclear warfare. There are wall panels and touch-screens to answer the public's most frequently asked questions – such as “Why is nuclear power necessary?” and “How long will the Nevada desert area be radio-active?” For the kids a Disney cartoon explains the components needed to make a nuclear weapon.

The Ground Zero Theater gives short films showing atmospheric testing, complete with special effects – you feel wind in your face and the floor vibrates. The Today and Tomorrow Gallery features pieces of the Berlin Wall (to signify the end of the Cold War) and pieces from the World Trade Center, to make you understand that nuclear weapons are still necessary in the fight against terrorism.