When you see all your winnings go up in smoke, a visit to the Atomic Testing Museum is sure to be a blast. From 1951 until 1992, the Nevada Test Site, which lies 65 miles outside of the Strip, was the central location for atomic testing. Throughout the 1950s giant mushroom clouds engulfed the desert skyline and were billed as an attraction (in 1962 the government started testing underground). Visitors to Las Vegas were encouraged to take snapshots and to pick up some Atomic bomb tchotchkes and souvenirs for their friends back at home.
The museum, an affiliate of the Smithsonian, explores this history through galleries, videos, artifacts, memorabilia, and interactive displays. But don’t worry its not all doom, gloom, and boom, the lighter side of the city’s past is also featured. The Atomic Age Gallery of the Cold War timeline is sprinkled with important pop culture dates like the death of Elvis. Other galleries explore how the atomic age was explored in books, film and television. Interactive exhibits are the main draw, including gadgets from the original test site, an experiment with Fiesta cookware (known to be radioactive) and thrilling simulations of what a detonation was really like. Keen attention is paid to how the nuclear bursts and “Atomic Mania” affected Vegas, Nevada and the country as a whole.
Head over in the afternoon (to avoid the overflow of school fields trips) and hunker down in a bunker replica to watch a video with earth shaking surround-sound covering the making of the atom bomb. Photography buffs will enjoy the “How To Photograph an Atomic Bomb” showcase, with photos by Peter Kuran. Don’t forget to grab a few vintage postcards to send to the friends still recovering from last night back at the hotel. This museum is sure to send shockwaves through your typical Vegas experience (just don’t go overboard with the Atomic Fireball candy).