Unspecified/General

The only congressionally chartered museum of its kind in the United States, the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History tells the sweeping and often sobering story of the atomic age. Established in 1969 on a military base near Albuquerque and originally known as the atomic museum, it relocated to a purpose-built home in the city's science and technology park in 2009, where it serves as a Smithsonian affiliate and a national resource on nuclear science. The museum's exhibits trace the development of nuclear technology from early scientific discovery through the Manhattan Project, the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the tense decades of the Cold War and on to the peaceful applications of nuclear energy today. Galleries explore atomic pioneers, nuclear medicine, energy and the science of radiation, balancing historical gravity with accessible explanation. A particular strength is its candid presentation of difficult history. Rather than shying away from the moral weight of nuclear weapons, the museum lays out the science, the decisions and the consequences, inviting visitors to grapple with one of the most consequential developments of the modern era. Outside, an expansive heritage park displays an impressive collection of aircraft, rockets, missiles and a submarine sail, including towering bombers and a Cold War missile, that let visitors stand beside the hardware of the atomic age. Hands-on activities engage younger guests with the basics of science. Substantial, thought-provoking and unusually frank, the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History offers far more than a display of weaponry. For visitors to Albuquerque interested in science, history or the forces that shaped the twentieth century, it provides a comprehensive and genuinely illuminating experience. Free on-site parking, a gift shop and hands-on activities for children add to the ease of a visit, and the outdoor heritage park alone can absorb a good part of an afternoon. Whether approached as science, history or sober reflection, the museum offers visitors to Albuquerque a comprehensive and genuinely memorable encounter with the technology that reshaped the modern world.

Type: Tourist Attraction

Address: 601 Eubank Boulevard Southeast, Albuquerque, NM, United States

Telephone: 505-245-2137

Website: nuclearmuseum.org

Opening Date: 04/04/2009