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| - Got a tour right before it opened back 06. A Smithsonian affliliate, it is a must see for Americans to understand the magnitude of the cold war and the fallout (sorry for the pun) of the immensity of nuclear power, both negative and positive, on our lives today.
The Ground Zero theater, at the time I viewed it, was not for children. We suggested to the PR person that there be a warning sign outside of the theater. It would be pretty loud and scary from a kid's perspective, but entirely fascinating for an adult. That said, I think kids of age 10 or a precocious 8 or 9 would find the museum interesting, with lots of parental context and reassurance.
While not every side of nuclear controversy are presented, it does a good job of exhibiting the major perspectives, especially from the No Nukes era of the 60s and 70s. There are pieces of the Berlin Wall at the end exhibit, which are pretty awesome.
Another favorite part of the exhibit was the display of the impact of the atomic age on popular culture: toys, games, TV shows, appliances and food, movies, candy (Atomic Fireballs), clothing, furniture etc. Those folks who were that age in the 1950s and early 60s (duck and cover kids) will experience some bittersweet nostalgia there.
The Nevada Test Site Historical Society, made up of many former employees who operate the museum, should be commended for preserving this history and putting this museum together and getting Smithsonian affiliation. Their interpreters throughout the museum are what makes it a top notch facility, most if not all having worked at the Nevada test site in its heyday.
The Desert Research Institute is next door and I think it had a nice bookstore we visited afterward where we got free propaganda (a DVD I think, it's somewhere in the basement, unwatched) on the Yucca Mountain issue.
This is a terribly important (and to many very interesting) facet of our world history.
And the Hard Rock Cafe is right up the street so you can fuel up beforehand or lift spirits afterwards with a brew and a burger.
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