Having spent a quiet (and free) night in the museum parking lot, Beth sent me out with a hot cup of coffee at about 8:40 when we noticed a car arriving with people starting a line. Two Roadtreks, one from Florida and another from California rolled in next. They had been overnighting in a nearby Walmart parking lot. By the time the doors opened at nine, more than sixteen people were waiting for the walk-up spots on the tour, so I’m thankful the American Museum of Science and Energy let us spend the night here. 
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| Two cameras like those I’ve owned in the past. |
Starting at 11:30, we boarded the comfortable bus and were ready to roll. Our excellent tour guide was a retired researcher who volunteers with the museum.
Our first stop was at building Y-12. We were allowed in the visitor center with interesting displays about the Manhattan Project, the Cold War, and other Y-12 missions. The rest of the building is off-limits.
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| Nuclear Attack “Survival” Kit |
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| Nuclear Bomb |
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| Early Laptop |
The highlight of the tour was visiting the Graphite Reactor. Now a national historic landmark, it is the world’s oldest nuclear reactor.
We drove by the Spallation Neutron Source, an accelerator-based neutron source facility that provides the most intense pulsed neutron beams in the world of scientific research and industrial development.
The last drive by on the tour, Oak Ridge National Labs, is spinning off interesting new companies including one that is experimenting with how to 3D print cars.
Back at the museum, a pre-fab house rented to scientists in the 1940’s was well preserved. One could imagine how life might have been lived here.
