The Atomic Museum is the only Smithsonian Affiliate in southern Nevada, and it tells the story of the United States' nuclear testing programme that ran for decades at the Nevada Test Site, about 65 miles north of the city. The collection includes Geiger counters, declassified film of above-ground detonations, hardware from missile programmes, and a recreated bunker that simulates a test using video, light, and sound.
The exhibits are smarter than the building's slightly tired exterior suggests. Coverage is balanced — the science, the politics, the downwinder communities, and Las Vegas's strange embrace of "atomic tourism" in the 1950s. The museum also runs occasional bus tours to the Nevada Test Site itself, which require advance booking, government ID, and a willingness to spend a full day in the desert. Tickets and dates open months in advance and fill quickly.