Atomic Testing Museum, Las Vegas

The Atomic Testing Museum is one of Las Vegas’ jewels. This homage to the city’s romantic nuclear test era brings back flashes for those of us old enough to remember Nikita Khrushchev banging his shoe on the podium at the U.N., and mushroom clouds going off within eyesight just north of the town. There are usually engineers on hand who have put in years at the Nevada Test Site. They’re happy to explain the dioramas and put real life into these exhibits. A very cool bunker recreation gives an immersive, white-knuckle experience of what underground testing was like before it was halted in the mid 1990s. A library is available and open to the public for research. A whimsical gift shop sells nuke-message T-shirts and mugs, and “FAT MAN” key chains. Admission: $12.

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