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Learn more about ‘Secret City,’ Manhattan Project during bus tours in August

Posted at 10:57 pm July 12, 2019
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

oakridge_graphite-reactor_mainpg_1_1
The X-10 Graphite Reactor with workers. (U.S. Department of Energy)

Two new bus tours offered in Oak Ridge in August will allow you to learn more about the unique heritage of the Manhattan Project, a press release said. The bus tours are the “Secret City” and “Oak Ridge Museums” tours.

The “Secret City” tour will be led by a National Park Service ranger, last three hours, and include that day’s admission to the American Museum of Science and Energy.

“During the Manhattan Project, a community was created almost overnight to accomplish the monumental task of producing enriched uranium on a large scale,” the press release said. “During the tour, visitors can develop an understanding of what life was like during World War II in a city behind a fence that no one was supposed to discuss. The tour will also include a visit to the X-10 Graphite Reactor, a National Historic Landmark, and the world’s first nuclear reactor designed and built for continuous operation.”

The “Oak Ridge Museums” tour will be led by a National Park Service ranger and last three hours. The tour will include a visit and admission for that day to the American Museum of Science and Energy, Oak Ridge History Museum, and the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge which also hosts the visitor contact desk for the Manhattan Project National Historical Park. The tour will be offered on August 9, 15, 17, 23, and 31 and will start at 9 a.m.

The “Secret City” tour will be offered on August 5, 15, and 23 and will start at 1 p.m. It will also be offered on August 21 and start at 9 a.m. Participants must be U.S. citizens with a valid identification and be 10 years of age or older, the press release said.

Seats for the tours are extremely limited and can be reserved and paid for by phone at (865) 294-4517 or online at www.amse.org. Both the “Secret City” and “Oak Ridge Museums” bus tours will start and end at the American Museum of Science and Energy located at 115 Main Street East in Oak Ridge.

The Manhattan Project was a top-secret federal program to build the world’s first atomic weapons during World War II. The Manhattan Project National Historical Park includes Oak Ridge, Tennessee; Hanford, Washington; and Los Alamos, Tennessee.

For more information on the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, call (865) 482-1942. You can learn more about the Manhattan Project National Historical Park at https://www.nps.gov/mapr/oakridge.htm. Follow the park on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Manhattan ProjectNPS, on Twitter at MnhtnProjectNPS, or on Instagram at manhattanprojectnps.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

You can contact John Huotari, owner and publisher of Oak Ridge Today, at (865) 951-9692 or john.huotari@oakridgetoday.com.

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Copyright 2019 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Filed Under: Federal, Front Page News, Government, History, Top Stories Tagged With: American Museum of Science and Energy, bus tours, Children's Museum of Oak Ridge, Graphite Reactor, Manhattan Project, Manhattan Project National Historical Park, National Park Service, Oak Ridge History Museum, Oak Ridge museums, Secret City, World War II

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