You want to know the history of the United States? Yes, one is to read books...but a better option is to go experience history. At Los Alamos, New Mexico, they have the Bradbury Science Museum...a free entrance Museum that teaches everyone about The Manhattan Project. Very humbling experience, to go to where the atom bomb was created, how WWII ended, and what happens when you create something so powerful (can't undo what has been done)... Thank you Los Alamos and Bradbury Science Museum for making this trip memorable. Kudos to you all! =) read more

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This is a small museum that is a science based museum. Here's my assessment: It lacks focus. It's a small museum covering the nuclear history but also weather balloons and electronics. It simply doesn't adequately cover any of it. Especially given the incredible history of Los Alamos. If you're in town it's worth stopping by but not worth a special trip just to see it. read more

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Although this is a very cool and informative and museum, I would not recommend anyone to come here because of how the staff treats their visitors! A small group of us walked in with a few sips left in our drinks and the lady at the front desk talked with us for a few minutes and didn't say anything about our drinks when we were talking with her. As we tried to enter the gift shop the lady working the gift shop yelled at us for our drinks and actively tried to take them away even though there was a trash can right beside the gift shop. I said I would just go outside and I tried to walk out and she started yelling "HEY HEY WHERE IS SHE GOING". And others in my group tried to tell her I was going outside to finish my drink. They claimed there was a "Big sign" outside the door that said no food and drinks, but yet there isn't one. There is in fact a sign that says "no alcoholic beverages" (not the same thing)(It is also very small). We were not trying to break any rules, but the way the staff handled the situation was very unprofessional. Also, another girl in our group came in the Museum with a shirt from another museum on her shoulder because we had been walking around Los Alamos and when she walked out to meet us, the same lady from the gift shop followed her out and accused her of stealing the shirt. Another lady then proceeded to come outside and ask if we were with a specific group, and when we said we were with the group inside we kept getting bad looks. Then they proceeded to continue to talk about us up front. Very unprofessional!! read more

This free museum is run by Los Alamos National Laboratory. They have a video and room devoted to the Manhattan Project. The declassified letters and other artifacts were nice to see in person. The other exhibits discuss what the lab is currently working on now along with additional information about their nuclear work. Hands on, interactive displays are definitely important to break down difficult concepts. They have a gift shop as well. read more

got maybe 2 steps into the front door and got yelled at for having a drink in my hand. while i was profusely apologizing and assuring the staff i would go outside to finish my drink they were actively trying to take the drinks out of my hand and got mad when I walked out the door. another girl in my group got followed out the door and accused of stealing. and while waiting outside and finishing our drinks had staff come out and ask us multiple questions about who we were and were using patronizing language. staff was having a very loud and unprofessional conversation in front of other guest regarding how much they disliked us. really don't understand how this was called for as we continued to use respectful language even as staff was trying to physically remove our items from our hands and were talking down to us. i'm sure the museum was cool though. read more

What a wonderful museum that is great for the whole family. Very informative and interactively engaging. Free to get in, parking is free as well, and located in the heart of LANL. Lots of history and a must when visiting Los Alamos. read more

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Neat interactive museum. Lots of information and things to interest all ages. The movie has done so much to bring Los Alamos to the forefront that my 19 yo wanted to go and see. Very good. Best of all it is still free. read more

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Awesome layout and content for such a historic place. I hope this museum exists for many generations to come. And it's free thanks to funding from the lab. read more

This is a free museum. It's for all ages and it's super educational if that's your thing. U can explore the science side and then watch the documentary videos that last 15 mins then see the timelines. It's worth it and did I mention it's free. Nothing in the world is free. Worth it and give yourself 2 hours if u want to touch all the interacting items read more

Bradbury Science Museum - Museums Near Me - Los Alamos, New Mexico

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A good and moving museum. Fairly crowded on a Sunday in October. We recommend the 15-minute film. read more

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Lots to read and learn about. Wish I had more time here on my visit. I would recommend a visit.

Too much to see in one visit! Exhibits were very well done. I would like to visit once a day for a couple of hours each. 2 hours is usually my max to stay in a museum at one shot. read more

Don't miss this place if you are in Los Alamos! Excellent short films describing beginning of Atomic research here. Great exhibits and artifacts pertaining to first A bombs. Neat little gift shop. Highly recommend visiting here. read more

The woman in the front was nice and easy to work with but when me and my two friends went to the gift shop to get souvenirs the woman running the desk was very inconsiderate by just straight up telling us to leave for standing quietly looking at items to buy so this place is getting 2/5 also the experience was awesome but the lady at the desk ruined my entire morning. read more

Great little museum in Los Alamos. There are several exhibits currently under renovation. Currently, there is an Oppenheimer exhibit which is quite small. Easy parking, free, with several educational films that run about 15 minutes each. There are also little phones you can pick up at multiple exhibits to hear more information. A good education about the Manhattan project, the birth of Los Alamos as well as the work the lab is currently doing in multiple areas. Worth a trip from Albuquerque to visit. There is also a kids area for kids to play and create. read more

This is a great science museum that highlights local Los Alamos science themes and topics. Since Los Alamos is a special place with a log of natural history and also historical significance, a lot of information is covered in the museum. The exhibits are very visual with a lot of hands on opportunities. It is a very educational museum! There are also two auditoriums to host educational talks as well as view films. I really enjoyed my visit to the museum. read more

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I hadn't been to the Bradbury Science Museum since I was in elementary school and it sure has been modernized and kept up with current events, research, and interactive displays. It is wonderful that it is free, that is one of the best features! I came as a part of a teacher group learning about renewable energy and we had a talk in the theater room with three nuclear engineers from LANL. The room was quite crowded and I was surprised that nobody, including the engineers, were masked beside me and 3 others. This was especially shocking as I know that LANL brought back the mask mandate, there were over 50 people in the room! Overall, I enjoyed touring the museum, but the room was far too small and crowded to be maskless (and my butt barely fit into the seats!) read more

The museum isn't open in the evening and is closed on Sunday's, but it's definitely worth visiting if you're in Los Alamos. Admission is free! I believe they are limiting the number of people inside and masks are required. We got to see a ton of exhibits on projects the National lab has worked on throughout the years and the most interesting was the film on how the town started up during world war 2. It was also really neat to see the models of atomic bombs and various missiles. read more

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Loved every second of this place and didn't want to leave so much information. Amazing my dad lives right down the road from this great museum... read more

Bradbury Science Museum - Museums Near Me - Los Alamos, New Mexico

Los Alamos was a natural next visit after visiting the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History in Albuquerque. It was my first visit to Los Alamos and I may have been expecting something different but it was very fascinating. Los Alamos is still an area with working laboratories. There is no admittance to that area but there are museums, walking tours and displays to document the history of the town. The Bradbury Museum is completely free but do take donations and have a small gift shop to help costs. The Bradbury Science Museum was a very interesting way to understand what went on at the Secret Labs at Los Alamos and those who helped usher us in to the Nuclear Age. I thought the museum was well done and had great displays. You could walk around and see the homes where the scientists, such as Oppenheimer, lived. There is an app that has a lot of information. I had some trouble using it but I'm sure if you give it to your son or daughter that they could use it easily! I really expected to be able to walk through what would feel like the laboratory where the main work was done. If you come expecting a good museum, you will enjoy it. I recommend visiting Los Alamos for its history. The Bradbury Science Museum would be a great first stop. Check the hours before going. I highly recommend it to everyone visiting Los Alamos. read more

Bradbury Science Museum - Hail! - Museums Near Me - Los Alamos, New Mexico

Bradbury Science Museum is a great museum to check out while visiting Los Alamos, especially if you came here in the first place to learn about the birth of the atomic bomb! We visited on July 4th, and were pleased to learn that it was open on a holiday and admission is free! The Museum has a range of material in all fields, other than nuclear weapons; though, it's interesting to see and learn about the different nuclear weapons displayed here. In particular, a highlight of my time here was seeing full-size models of Fat Man and Little Boy atomic bombs. In addition to the different exhibits, which some are interactive, especially for a younger audience, there was a theater that talked about the history of Los Alamos and the make of the atomic bomb. I highly recommend watching it during your visit, as the film is about a half an hour. Glad we visited the Bradbury Science Museum in the limited time we had in Los Alamos. I would recommend visitors to check it out and learn not only about such a significant component and time in national security through the exhibits here, but of the history of the town and why's it's so special today. read more

Bradbury Science Museum - Little Man Atomic Bomb - Museums Near Me - Los Alamos, New Mexico

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Also worth your while to check out if you're in Los Alamos and already did the History Museum. Even if Science and WWII is not your thing, it's very well laid-out and, even better...FREE! So do stop in ;-) read more

Very informative and cool! Very very friendly staff and service. Highly recommend. Free access/entry. read more

Bradbury Science Museum - Entrance - Museums Near Me - Los Alamos, New Mexico

Admission is free. Well done. Be sure to watch the 17-minute (?) film. What isn't said anywhere in the Museum that I saw is that, to this day, the USA is the only country to have nuked another nation. Yes, it is often argued that doing so saved countless lives and brought WWII to an end. Not my point to argue; I'm not that smart. But I do think that it is worthwhile noting that no other nation has ever done that. I think that not saying so is an oversight; hence, four stars instead of five. read more

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If you are interested in the tremendous history of Los Alamos, the impact of LASL and the present mission of the lab this is a great source of information. The exhibits are well done and the live events are excellent. read more

We drove by and commented that while it looked interesting, we weren't willing to pay with it closing in just over an hour. And then I looked up the website and noticed it was free! We whipped the car around and parked right in front. There is SO MUCH to learn and two 15-min videos to view. They make announcements so you know when to head to the auditoriums. I recommend the Manhattan project one to the right of the entrance. We're happy we stopped in after our ski day at Pajarito! read more

Can you imagine that the admission to this wonderful museum is free? They had 2 dymamic movie presentations that there so enlightening. The dusplays were great too. Thanks for sharing such aa. Important time in history with the public. read more

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We had driven to Los Alamos with intentions of seeing Bandelier but since it had been snowing, the national park was closed. Luckily for us, the Bradbury Science Museum was open (and free!) and made our trip to Los Alamos worth it and memorable. The science museum is small and quaint but packed from head to toe with information, history, and even a movie theater! The film they showed was informative and just short enough to leave you interested in learning more. I enjoyed the exhibits as everything was well curated and artifacts preserved. If you are interested in learning about nuclear weapons, atomic bombs, scientists, radiation, etc., Bradbury Science Museum is truly unique. read more

I worked at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) about 30 years ago as a graduate student. This experience started a life-long love affair with this part of Northern New Mexico. Much of the LANL is within secure areas and closed to the public. And although a lot of "Secret Squirrel" research still goes on here, there are also many other projects that are less about deterrence and more about humanitarian subjects that affect our daily lives. I was and still am proud that I got the opportunity to work here. To learn more about Los Alamos, one good place to start is the Norris E. Bradbury Science Museum. It is named in honour of the Laboratory's second director who served his Country here from 1945-1970. The facility is owned and operated by LANL. The museum features early exhibits, artifacts and documents from the World War II Manhattan Project, including full size models of the Little Boy and Fat Man atomic bombs. There are also displays of the latest in laser, computer, geothermal, solar, nuclear, & other technologies, from health research to environmental studies. Admission is always free and you'll do your children a favour by giving them these kind of opportunities to learn more about science. This is the best kind of Borg assimilation, as Resistance Is Futile. read more

Bradbury Science Museum - Museums Near Me - Los Alamos, New Mexico

Very interesting! Plan on spending a little of time here if you want to see everything.

Outstanding free museum. My toddler is too young to really appreciate it, but there's tons here for kids and adults. Lots of interactive exhibits about the Manhattan Project and more recent activities at the LANL. Moderate in size, 1-2 hours is probably right for most people. It definitely has a slant: for example, lots of info about why the nuclear arsenal needs to be maintained, nothing challenging why the US needs so much nuclear capability. But with that perspective in mind, it is highly informative with varied presentation, keeping it engaging. read more

This museum is small but, exceptional! The information is presented in a way that is engaging and informative. They combine both audio and visual media with inter-active methods of exploring history. I can't tell you when I have enjoyed a museum more! I thoroughly recommend stopping at this museum if you are anywhere near Los Alamos. read more

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Not a very large museum. Most of the items in here ware things to read. They also have quite a few movies/videos in the little theaters. There is quite a lot of information. I would say its defiantly worth stopping in if you are in Los Alamos. However, I wouldn't do much of a drive to get here. I spent only about 30-45 min here and had enough. It is free entrance. read more

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Excellent museum related to nuclear science, the Manhattan Project, and science in general. Despite being free admission, it was remarkably well maintained and thorough. The exhibits have a sense of authenticity due to the proximity to Los Alamos National Laboratory. It is about 1.5 hours from Albuquerque and 1/2 hour from Santa Fe but definitely worth the drive. read more

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This is a nice small museum to visit if in Los Alamos, it's free but they do have plenty of information and since it is small if you have questions, the staff is there to answer right away. Information includes the history of "little Boy" and "fat man" both bombs used in 1945 on Japan. Hopefully they are never used. Nice to visit if you are in the area to get a better understanding. read more

Bradbury Science Museum - Fat Man - Museums Near Me - Los Alamos, New Mexico

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This museum is awesome. It has historical items and information, current nuclear science and engineering, and future potential. The gift shop is nice but is not made the focus of the museum. There are many hands on displays to interact with and learn from. You can even touch Fat Man and Little Boy replicas. Best of all it is free. read more

One of my favorite places in Los Alamos. I have been here several times and still have not covered all the information here.

This place made me want to cry and made me feel unsafe. And I'm someone who believes that war is necessary. Just keep in mind if on a fun vacation that this museum might not have the intended educational effect of a "science museum", but could make you sad and nervous. I almost didn't come because of the mini-mall location. I had the misconception that the museum was attached or in the National Laboratory. But, little did I know that all of Los Alamos was used for the Manhattan Project. It seems weird to have the left gallery about nuclear armaments and the right gallery about the historical development of the atom bomb, but have a kids science center wedged in between the two. They need to take a clue from war museums and memorials and treat the topic with reverence. Or at the very least, completely separate (both visually and physically) the death-related items from the pure science exhibits. Parking and admittance is free. My visit took 40 minutes. read more

Sorry to say it, but I expected a really first-rate museum on the Manhattan project, and this was not it. While the Bradbury Science Museum has a few interesting artifacts of the historic effort during World War II, some good photographs and exhibits and reproductions, and it costs nothing to visit, it is not much better than a science museum in a small town. Such an important and world-changing effort as the development of the atomic bomb deserves much better than this. read more

Living in DC, I'm relatively spoiled by the plethora of top-notch free museums. That said, I was still impressed with the Bradbury Science Museum. Perhaps this museum would be better named "Los Alamos Nuclear Science and History Museum," as it is more about Los Alamos' place in science and history than it is a general science museum. A few smaller exhibits are dedicated to other non-nuclear science topics, but overwhelmingly the museum focuses on Los Alamos and the Manhattan Project. The Bradbury Science Museum is a decent size and well-maintained, and employs a friendly, amicable staff. The exhibit with full scale models of the Little Boy and Fat Man atomic bombs was impressive. The signage does a great job of explaining the context of America's involvement in the WWII, in both the European and Pacific fronts, as well as describing the political climate leading up to the start of the war. I probably could have spent an hour on this portion of the exhibit alone. The museum offers a complimentary showing of a short film, "The Town That Never Was," which superbly explained the sudden and secret development of the hidden town of Los Alamos, N.M. during the Manhattan project. For example, did you know that all the residents of the town shared a common address, a Santa Fe P.O. box? Or that on birth certificates, residents were given numbers instead of names? Fascinating. The movie had to have been decades old, as evidenced by the film quality and music choices, but the mysteriousness of the subject matter made up for it tenfold. If you visit Santa Fe, I wholeheartedly recommend a side visit to the Bradbury Museum. The scenic vistas and gorgeous drive are enough to warrant the trip. read more