The visitor center is located in the Childen's Museum of Oak Ridge. To be honest, I was expecting…read moremore out of the visitor's center since a lot of the time there's a small associated museum or exhibits, but it was quite bare with only a small looping video. I liked the concept of the park in that you get to explore the community, but since the bus tour wasn't running with no plan or date when it would come back, it was hard to make a cohesive plan. I would say plan on visiting the K-25 history center + overlook and the American Museum of Science and Energy for sure, and then just wandering around the community looking at the placards. If you're into the stamps, there's a three part stamp (the rest of the parts are in Hanford, Washington and Los Alamos, New Mexico).

An off the beaten tract for typical visitors. Department of…read moreEnergy sponsors a bus tour. Make reservations on line and early. We went in a rainy day and it was still fabulous. Seeing up close the impact of the Atomic era was eye opening. So much More to the history besides the actual bombing. Take a day to do this historical site.

Part history museum, science museum, and children's museum. There's a little something for everyone…read moreat the American Museum of Science & Energy. The museum tells the story of Oak Ridge's role in World War II and the top secret Manhattan Project. The way the museum is laid out tells the story in a chronological way where you'll begin by learning about how Oak Ridge came to be, its role in the war, and its role in nuclear research in the years since the hydrogen bomb was first dropped over Japan. Plan to spend about 2 hours here depending on how hands on you want to be. As you progress through the musuem it becomes more hands on and reminiscent of a children's museum where you can get hands on with science theories. The space has multiple exhibits, an introduction video, and gift shop. On certain days/times a bus tour is offered to the plant sites that will also include admission to the museum but I was not visiting on one of those days but would like to check it out if Im ever in the area on the right day.

Located in Main Street in Oak Ridge at the end of the shopping strip. Much larger inside than…read moreanticipated and many interactive exhibits, movies, and teaching sessions. An affordable option ($10 per adult and $5 per child) in comparison to other local museums, too. I would say the best ages for this spot would be 8 and up. There is quite a bit of reading and many of the hands-on displays are complex. It is great for adults, too, and I learned so much about our city and nation's history...and science tidbits I had forgotten in the (longgg) time since high school. There is quite a bit of information on the Manhattan Project and the formation of Oak Ridge as a whole, including videos in the auditorium and in that specific section of the museum. We loved learning more! Did you know that when FDR died, his VP had no clue that M. Project was even underway? Or that Oak Ridge had over 75,000 people but did not show on a map? We loved the staff interaction, including the sessions that they lead throughout the afternoon in the auditorium. The one about static electricity was really cool and informative. My squirmy 10 yo was captivated! There were so many STEM exhibits and one of the lab rooms was open with many stations to build circuits, look into microscopes, etc. My kiddo enjoyed what he referred to as "practice for the claw machine," as well. Side notes: The gift shop had some really neat items (typical gift shop pricing) and the water fountains had the bottle filling spout. There are benches everywhere you look and it is all one level, making this a highly-accessible spot to visit. You will likely spend at least 1.5-2 hours here. Definitely worth the money!

We went awhile back to see Charlotte and were sorely disappointed. Hearing of her death today…read morereminded me I had forgotten to write a review. This location is privately run and not for educational purposes. More like going to a friends house to see their pets. Please consider going to an aquarium run by scientists for educational purposes.

I want to say this has been one of the highlights of my family trip. When your 16 yo his 17 yo best…read morefriend and wife all agree on this fact it says something. As adults we have this tendency to say "if I knew then what I knew now, I'd have paid more attention in school!" Well here's your chance. This tiny aquarium will impart more knowledge in a short visit than you probably take in most months if you take advantage of it. The interns and owner (a former teacher) are committed to answering questions. The things they are studying and sharing are amazing. If you go in and you want to learn and ask questions this will be an experience you won't forget. Think of the best science teacher you ever had, having an opportunity to show the world what she loves to talk about... and that is what you have here. Do yourself a favor, go, enjoy and learn!!

I will be first to say this place when we pulled in I doubted we would enjoy it. I saw a lot of…read morelittle kids and we had a 2nd grader with us. I guess I am spoiled with a hometown children's museum of play.. I am so glad we went in to give it a chance, the employees here are wonderful. Very welcoming. The exhibits are diverse and many hands on touch this or that ability. There were some dated videos of the Appalachian culture but honestly it gave it an appeal and definitely a time gone by. The exhibits and explanation of the Manhattan project were very interesting. All of us walked away learning a lot about oak ridge and that era around world war 2. We spent a good two hours in the museum and didn't read it all, we happened to be walking in right before a school group of 30 little kids and parents. Initially it was loud but there was enough space that we didn't have to be around all the chaos real little kids bring. Some of the exhibits were geared for smaller kids but our 2nd grader had no problem enjoying the experience. I mean who doesn't love a "doll house" that has two levels, For the price and exhibits I would suggest it to anyone especially if you have a history buff in your family.

Pulling in, it's an old school and it doesn't look very big. You walk inside and are greeted by an…read moreattendant and a big bear off to the left. They have a small gift shop with stuffed animals, patches and small things. If your disabled, don't worry about steps..they have ya covered with ramps throughout the museum. As you walk through it's very well put together. The farm room where the children can grab a basket and grab the plastic apples out of the tree on the wall and make their own dinner plate out if magnetized pictures of foods. They have a pretty big life-sized doll house, which was very cool along with old relics of dolls etc from different eras. They have a water room where the kids can send floating boats down a make believe lock at the dam. At the end, they have a train room that is pretty cool with towns all lit up and a train going throughout them.. very cool place. Very neat place. $8.00 for adults $7.00 for seniors aged 62+ and children under 3 are free.

A fun little shop with all local items in a historic train depot. Very cute and eclectic!…read more They have lots of unique to the area type gift items and it is always being updated. It is fun to peruse and the staff were super helpful as well. Devo rely worth a visit plus there is a lot of free parking close which is also a plus!

From the owner: We are an event venue perfect for small weddings, showers, meetings, parties, or any sort of event!…read moreWe also sell souvenir items for Crossville and Tennessee, as well as arts and crafts from local artists.

The Sunsphere is an amazing architectural wonder and remnant from the 1982 World's Fair in…read moreKnoxville. My visit to the Sunsphere made my day. The 342' steel structure was designed by Don Shell and completed in 1982. The glass on the 75' sphere is coated with gold dust. During the World's Fair, a small restaurant operated at the top and visitors could visit the observation deck for $2. We were passing through Knoxville and my daughter wanted to visit. Today, visitors can pay to go up to the observation deck of the giant structure. ($10 for adults). You can buy tickets on line or at the Sunsphere. When we arrived, the Sphere was closed until 1:30, so we did not go up in it. But we enjoyed walking around and taking photos. There is parking a block south and the walk through the park is lovely. There is a drop off circle near the Sunshpere as well. Let's are not allowed in the structure.

Sunsphere is cool, but also overpriced. We were walking around Knoxville and it was fun to go up…read moreand get her 360° view. It was also nice to get out of the heat and humidity and feel a little air conditioning. Once you've looked around, there's not much else to do. Maybe read a sign or two, but I'd say 10 minutes is the most anybody might realistically spend up at the top, so $40 for the four of us felt a bit steep. I will say this, if we hadn't gone up, then we would not have noticed the Knoxville Museum of Art, which we wound up going to and that was awesome!