This is a small museum about K-25, a mile-long plant that enriched uranium using the gaseous diffusion process. It was so large that people rode bicycles to get around! It also overlooks the plant site itself if you want to appreciate the scale of everything. Admission is $10, and expect to spend one to one and a half hours here. I'm not sure how much appeal it has to younger kids as there's limited hands on interactive displays, and some of the topics they delve into are heavy, such as the role of African Americans and how they were still segregated at Oak Ridge. There's a small gift shop and bathroom facilities. ADA accessible. Do note that if you pay for a ticket here you get a discount when you buy admission tickets at the American Museum of Science and Energy the same day. read more

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This is another small museum in Oak Ridge. This museum focuses on K25 or the massive enrichment facility for uranium enrichment. It's packed with artifacts and you get a security card to interplay with many displays. It's a very cool museum. There is even a 'Little boy' nuclear bomb on display. Nice! read more

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Small museum that can easily take over an hour or two to go through. Tucked away from the main road, we found ourselves in a small parking lot and museum. They have over 200 original artifacts and you're able to understand clearly the purpose of the location. Was inspired by Oppenheimer to visit the location, and it was well worth it! read more

My family and I thoroughly enjoyed this history center. We were traveling from East Tennessee back to the Nashville area and decided to stop here and check it out. The K-25 replica was really cool to see and the history center itself was very informative. Originally we only saw the replica as we didn't notice the history center right next to the fire station. But once we went to the history center an hour was not enough time for us to get through the museum. They even had little "scavenger hunt" sheets so my 7 and 9 year old enjoyed reading and looking for answers. Would definitely recommend anyone driving through to make a stop here and check it out ! read more

My favorite of all the Oak Ridge museums. Interactive and tells of life in Oak Ridge during the war.

The surrounding area is an active area of remediation, construction, and active research, with many side roads that my GPS thought open in fact bearing US government signs to keep away, so be careful navigating. This museum offers a relatively direct window into the area's history as a uranium enrichment site for the Manhattan Project. There are several museums and places to visit in the area in theory, but when I tried, the government buildings were still closed, claiming COVID as an excuse (a dubious claim at this point), and other museums were either not open seven days a week or seemed more general or oriented towards children. The inscrutable K-25 name was apparently intentional, as the facilities here were run with extreme secrecy, and names of buildings such as K-25 meaning nothing in specific and serving to obfuscate. There is a $10 charge to enter and it's no huge museum, containing 4-6 rooms depending on how you count on one floor of a building set aside from the rapidly changing industrial surroundings. A keycard is given which is used to activate some of the displays, adding to the atmosphere of procedural security. The exhibitions are quite detailed, covering extensively the lives of people who worked at the site, the development of nuclear science, and its far-reaching implications. It's thought-provoking, and no end of controversy might ensue from considering things like whether the people who worked here unknowing contributing to a weapon of mass destruction were okay with that (the museum says that most of them were and glosses over the contrary), the life and times of Robert Oppenheimer, and the implications of censorship (apparently there was an actual Bureau of Censorship, which was closed after the war, at least in theory). It may be too much to expect a museum to really delve into some of the questions raised by nuclear technology; this one tries valiantly in places and doesn't seem to want to go there on some other occasions. As with all museums, it is intriguing but not the definitive answer to any question. You could bring children here, but the level of scientific detail on the manufacturing processes and the complex social issues surrounding the role of women and African Americans in the 1940's are topics that require an adult level of knowledge to really engage with. Let alone the fundamental question of how a species of hairless apes can manage to wield the power of the atom responsibly, one that continues to be timely to this day. I spent around an hour here on my visit, and it certainly was time well spent pondering these and other questions. read more

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However, Sally with the green hair was the worst docent ever. Put down your phone. Greet guests. Tell us the price. Welcome us. Etc If your "trainer" didn't train you then read next f the many books in your shop! Learn This was a cool spot Lots of history Sally was a huge disappointment read more

A wonderful tribute to the K25 plant and a cool place to see that encompasses lots of history. This building can be arrived at by individual vehicle or by taking the ASME bus tour. It is located off the north side of Enrichment Drive west of Oak Ridge. There is also a separate overlook up the hill for people that want to get a better look. I took the bus tour and it left from the Museum of Science and Energy. The K25 history center commemorates the gaseous diffusion plant that used to operate on the site. Even as you walk up the building, you can see many of the WWII signs that used to be displayed around Oak Ridge to the thousands of workers living in the closed city. The building is very nice and has lots of history and good displays to explain the various aspects of the plant, Oak Ridge, enrichment, the people, radioactivity, and the war. The building is clean. The staff was very friendly and helpful. They have a treasure hunt that I enjoyed playing to make sure that you see items and find facts throughout the structure. If you are in the area, I definitely recommend checking out this site to understand how this area helped win WWII. read more

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I only wish it was bigger and included more history than it does. My dads first big job in 1945.This facility was so instrumental to our country. Sorry to see the gaseous diffusion process go away. Many family members worked there. It provided for people in this valley for a long time. I wish the old Wheat church could be opened more often. It was a bright spot for many who worshipped there. Old buildings are hard to maintain, but I think with Volunteers helping do tours etc. it could've become a reality. Stopping now. read more

Pros: Must see for people interested in the Manhattan Project. Interactive, modern museum with impressive 3-D video capabilities and captivating oral history. It's baffling to learn that 75,000 workers and even then-Vice President Truman didn't know about the intentions of the facility. The surroundings are still relatively untouched so experience it before industry moves in. Once the viewing tower gets completed, the aerial view of the compound will be mind-boggling. Cons: N/A read more

This is a new, small museum at the site of the K-25 Gaseous Diffusion plant in Oak Ridge that enriched most of the uranium used in the Atomic Bomb that destroyed Hiroshima. At the time, it was the largest industrial building in the world and a secret to the outside world. The museum uses modern exhibits with many artifacts to explain the war, the Manhattan Project, life in the "Secret City" of Oak Ridge, and the science and process at K25. It does not gloss over the issues faced by People of Color who were a large part of the workforce, nor does it ignore the controversy over the use of the weapons. This is a great museum that will take 45 minutes to two hours depending on how much time you want to spend looking at artifacts and reading. It's run by the same folks who run the American Museum of Science and Energy. AMSE focuses on energy and current work at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. K25 focuses on Manhattan Project history. Visit accordingly. read more

K-25 History Center - Security checkpoint - Museums Near Me - Oak Ridge, Tennessee