It was so worth stopping by. I'm glad to learn about the depth of the natural land formations dating back 25+ million years, as well as how the area is involved in the nuclear waste cleanup effort. It was an eye-opening experience for me to learn that the atomic bomb, which was dropped in Nagasaki, Japan, was manufactured in the Hanford Nuclear Plant. It's an eyesore to see how history reveals the human ego repeats. At the same time, it's great to see that there are tons of efforts offered to sustain Mother Nature. read more

I really enjoyed this museum focused on the natural aspects of the Hanford Reach. Went in looking for information on one thing, and really explored both galleries. One focused on the geology and natural history of the Reach. Then the transition to the Hanford Project is punctuated with a movie. The second gallery was one focused on developing nuclear energy and the elements needed for nuclear weapons that would be the focus of the Cold War. Really insightful materials about Hanford's role during this period. read more

Great museum really outlines the historical and awesome ideas that the DOE and local people of the area for helping the geography and other ideas of halting the devastation from toxic waste. The Handford Reach Museum is surrounded by two giant metal rings that encompass the whole museum. It's out by the Columbia River and has lots of different historic artifacts from the 1940s It is meant for all ages because they have guided tours all the time and the tour guide tell ya all the facts Like I said in the comment before the tour guide tell ya all the facts lots of posters and signs to tell a person whats what the reason is kind of a biased one because I took my senior pictures at this museum. read more

Yikes. The geology part, let me say, was fascinating and well done. But once human history got going, things got weird fast and then got weirder. The climax of the crescendoing awkwardness took the form of a large exhibit about the history of the Hanford Site, where weapons grade plutonium was created initially for the bombs that were dropped on Japan in 1945 (they also made the majority of plutonium used in nukes during the Cold War). The exhibit was very thorough except for the fact that it totally forgot to mention any of the sad or upsetting things related to this work, like the deaths of hundreds of thousands of civilians who were incinerated alive and/or poisoned, and the environmental horrors that resulted from all this nuclear waste. There is a postcard sized photo, like a literal afterthought, showing the bombing of Hiroshima, but nowhere does the exhibit mention the number of people who died or how they died. Also, on the wall opposite that tiny photo is a massive photo, like 20 feet wide by 15 feet tall, or a ship sinking in Pearl Harbor after the Japanese attack there. It felt like a parody of biased presentation and omission. Wild. read more

The Reach - Tiny acknowledgement of a little incident that happened in Japan involving the atom bomb - Museums Near Me - Richland, Washington

The museum is larger and well laid out. The exhibits are very interactive and informative .

" Great Museum with Outstanding Hands on History" My wife and I visited The Reach in Richland Washington last week, and had a great experience.The Museum and Interpretive Center is a newer facility which was built in 2014, and is one of the best hands on educational history venues, I have ever seen, The History of the area with the building of the Atomic Bombs for the United States, was so interesting. Many films and different hands on educational devices, helped us understand the years of history in the Richland, and surrounding areas. The Reach is a great educational and historical experience for the entire family. read more

See all

I had a terrible experience here, just now (Yelp says it's closed, but it's not). Sunday, 2/8/15. As soon as I entered, I loved the atmosphere, the tank and the beautiful building. But had to run to the ladies as soon as I arrived, and my husband was waiting for me. The fun started when I came out. There were some older people in line at the front, and I went near the fish tank thinking my hubby was over there. --Hey!! Your boy went over there! He needs to come back here and pay, this isn't free! I looked around to see if she was talking to me like that, and she said Yeah you! She was exclaiming at me, ignoring the people in line. I'm in my 20s and this 40s chick was talking to me like I was a teenager with a wild toddler. I said, Excuse me. What boy? Are you talking about my husband? You're giving me a lot of attitude. She said, Yeah, this place isn't FREE. You have to pay, and I told him that and he just wandered off somewhere without paying. He needs to come back here and pay! 1. I had just walked out of the bathroom. 2. Who knows where he went, but I would've been happy to pay if I'd known. I was coming up to the front desk anyways! I said, First, you're throwing a lot of attitude at me (I said with attitude). Please don't talk to me like that, I just got out here. Second, what direction did he go? Did you tell him he had to pay? Yes but this isn't a free museum, and I don't know where he went. He went over there. Come back and pay. He wasn't 20 ft from the desk, in the first little area to the right. He was on his phone waiting for me, and said he went over to the window. He told the woman he just wanted to look around while he waited for me. I won't forget this experience. The lady at the front desk sneered at me. She looked and talked at me as if my husband was actually an uncontrolled toddler putting his fingers on everything. When he was just waiting for me. The attitude she gave me, if I was a little more hormonal I probably would've thrown my phone at her for talking to me like I was trash. I hate to throw in the race and age card, but maybe us being a young mixed couple brought out the crazy skag in her. I walked right out. And I plan to write a letter to whoever runs this place. Sunday, February 8th, at 1pm. Whoever she is, she deserves the boot. read more

Beautiful structure. The interior was dark for the party we went to but the exhibits were informative. Not much for kids and no hands on learning. read more

The Reach - We should bring this slogan back - Museums Near Me - Richland, Washington

We visited five or six museums of the last few days and this one was by far the most overpriced and disappointing. Compared to other national monuments this one was not kept up and the staff was unusually unfriendly. Many of the exhibits didn't work or were blank. We also walked out back to look at some outdoor monuments and were locked out about 5 minutes before closing time. There is quite a bit of information about Hanford, which was interesting. read more

Don't let the small size of the building fool you - this is an incredibly jampacked experience! The exhibit space had everything carefully laid out on and very well presented, and it gave in very short order the entire history of the area from pre-history all the way to current day. Let other museums have grand concourses and spacious airy halls - this presents it without any additional frills, and it has a compact presentation of a lot of stuff. Not really kid friendly, this is more of a serious adult type of thing where you can get every piece of information you've ever wanted to know about the Hanford Reach (section) of the Columbia River. Very good section on the World War II years. read more

The Reach - Museums Near Me - Richland, Washington

See all

We had camels in prehistoric times?! We had a great time reading about the Hanford Engineering Works and about the geological development of the area. They have the best explanation of the prehistoric floods and basalt development that I've ever seen. read more

Very nice facility and presentations. I really appreciated the dual focus. The first focus is on the geology and early history of the region. The second is focused on the critical nature of Hanford and the area in the race for a way to end World War II. The coverage was very well balanced. read more

The Reach - The Reach - Museums Near Me - Richland, Washington

See all

The bad experience starts with the unpleasant lady working the front desk. Just not very interesting. Someone needs to go to the High Desert Museum in Bend to see how a smaller museum can be good. read more

My experience visiting The REACH Museum was great! I learned a lot of things about the area, especially about Hanford & the Columbia River. I would definitely re-visit & bring along my child to the REACH Little Explorers Pre-school program. They have plenty of learning stations for all ages! read more

See all

After celebrating our son graduating Navy Basic Training, we were excited to see the Naval exhibit they had. We drove over, only to get turned away at the door because their card reader was down. It was frustrating to get turned away for something I have no control over. Sure would have been nice to let us in anyway. There was probably only 5 cars in their parking lot. I won't go back, and it appears many people don't go anyway. read more