www.mtsunset.ac.zw Portal
Atlas Obscura - Latest • Feb. 11, 2026, 8:15 p.m.
Nevada National Security Site in Mercury, Nevada
Home to a nuclear-blasted replica of a typical American town and the country’s largest manmade crater, the Nevada National Security Site is a haven for atomic history buffs. Formerly known as the Nevada Test Site, this area—spanning 1,350 square miles just an hour northwest of Las Vegas—was home to 928 nuclear detonation tests between 1951 and 1992.
The Nevada National Security Site remains active as a research facility to this day, but tours departing from the National Atomic Testing Museum in Las Vegas offer an up-close look at nuclear history for visitors who pass the required background checks. Tours of the site are a full-day affair, covering almost 250 miles on site by chartered bus.
Notable destinations within the National Security Site include Mercury, Nevada: a former company town for personnel at the test site.
The Nevada National Security Site remains active as a research facility to this day, but tours departing from the National Atomic Testing Museum in Las Vegas offer an up-close look at nuclear history for visitors who pass the required background checks. Tours of the site are a full-day affair, covering almost 250 miles on site by chartered bus.
Notable destinations within the National Security Site include Mercury, Nevada: a former company town for personnel at the test site.
Related
