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K-25 History Center

4.6 (11 reviews)
Open 9:00 am - 5:00 pm

K-25 History Center Photos

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John B.

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.

K-33 sign inside the entrance
Ward D.

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.

Security checkpoint

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2 years ago

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8 months ago

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8 months ago

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

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3 years ago

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Review Highlights - K-25 History Center

This is a small museum about K-25, a mile-long plant that enriched uranium using the gaseous diffusion process.

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Sunsphere - Enter here

Sunsphere

4.1(76 reviews)
26.4 mi

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.

This was a great break from the bar crawl yesterday. It is $10, very accessible, not crowded at…read moreall on a Thursday morning. Accessible bathrooms at the top. It is a short trip around the sphere but they have lots of interesting information, fun facts, and we followed a UT student tour so we got all the scoop on the school and fun activities around town. I would recommend adding this your city tour plans. Also good for kids.

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Sunsphere - Sunsphere, 200 ft plus to the observation level. Event space and a few offices up top

Sunsphere, 200 ft plus to the observation level. Event space and a few offices up top

Sunsphere - Rainbow bridge

Rainbow bridge

Sunsphere

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Airplane Filling Station - Airplane Filling Station, Knoxville

Airplane Filling Station

5.0(1 review)
20.9 mi

Part of the 20th century trend of making gas stations look like other things (see my 15000th…read morereview, the Shell Gas Station in Winston-Salem https://www.yelp.com/biz/shell-gas-station-winston-salem?hrid=JbBAsOl2ivCEs6IM2U48Tg), this one is made to look like an airplane. It's completely out of place as there is no airport anywhere in the vicinity and there aren't any airplane related businesses nearby. But that anachronism doesn't make it any less awesome! It was built in 1930 as a service station owned by Henry and Elmer Nickle. It was a full service station with fuel under the left wing and oil changes under the right wing. Back in the day, Highway 25 was a busy roadway but as time passed and I-75 was built, the motorists didn't come as often. In the 1960s it was a liquor store and then a produce store and then a bait shop before it was finally abandoned in 2000. Slated for demolition, the community rallied around the airplane and raised money from bake sales and tourism grants. It has since been recovered and restored to its original 1931 standards. It was barber shop for some time and now... I don't know what but it was being touched up when I stopped by. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004. It is easiest to access if you are heading south into Knoxville. Watch the traffic and pull into the neighboring used car lot, take your pictures, and be on your way. Perhaps it will be back as a business you can patronize. I could have used a haircut! [Review 18217 overall - 306 in Tennessee - 1739 of 2022.]

From the owner: I strive to give the best service to my customers read more

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Airplane Filling Station - Airplane Filling Station, Knoxville

Airplane Filling Station, Knoxville

Airplane Filling Station - Airplane Filling Station, Knoxville

Airplane Filling Station, Knoxville

Airplane Filling Station - Airplane Filling Station, Knoxville

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Airplane Filling Station, Knoxville

K-25 History Center - museums - Updated May 2026

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