Oak Ridge History Tour

 In July of 2023 we enjoyed a 3 day trip to the Knoxville area for a fun summer vacation with friends and a little bit of school! 

Oak Ridge, TN has been on our mind this year after spending the year learning about Chemistry - especially the developments in the periodic table of elements during Marie Curie's life. It's amazing to me how fast things seemed to move in the development of chemistry and physics from 1910-1940! As we finished our biography of Marie Curie and looked into the development of the atom bomb I knew we needed to take a trip to the Knoxville area to learn more!

The Oak Ridge site is made up of several locations. We took the American Museum of Science and Energy tour (ages 10 and up only) and it was very thorough and a great tour.....but long! And not really geared to the ages of 10-13! If you want to go with your kids I will give a suggested itinerary below. If you want to take the bus tour which gives you access to multiple sites you can purchase tickets and read more here. 

You can learn more about the Manhattan Project here: https://youtu.be/njjul7qbbko

Suggested itinerary with kids:

K-25 History Center - this was our favorite stop on the tour and we could have spent so much more time here! When you go, contact them ahead of time to see if your child can get a "security badge" for all the interactive exhibits!  

AMSE - The American Museum of Science and Energy is GREAT for kids! There are a lot of really neat science exhibits and hands on displays for students to learn through interaction. They are also in the reciprocal science museum list so if you have a membership to Adventure Science Center you can get in for free! (Here is the list for 23-24)

Y-12 History Center - This is an important part of the Manhattan Project history, but I feel the actual center is a spot that you could skip with your kids to spend more time at K-25 or the Museum of Science and Energy. Also, they are not always open to the public so if you want to visit this spot, taking the Museum of Science and Energy tour would be your best bet to make this one of your stops. However, don't miss the videos you can watch to prepare yourself for the trip! Check out all the videos here! 

There is also a visitor's center in Oak Ridge that I didn't visit but it's right by the American Museum of Science and Energy. If I were to do this trip over, I would go to the visitor center first and then the AMSE, and then the K-25 museum!

We stopped at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and learned some interesting things, but it is necessary for a trip. I did enjoy learning about the element "Tennessine" that was discovered here! 

The X-10 is also a part of the Manhattan Project but is currently closed. 

Other interests in the area!

We had several days in the area so some other interesting stops we made were to Knoxville and Blount Mansion! (Ask for Jenny to be your tour guide!)

I loved this story about George Washington’s portrait....

The original was painted by Stuart who found out that another artist, John Sword, had copied the famous painting by “reverse image” and sold numerous copies. This was one of the first “copyright infringement” cases in the USA and Stuart won the lawsuit. Today, there are only 11 known “fake” portraits by Sword and one hangs here at the Blount Mansion. (I think Jenny said they found it at a yard sale or auction!!!) Read more about the mansion here: https://cityviewmag.com/5-empty-list-to-clone-22/

William Blount was a signer of the Constitution and the governor of the Southwest Territory before TN earned its statehood. When TN became a state, Blount became a senator and John Sevier became our first governor. My TN Landmarks book has a wonderful chapter on this history that I enjoyed reading before our visit. Blount’s wife was well loved by everyone in the community and there are two places in TN that bear her name. Maryville, TN is named in her honor as is Grainger County. The only county in TN named for a woman ❤️

We had such a fun trip with our friends! Our overnight spot was Norris Dam State Park but we also had a lot of fun swimming at Big Ridge! If you want a fun and educational summer trip check out this area!