PLEASE NOTE: The EBR-1 museum is closed for physical visits for summer 2020 due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. You can still safely explore the driving portion of the tour on site and explore the museum virtually.

Have you ever seen a nuclear reactor? Ever wonder how electricity is generated from nuclear energy? Satisfy your curiosity by taking this tour of Idaho National Laboratory.

As you drive along Highway 20/26 you will see miles of high desert where the U.S. Department of Energy is leading the country’s nuclear energy research. Over the last 70-plus years at the INL Site, 52 nuclear reactors have been built to develop the science of peaceful nuclear power for the U.S. and the world. The world’s first usable quantity of electricity from splitting atoms occurred here at Experimental Breeder Reactor-One in 1951. America’s nuclear-propelled Navy was born here in 1953. And nuclear power plant safety standards used around the globe began here.

You can also explore the Experimental Breeder Reactor No. 1 (EBR-I) Atomic Museum. The facility is a National Historic Landmark where usable electricity was first generated from nuclear energy in 1951. It’s the only place in America you can see four nuclear reactors — including two aircraft nuclear propulsion prototypes, a reactor control room, remote handling devices for radioactive materials, radiation detection equipment, and much more.