Before we go any further, you might be wondering what AMSE is and where Oak Ridge is. AMSE stands for the American Museum of Science and Energy. The official title for the bus tour is Department of Energy’s Public Facilities Bus Tour presented by the American Museum of Science and Energy. You see why that might be too lengthy of a blog post title. Oak Ridge, a small city in East Tennessee, had an integral role in The Manhattan Project during WWII. It’s referred to as The Secret City. It’s less than 30 minutes away from Knoxville. I have another post planned for how I came to be interested in visiting and more info about the city itself. And don’t worry, I will include all the links you need at the bottom of the post so you can take your own tour and fall in love with “The Secret City”, too!
Ok, now on with the show (blog post)!
I typically think of myself as someone who marches to the beat of their own drum. Therefore, I don’t often like to jump on bandwagons and typically only enjoy limited interaction with large groups of people. I definitely trend on the lone wolf side. This whole trip was a solo venture! I didn’t think I would be someone who would like a group tour because when I’m visiting a museum/historic site I like to wander aimlessly and not feel rushed while snapping a bazillion photos. Spoiler, I did 2 more in Boston and consider me a group tour superfan!
All of this being said when I was planning my April 2025 first trip to Oak Ridge, Tennessee I debated doing the bus tour because I thought it might be too “touristy” and because of all of the above reasons. Then I thought about it. When I’m in history excursion mode, I want to see all the things, do all the things, and buy all the gift shop things. Since I’d be a first timer and the tours started a little earlier this year, I decided to go for it during my April 2025 visit and I’m so glad I did! I don’t want to throw around “deal of a lifetime” lightly but it kind of was. For $15 plus tax, you get a behind the scenes of Oak Ridge look, an informative and enjoyable time, and admission to AMSE and the K-25 History Center for the rest of the day!
Spring is the perfect time of year for the tour because the weather was perfect temperature-wise. It did rain during the tour but that didn’t stop us! That being said, obviously I love history and was afraid this might be “too sciencey.” Yes, I make up my own words sometimes. Well, history nerds rejoice! If you are a WWII nerd you will not be bored! You will be captivated and even take notes on your phone during the tour. I did! I don’t often take notes, but when I do history is involved!
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW AHEAD OF TIME
- You need to carefully read the tour information and pay close attention to the dates the tours run. They are not year round. It needs to be booked ahead of time.
- You should plan for a good portion of the day to be taken up by the tour and museums. The tour runs about 9:00-12:30 but you need to arrive at AMSE at 8:30. If you are late you will literally miss the bus.
- I stayed at a local hotel the night before very close to AMSE. I drove to find the museum, too. It’s not a stand alone. It’s at the end of a shopping center kind of area. Plenty of parking and easy to get to even for those of us who are directionally challenged (insert hand raise emoji).
- The tour is run by a government agency so it’s not the time to go rogue. Be on time and follow directions. Make sure you have your ID because you will have to show it. There are parts of the trip where you are not allowed to take pictures for national security reasons.
- If there is a chance of rain, bring an umbrella. As previously mentioned the tour goes rain or shine. I was glad I did. I brought a drawstring backpack and a water.
- Wear comfortable shoes and dress in clothes that will make it easy to navigate getting in/out of a bus. I wore leggings, a WWII t-shirt, and tennis shoes.
- There are bathrooms at the stops.
- One of the stops has a gift shop but you won’t have much time to browse. You get free admission the rest of the day so you can come back and shop (I did).
As a person with BMATE (Bigtime Mom And Teacher Energy) I had to get that out of the way. As someone also with ADHD, I had to reiterate the rule following and the not going rogue part. I definitely followed the rules about photography!
THE FUN PART
My tour guide’s name was Norm and he was great! Super knowledgeable and the perfect person to showcase the sites! Friendly and approachable! He had worked at Y-12 (which is one of the stops). The thing you need to know is that lots of places in Oak Ridge have a name like Y-12, K-25, or X-10.
Our first stop was the K-25 History Museum, about 20 minutes from AMSE. You’ll get lots of facts and background info along the way. I had checked out a few sites the day before and done a lot of research on Oak Ridge ahead of time so it was fun hearing more about the places I visited the previous day (more info in that future post). This museum is open to the public and is the spot with a gift shop.
The next stop was Oak Ridge National Laboratory, a MASSIVE facility with lots of employees doing amazing research. I had never heard of it before the trip! There’s a fascinating timeline of ORNL happenings and notable accomplishments and I loved how there were flags representing the countries of people who work there and signatures of famous scientists and researchers who have been there. I also got to see the world’s second fastest computer named Frontier ! It held the record as the fastest for a long time until a new one overtook it (in California I think).
A stop that is typically part of the tour is a graphite reactor but it was closed so we watched a video about it. That part probably would’ve been science overload for me anyways so I liked the video option. We did drive near the site.
Next we went to Y-12 National Security Complex. This one is not open to the public and there is a security check upon arrival. We stopped at a gate house/guard station and a list of people on the tour was given to the guards before letting us enter. Be sure to listen to the do’s and dont’s of photography here! There are strict rules. There is a great little museum and lots of info about what the complex has done since the war.
The tour concludes back at AMSE. I went and got lunch at one of the places Norm recommended and then went back to K-25 History Center, made some other stops, and then came back to AMSE pretty soon before closing! Awesome field trip destination for kids and this history loving adult! Plenty of historical stuff included and an awesome gift shop. The best part? One of these Teddy Roosevelt bobbleheads came home with me in addition to a stack of other souvenirs. This post isn’t about that haha!
What an awesome 2 days I had my first time visiting Oak Ridge! I say first time because I went back in June! The bus tour with Norm’s commentary, tips, and tricks was a big part of that! Other AMSE staff members on the tour were wonderful as well! Norm got top billing because he was our main guide! I am so glad I booked the tour! I hope I’ve convinced you to go to Oak Ridge, too or at least inspired you to learn more about it!
HELPFUL LINKS
- https://amse.org/
- https://amse.org/bus-tours/
- https://www.ornl.gov/
- https://www.y12.doe.gov/
- https://k25historycenter.org/
- https://exploreoakridge.com/
