Manhattan Project National Historical Park Information Desk — Attraction in Oak Ridge

We visited on a Friday morning in early April. It was good Friday so there were actually quite a few people as we think the local schools had it as a holiday. The NPS kiosk is actually inside the main lobby area with the Children's museum. You do not have to pay to visit the NPS kiosk. They do not have staff at this kiosk everyday so call ahead if you are concerned. All the NPS merch is sold by the children's museum so no worries there. They had pins, magnets, patches, hiking medallions, stickers and shirts.

When we visited there was Ranger Ian and also a lady volunteer who was super friendly and very helpful. Ranger Ian went over the kids Junior Ranger books and talked to them about the Secret City and Manhattan Project. He was very engaging and the kids enjoyed talking to him. They got junior ranger badges for Manhattan Project as well as a special patch.

The NPS cancellations stamps they keep behind the kiosk so you just have to ask for it. Don't forget to get the special 3-part stamp for all 3 Manhattan Project sites. There is also a junior ranger stamp.

There are are a few short films that they can play for you on demand on the flat screen TV next to the kiosk that talk about the history of the Secret City which includes interviews of people who lived in the area and worked on the project. Very interesting perspectives.

If we had more time we would've visited the children's museum too but we had a number of other stops around town we wanted to visit.

Definitely visit here before going around town to see the different sites. The volunteer staffer told us all the best things to see and how to do them with tips and...

This is not at typical national park visitor center (it’s really just a desk in the corner of the Children’s museum reception area) but it’s totally worth a stop to talk to the ranger on duty, pick up a map, and get an orientation to the dispersed sites you’ll find around the town of Oak Ridge. I f you like historical photos, it’s also definitely worth going inside the children’s museum (pay for admission) to see their exhibits about what life was like living in Oakridge during the Manhattan Project years. It’s not just for kids. That’s why I give this place five stars - because I really enjoyed the historical photos and also the exhibit here about the photographer who documented the Manhattan Project. I visited here, Y-12, K-25, and the gift shop at the ASME museum, and it took 4.5 hours- at a...

Was really disappointed in this location. Have been traveling to parks over the last 2 years and this was not at all what I thought it would be. The park ranger wasn't there today so the info I got was from the lady manning the desk in the loud lobby area of the Children's Museum. Decided to not even go in for the NPS exhibits as it appeared to be a play place for kids and not a place displaying info from a pivotal time in our history. We took an area map and searched out points of interest on our own. There wasn't any info on the 3 hour Oak Ridge tour. Found and toured the K-25 History Center, which is separate from NPS, which provided a lot of info. NPS, you need to do this up better. If the ranger isn't going to be there on Sundays, update the NPS website and indicate...