Looking for a fun, free and nerdy day trip? Experimental Breeder Reactor-I, located 50 miles west of Idaho Falls on U.S. 20, will open for the 2023 season starting Friday, May 26, through Labor Day. The museum is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. There is no cost for admission.
The reactor was completed in 1951, and on Dec. 20 of that year it became the first reactor to produce a usable amount of electricity from nuclear energy. EBR-I operated until late 1963 and was decommissioned in 1964. It was dedicated as a Registered National Historic Landmark on Aug. 25, 1966, by President Lyndon Johnson and Glenn Seaborg, chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission.
“This is a great piece of nuclear history,” said Shelly Norman, INL ambassador. “Every summer we get around 10,000 visitors coming to see where nuclear energy got its start.”
Visitors can download the free TravelStorys app and listen to an on-demand tour about Idaho National Laboratory on their drive across the desert. Also, anyone with a National Parks Passport will want to bring that to the museum to collect a stamp.
No reservations are necessary. Guided and self-guided tours are available. Send questions to tours@inl.gov or call 208-526-0050.
About Idaho National Laboratory
Battelle Energy Alliance manages INL for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy. INL is the nation’s center for nuclear energy research and development, and also performs research in each of DOE’s strategic goal areas: energy, national security, science and the environment. For more information, visit www.inl.gov. Follow us on social media: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.