Idaho National Laboratory’s Experimental Breeder Reactor-I (EBR-I), a nuclear power plant-turned museum and National Historic Landmark, will be open for visitors beginning Friday, May 24. The museum is open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., during which visitors can enjoy free guided or self-guided tours. EBR-I will be open through Labor Day.
Both Atlas Obscura, called “the definitive guide to the world’s wondrous and curious places,” and The Geek Atlas: 128 Places Where Science & Technology Come Alive, feature EBR-I as a fascinating destination.
Completed in 1951, the reactor claimed its spot in energy history on Dec. 20, 1951, when it lit four lightbulbs and proved that usable amounts of electricity could be produced using nuclear power. EBR-I operated until 1963, before its decommissioning in 1964. In August 1966, the building was declared a National Historic Landmark by President Lyndon Johnson and Glenn Seaborg, Atomic Energy Commission chairman.
EBR-I attracts visitors from all over the country and the world. Last summer alone, the museum saw nearly 10,000 visitors from every state, and foreign countries. More information as well as photos from past visits to the reactor can be found on its Facebook pages, where all visitors are welcome to share their EBR-I experience.
Learn more about EBR-I and watch a video about its history: https://inl.gov/experimental-breeder-reactor-i/
