A destination that mixes pop culture, American history, and a visit to a national park sounds like a fun way to spend your next RV vacation.
Audiences are raving over the summer blockbuster Oppenheimer, the story behind the development of the first nuclear weapons with the Manhattan Project during World War II. This movie racked up $82.4 million at the box office on its opening weekend on July 21–23, according to The Hollywood Reporter. It’s also inspiring travel to the Los Alamos Testing Site at Manhattan Project National Historical Park in New Mexico, a location that was pivotal to the development of the first atomic bomb, and heavily featured in the film.
Registrations just opened for special private tours of the testing sites this October, and RV Trader has more details on what visitors can expect and experience at this rare event.
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What to Expect Visiting Los Alamos Testing Site
With a renewed public interest, the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is once again hosting guided tours that will take visitors behind the fence for an up-close look at the property at current-day Technical Area 18. The former nuclear testing location is one of three sites comprising the Manhattan Project National Historical Park in Los Alamos, New Mexico, about 35 miles northwest of Santa Fe.
Los Alamos Testing Site opens only twice a year for this unique experience, with tour dates held last March and registration just now opening for a visit this upcoming October 18–20. With the recent release of Oppenheimer, spaces for sign-ups are expected to go fast, as visitation is limited—only 25 lucky participants are admitted per each four-hour tour. This is certain to be an educational, informative, and entertaining trip for any participant. Highlights include:
- Pond Cabin: The office for Emilio Segrè’s Radioactivity Group studying plutonium
- Battleship Bunker: Protective location during implosion design explosives testing
- Slotin Building: Historic location of Louis Slotin’s criticality accident
The tour coincides with the Trinity Site open house, the location at White Sands Missile Range in White Sands National Park where the first human-caused nuclear detonation occurred during the Manhattan Project on July 16, 1945. Weeks later, the first two atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, signaling surrender and the end of the war. The development of atomic weapons at Los Alamos would set the course of history and forever change the world.
RV Accommodations Near Los Alamos
Visitors have a few stellar options for camping and RV parks when it comes to staying around Los Alamos. Here’s a quick overview.
- Main Gate RV Park: Open year-round, Main Gate RV Park has 10 spaces for recreational vehicles, restrooms, picnic tables, a dump station, pet yard, and more amenities. Catch up on your favorite movies featuring RVs while you’re camping out.
- Bandelier National Monument, Juniper Family Campground: Open all year, Juniper Family Campground has 52 campsites and can accommodate RVs up to 35 feet. You’ll also find restrooms, water access, a seasonal amphitheater, picnic tables, and grills.
- Santa Fe National Forest: This campground located in Santa Fe National Forest divided into three distinct Ranger Districts has partial RV hookups, expansive trail systems for hiking, and amazing views.
- White Rock Visitors Center: Also available for visiting all year, White Rock Visitors Center has 16 RV spaces with hookups, and a dump station. Spaces are designed to accommodate vehicles that are 15 feet wide x 50 feet long.
- Camp May: Visit here if you’re looking to set up camp separately, as Camp May features 10 overnight camping sites open from April to October. Guests can enjoy hiking, picnics, fire pits, restroom access, and an onsite amphitheater.
Find new and used travel trailers for sale to bring along on your trip.
More Attractions
When you’ve booked your camping site for your RV trip, plan out your stay with more attractions around Los Alamos. You’ll find national parks with outdoor activities and views, plus unique small cities with museums, art, dining, and more celebrating the heritage of New Mexico.
- Los Alamos: Aside from Manhattan Project National Park, pay a visit to Bandelier National Monument with Ancestral Pueblo dwellings, canyons, hiking, and native wildlife. Valles Caldera National Preserve formed by volcanic eruptions is another way to get outside and enjoy the view as you hike, bike, or ride horses at high elevations.
- Chimayo: Nearby Chimayo and its adobe church is a National Historic Landmark that has been the site of religious pilgrimage for centuries. It’s also home to native craft-woven textiles in the Rio Grande style with ornate patterns created through naturally dyed wool, and Cordova woodcarvings passed down from older generations.
- Santa Fe: The capital of New Mexico is a hub for arts, culture, and cuisine and is part of the UNESCO Creative City network. Explore Santa Fe Plaza and the Palace of Governors with Indian and Spanish markets, tour chapels with adobe architecture, stop by the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum to view artwork, and try authentic New Mexico fare like green chile enchiladas and sopapillas.
For an Oppenheimer-inspired RV trip, take a behind-the-scenes look at the place that irrevocably left its mark in the history books with the development of the atomic bomb at Manhattan Project National Park. And while spots will go fast when it comes to reserving a tour this October at the Los Alamos Testing Site, circle your calendar to book an upcoming visit when you register here.
When it’s time to take your vacation, find your next new or pre-owned recreational vehicle on the nation’s largest marketplace at RVTrader.com.
