Desert View Watchtower

Although easily mistaken for an ancient Native American structure, the Watchtower at Desert View overlook on the edge of the Grand Canyon's south rim is a twentieth century creation constructed as a reminder of the Canyon's first native residents.

In 1932, ...

Yucca Mountain

Located on the federally owned Nevada Test Site, Yucca Mountain is one of the most hotly contested sites in the United States.

Soon after World War II, the United States Government created the Atomic Energy Commission to oversee both military and ...

Vehicle Assembly Building

Opening after nearly three years of construction in 1966, the Vehicle Assembly Building, or VAB, is one of the world’s largest structures by volume. The VAB covers 8 acres and is 525 tall, 716 ft long, 518 ft wide, and ...

El Tovar Hotel

Named in honor of early Grand Canyon explorer Pedro de Tovar, the El Tovar Lodge is one of the most recognizable and iconic structures along the Canyon's rim. In 1905, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, constructed the state-of-the ...

Pensacola Beach

Sand, sand, and more sand. Pensacola Beach is a barrier island located south of the Gulf Breeze peninsula that serves as a protector of the mainland from hurricanes. This shifting island had few inhabitants before the Spanish established their second ...

Charles the Great Cigar Factory

Built by Salvador Rodriguez in the late 1800s, the Charles the Great Cigar Factory stands as a testament to an industry that transformed Ybor City into the cigar capital of the world. During this period the cigar industry began shifting ...

Casino Beach

The Casino on Pensacola Beach was a place for community gathering and entertainment. Built in the summer of 1931, the area remains the main public beach today. The popularity of the automobile influenced the construction of the two bridges that ...

Fuller Lodge and Bathtub Row

Although most often associated with the top secret Manhattan Project, the story of Fuller Lodge and the cottages of Bathtub Row begin more than 20 years before research on atomic weapons started in Los Alamos.

In 1920, Ashley Pond opened the ...

Naval Live Oaks Reservation

President John Quincy Adams commissioned the Naval Live Oak reservation in the early 19th Century and appointed Henry Breckenridge as the overseer. While the caretaker only stayed on a few years, his legacy of planting Live Oaks is still evident ...

Bradbury Science Museum

Located in the home of the atomic bomb, Los Alamos, New Mexico, Bradbury Science Museum showcases the history of the Manhattan Project.

In 1953, director of nuclear testing, Dr. Robert Krohn, decided that the Los Alamos National Laboratory needed a ...