Worth a Visit to the Idaho Science Center

Arco is a small town in an out of the way part of Idaho, it would be easy to skip this town altogether. But it’s rich history in nuclear power and the efforts that have been made without being seen to advance the technology to make it safe and affordable are something so few are aware of.

So when we decided to go ahead and take 20 minutes out of our trip between EBR-1 and Craters of the Moon to explore this little stop, we were glad we did, and for more than just figuring out why there was a submarine fin in the middle of a town in the desert.

That 20 minutes turned into an hour of enjoying Harvey, our volunteer, and his stories from firsthand experience with the Navy and the facility.

We checked online for information about the place, but the number was not working on Google. No worries, we just popped by since it was just up the road and found the information for the volunteer on call at the door.

Their hours and contact information vary, but is posted on the door to call and a volunteer can be there to meet you. At our visit, Harvey was the guy to contact and he met us within 15 minutes.

Sitting in the display room, we were surrounded by memorabilia of submariners, news articles, diagrams and scientific displays. Harvey, having served in the Navy and worked at many of the facilities in the laboratory area, dazzled us with hands on tales of experiments, advances and personal stories of how this technology came to be and how it advanced into what it is today.

We learned about the immense time and effort for safety and successful nuclear power, as well as the brilliant scientific minds who’s names will never be known to history books, but are responsible for some amazing scientific advances.

Harvey regaled us with stories of both professional work and personal connections. He connected much of what we learned at the EBR-1 to other locations around the country we had visited, and clearing up fact from folklore for us.

The Idaho Science Center is owned by the city and is completely free, courtesy of the people who donated the items and the volunteers who give their time for the love of their city’s history. They do have a visitor’s log and donation box to show some love and help support keeping them open.

It wasn’t but a few days after this trip that our soon-to-be high schooler started looking up science courses and showing an interest in chemistry for this year. Apparently, it had an impact on him, too.

Find out more about where this location is, where we stayed and what else we did in the area in our complete Arco, Idaho blog!

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