hanford reach interpretive center

Anyone wanting to know what the Tri-Cities is all about must go to the Hanford Reach Interpretive Center. It is brand new and just gorgeous! It gives the history of Hanford which is the backbone of this area. It answered many questions that I had about what the Hanford Reach is. It also had an interesting room showing the plants and animals indigenous to this area. There is beautiful landscaping outside of the building done in local plants and landscaping material. It helped me appreciate the Tri-Cities more and showed me the natural beauty of the desert which is so easy to overlook here.

This brand new museum does an excellent job of informing visitors about our area past and present. The geology, flora and fauna are presented in an understandable and natural way. The history of the Manhattan project is clearly shown. Good value for the money for locals and visitors alike.

The place is new and a wonderful history of this area and the Hanford Reach. The beautiful history of the Manhattan Project is so thorough and informative. The interactive projects really illustrate how our geological history happened. If you love history this is the place to visit.

This museum just opened in July 2014 but unfortunately misses the mark. Housed in a beautiful new building overlooking the Columbia River the museum currently attempts to tell the Tri-Cities story, geology and natural history of the Columbia Plateau as well as the story of the Hanford Nuclear site. Admission is $8 for adults $6 for children.The information about the geology of the Columbia Plateau is well done, interactive exhibits and a good explanation of the areas geography. From here the natural history / animal and the Tri Cities farming / settlement "exhibits" are collectively squeezed into a space where information, transitions and information are lacking. There are so many exhibits stacked (visually one on top of another) it's confusing. While they have chosen "the seasons" as the flow through each exhibit, it doesn't work. What could have been so well done seems hastily put together and poorly planned.The lack of any information about one of the most important discoveries in the area of Kennewick Man is painfully obvious. When the Smithsonian recognizes his discover as the "most important human skeleton ever found in North America" (http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/kennewick-man-finally-freed-share-his-secrets-180952462/?no-ist) it is time to hire a curator or fire the board / staff who overlooked this one.You will learn more about Kennewick Man reading this one Smithsonian article than finding anything in this museum about his discovery, what they have learned about him and unfortunately the controversy surrounding his heritage and ownership claims. The exhibit on the Hanford Site and its history is poorly done. Literally numerous text walls, with photos stacked around the room. No artifacts, items, or displays are exhibited albeit one wall in the back with old signage found in a refuse pile. Meanwhile one of the original housing trailers sits in the parking lot, unmarked and locked up when it could have easily been brought indoors and put on display in its current condition or renovated. No display of exhibits, materials or artifacts that were so well exhibited at the museum's predecessor, the Crehst Museum (now closed) and replaced by the Reach, according to a docent. A small rotating gallery is currently displaying a group of fabric art of the area.If you know nothing of the areas history, it is a nice way to spend an hour or two. However,I can only hope that they felt rushed to get the doors open and that somewhere in the basement artifacts are being cleaned and someone is preparing the "real exhibits" with a curator organizing them.

This museum has lots to see related to the immediate area. Almost too many items in the first exhibit room. We found the Hanford history fascinating, and the video was helpful to learn about the building of the nuclear bomb. Worth a visit. We were not able to actually go the Hanford site, as the visits end in September.

Hanford Reach, now a National Monument, has an Interpretive Center/ Museum that provides (1) a detailed, fascinating history of the development of the Hanford nuclear operation where the plutonium was produced for the atomic bomb that ended the war with Japan, and (2) a major section describing the "Hanford Reach", the 51 mile long free-flowing stretch of the Columbia River where adjoining lands were protected and left natural because of the nuclear operation. Geology, flora and fauna are discussed in detail here, and its all very well done. If you are in the area, its well worth a visit. We spent 2 hours there - it was not enough.

Excellent, Excellent, Excellent.My wife and I are locals and went to this newly opened center and came away very impressed. We will be heading back as we couldn't take it all in the 90 minutes we spent there.

There is a lot of text to read on the exhibits. It gets monotonous and boring after a bit. Not a good fit for young children. The hands on are weak and not engaging. But it is a very pretty building to look at and has potential. You will get the 'is this it' feeling.

Take kids (any age) and check it out. Also, check the activities and trips or excursions they offer. Lots offered.

This has almost all of the bells and whistles of a brand new facility. It's clean, still smells new, and still has some literal sawdust and construction going on in places. The center focuses on the geographic history of the region as well as the story of the B Reactor/Hanford's role in the development of atomic weapons. The geography wing seems to be where the money was spent with hands-on exhibits and some impressive displays. The Hanford side, though, is fairly limited to the WWII era and is full of text and very few interactives or even artifacts of the era and place. This is a disappointment, including almost no coverage of the continuing clean up efforts and environmental concerns caused by this atomic place. The gift shop has very little; hopefully they will add much more as they grow. I wouldn't recommend this for families with young children.