From Tragic to Terrifying: Would You Visit These 9 Dark Tourism Destinations?
Atomic Lake (Lake Chagan), Kazakhstan
Lake Chagan was recently deemed safe enough to swim in! This is excellent news for those dark tourists who are interested in sticking their toes into the Atomic Lake in Kazakhstan.
In the 1960s, the Chagan test was intended to analyze the application of using nuclear explosions to create reservoirs. A 140-kiloton nuclear device was placed in a deep hole along the Chagan River. The blast created a crater over 1,300 feet wide and about 330 feet deep which was then filled with river water.
Although most of the fallout was contained to the general area of the test-site, the blast produced a measurable radioactive plume. As a result, the radiation levels of the water are well beyond consumable levels.
The lake is still radioactive, but the levels continually fall as time passes. Would you be brave enough to go for a dip?
National Atomic Testing Museum, USA
Las Vegas is home to many a strange and bizarre sight, but dark tourists will be drawn to the National Atomic Testing Museum in Nevada that tells the story of America’s nuclear weapons testing. The sobering museum boasts 8,000 square feet of exhibits and is home to over 12,000 artifacts including personal atomic weapons, a large nuclear reactor and a replica of the Control Point where countdowns were conducted before each detonation.
The museum documents 70 years of nuclear testing beginning in January of 1951 at the Nevada Test Site through to present day. Exhibits also depict the end of the Cold War, the beginning of the Global War on Terror, and a Ground Zero Theater simulation of an above-ground nuclear test.
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Eastern State Penitentiary, USA
The Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia opened its doors in October of 1829, though parts of its original structure were built and operating in the late 1700s. The penitentiary was once the most famous and expensive prison in the world but now is a crumbling, haunting reminder of what it once was.
Eastern State Penitentiary once housed some of America’s most notorious criminals including Freda Frost, William Francis “Slick Willie” Sutton and Al Capone. One of the prison’s most popular exhibits is the cell that mob boss Al “Scarface” Capone called home for eight months; a cozier site than you would find in the penitentiaries of the modern world.
There are two ways to experience Eastern State Penitentiary. Year-round the penitentiary offers day tours, school tours and site rentals for events or even weddings if you’re so inclined! In the fall, they open the doors at night and become a massive haunted house suitably called Terror Behind the Walls.
Dark tourism is an area of tourism that isn’t for the sensitive or faint of heart as it ranges from grim museum exhibits to downright horrific experiences. However, some of the appeal of dark tourism is how it can serve as a shocking and gut-wrenching reminder of the world’s brutal history that isn’t to be forgotten.
