American Museum of Science and Energy
(a.k.a. AMSE) has information on atomic energy, the early history of Oak Ridge, and special science programs.
A museum visitor and her son learn about Bernoulli's Principle the fun way in a hands-on exhibit.
Some of the exhibits at the AMSE are dedicated to the pioneers of radioactivity. Many of these famous scientists worked at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the 1940's and 1950's.
Another view of the AMSE lobby
An AMSE volunteer shows these visitors how to balance nails in this hands-on puzzle exhibit. Oops, now you know the answer to this one! :)
A child enjoys the curly slide at Cedar Hill Park.
The Rotary Club Childrens' globe is located near the History Walk at the Civic Center Park.
These cyclists enjoy the Emory Valley greenway.
The Haw Ridge bike / hike / horse trails cover 20 miles of varied terrain. It is a spectacular area for wildflowers much of the year too. Click this link for a trail map: https://tnlandforms.us/fohr/hawr-c1.jpg
next to Jefferson Middle School. If not, it would have been developed into a shopping center! What a great treasure this place is! I love to come here to see unusual wildflowers.
The 2005 Lavendar Festival is where I got my start selling my photographs. My "Buds and Bugs" business has grown a lot since then! :) Photo by Ken Light
Walkers, bikers, roller bladers, and even babies in strollers enjoy the 2.5-mile Melton Lake greenway trail. Birders can spend time looking for herons, ducks, geese, and crows year-round and even loons, gulls, and coots in the winter.
If you visit the AMSE be sure to ask Judd to share his "Alien in a Jar"!
This girl is "playing with lightning" at one of the museum exhibits.
The AMSE has traveling exhibits each year, many of them geared toward children. In late 2006 the Human Grossology exhibit was enjoyed by thousands of visitors. The exibit in this photo is about space.
A visitor appears to defy gravity in this mirror at the museum!
is located just outside the Oak Ridge city limits. A new scrubber was completed in 2006.
Cedar Hill Park contains a very large wooden play structure that was designed by local school children and built by community volunteers in 1987. Often workers would get so involved in their area, they wouldn't notice the activity going on in other areas. It was incredible to watch the structure appear from huge piles of wood, metal, chains, tractor tires, thousands of nuts and bolts, screws, nails, sand and gravel!
is located on West Outer Drive. It was built in the old Highland View Elementary School. It is a great place to take children to learn about nature, trains, and the history of east Tennessee.
A young family has fun feeding the ducks at the Oak Ridge marina.
The trails of Haw Ridge are shared by hikers, trail runners, trail bikers and horseback riders. This family came from Powell to enjoy a beautiful May afternoon at the park.
Each June Oak Ridge hosts the Secret City and Lavender Festivals, a celebration of the city and all kinds of beautiful flowers!
Saucer Magnolias at the University of Tennessee Arboretum. Every year we hope these lovely trees can get through their blooming without getting nipped by frost.
The NCAA chase boat at the 2007 Womens' Rowing Championship.
These 3rd grade students learn about their "innards" from Mr. Stuffee in one of the classrooms at the AMSE. The museum provides both in-house and science outreach classes to students.
Another hands-on electricity exhibit
Visitors can pick out interesting and educational items at the AMSE giftshop.
American Museum of Science and Energy
is popular with school groups for students to learn about many different aspects of science.
is located on the corner of Outer Drive and Michigan Ave. It was built by the community in 1987 on the site of the former Cedar Hill Elementary School. ***Note: this old wooden playground was torn down and replaced in May 2011.
church is located in the Jackson Square area of Oak Ridge. This non-denominational church has been the location of thousands of weddings since the early 1940's.
Oak Ridge Civic Center Complex
contains the gym, the indoor swimming pool, and the library.
is the oldest structure left in Oak Ridge. The cabin was built in 1803 and is on the National Historic Registry. It was part of a farm and homestead in the Scarboro area which later became Oak Ridge. It is located in the Three Bends Area on Freels Bend and not open to the public. This is where the AMSE Summer Science Explorers Camp is held each year. I have been teaching my outdoor science classes here since 1987. When the government came in and took over the land from the people of the small communities of Wheat, Scarboro, Elza, Robertsville, Edgemoor, East Fork, and Bethel, most of the homes, schools, churches and stores were removed. For more information on the history of Oak Ridge, see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oak_Ridge,_Tennessee
is dedicated to the early history of the city. It has plaques that explain events year by year of the 1940's. The park is located at the east end of the Oak Ridge Civic Center.
My friend, Coral, bought flowers at the 2005 Lavendar Festival for her son's wedding.
The Oak Ridge Marina is a great place to see and photograph birds. I caught these Mallards and gulls flying over the lake in March 2007.
2007 NCAA Womens' Rowing Championship
. 30 teams came from all over the country, some from as far away as San Diego and Seattle.
Not all of the exhibits at the AMSE are about past happenings. This exhibit at the AMSE explains about the new Spallation Neutron Source (SNS). The SNS is located near ORNL or X-10, a.k.a. the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (Oak Ridge loves acronyms!). This facility is attracting scientists from all over the world to study materials on the atomic level.
Many of the exhbits at the AMSE are about the history of the of Oak Ridge. The city was built in 1942 to produce the enriched uranium for the atomic bombs that were used in World War II. The project was a top secret undertaking, most of the 75,000 workers at the 3 plants had no idea what they were working on. The city was located behind guarded gates, each citizen had to have a badge to enter. Since there were many famous scientists here, the teachers' class rolls had just their students' first names to protect the childrens' identities. The city of Oak Ridge has the nicknames of the Secret City, the City Behind the Fence, and the Atomic City. Despite the name, the city is not the home of the singing group the Oak Ridge Boys!
A view of the AMSE lobby
These young ladies from Washington state try their hand (and brains!) at one of the puzzles in the lobby of the AMSE.
On this day a first grade group from a local school was enjoying Cedar Hill Park. This large structure has activites for all ages and even encludes handicapped accessable structures.
My friend, Charlie, taking photos of the rowers during spring practice at the marina.
The Emory Valley greenway is a lovely, paved walkway, much of it goes through the woods. It is popular for bike riders.
This rider was one of hundreds of participants in the October 2006 12-hour Bike Race at Haw Ridge.
The Oak Ridge Indoor Pool is located at the Civic Center
Crafts and face painting are a fun part of the Lavendar festival for the kids.
This is a Panorama of Melton Lake near the boat ramp.
The UT Lady Vols Rowing team (with orange and white stripes) pulling hard at the 2007 NCAA Womens' Rowing Championship. This was my first attempt at "sports photography"! :) I'm trying to get out of my comfort zone of buds and bugs!