The Joys of Post-Cold War Missile Silo Tourism

It sounds frightening at first: The U.S. Air Force is turning over control of a Minuteman II missile silo and control facility to the National Park Service, which usually oversees things no more technical than hiking trails. But in this case, the silo is no longer operational and the mission is peaceful, according to a report on CNN. The underground facility on the edge of South Dakota’s Badlands National Park, which once could send a missile to the former Soviet Union in less than 30 minutes, will become The Minuteman Missile National Historic Site. “This site will be the first national park in the world whose primary purpose is to commemorate the events of the Cold War,” a park official told the Associated Press.

©2026 World Hum, All Rights Reserved