Side Dish - Titan Missile Museum - Sahuarita, AZ

Since we are one day from driving an insane number of miles over a 4 day weekend back to Tucson, AZ to once again, right previous wrongs, this Side Dish was in good order. On our original trip to Arizona in May of 2009, we were not yet obsessed by passport stamps, so we looked for interesting off-road attractions along the way.

In the small town of Sahuarita, AZ, just south of Tucson lies a hidden gem in Roadside America, and a serious piece of history at that. The Titan Missile Museum provides a welcome respite from the desert expanse and offers a glimpse into 1980's America and the paranoia of the Cold War.

Behind a retirement community and a strip mall, lies underground a missile with the ability to obliterate a small country. The museum itself seems dated, much like time froze in the 1980's (want some canned water from the 1950's Nuclear Fallout scares?? Don't drink it though....it'll kill you now...or MRE packets of dehydrated beef stew and lemon meringue pie - the Gift Shop is your place).

In this place, lionizing Reagan is the on the daily To-Do list EVERYDAY. Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity would have a difficult time hiding their erections here.

A volunteer, approximately 142 years old met us in the screening room where he proceeded to tell us how Millard Fillmore played a mean game of Strip Poker that we had to wear hard hats throughout our tour underground. The temps hovered around 102 degrees outside, so the hat was a welcome shield.

The first stop on the tour allows you to view the missile silo from above ground and takes you through the casings and story of the site itself. As hard as you are trying to listen to the guide, the only thing I could think of was what they told us when we went outside...that the temp underground was 72 degrees. Every end of a sentence left me saying "PleaseletusbegoinginsidePleaseletusbegoinginside". The Arizona sun is definitely not a friend of mine.

Alas the time came when we were ushered down the silo stairs with the stories of breaches of security, secret passwords and all things "WarGames".

(This guy is definitely giving me the "Stop, Loser....I'm trying to remain incognito even though I'm on holiday with my mom" Look)

Once inside - the tour was fascinating...to stand inside the control room where the fate of the world could have rested was humbling. I desperately wanted to play "Wargames" myself and be the one that turned the key in the demonstration, but alas.....an old woman was picked and immediately started reminiscing about the rotary phone, and the picture of the Gipper on the wall. Chicks.......

Then through the corridor where the shock absorbers would render an earthquake of 8.0 undetectable (Where was this room when I cried myself to sleep at night waiting for the "Big One" to happen in Southern California??), we came upon the silo itself where the missile lies -

Visitors can not enter the actual silo, but it is really not necessary. The Gravity of the relic you are looking at is not diminished whatsoever. However - for people like our friend, Grandpa here - you can see mannequins approximating getting the missile ready to fly. Grandpa for one - is thrilled as you can tell.

All in all - the Titan Missile Museum is a worthy Roadside Attraction in the Southwest and is highly recommended to anyone headed in its direction. The ability to feel as though you have stepped back in time is always worth the price of admission.....