Area 51
From LoveToKnow Travel
Area 51, officially the Air Force Flight Test Site Detachment 3, located northwest of Las Vegas, doesn't exist on any aeronautical or geological map. The land and the airspace surrounded the site is restricted and the US government, and the people who work there, have said preciously little about the facility since it was classified as restricted by President Eisenhower in 1955. All this secrecy has led to some fantastic theories. Some claim that the government is housing aliens at the site; others say it's a test site for alien spacecraft. Whatever the site is used for, it's attracted the curiosity of Nevadans as well as visitors to the region. The area is alternately called Groom Lake, Dreamland, Watertown Strip, and Paradise Ranch.
What is Area 51?
Area 51 is a 8000-square mile government facility, located 75 miles northwest of Las Vegas, in the Nellis Mountains. It is a section of the massive Nellis Air Force Range. The ultra-secret, restricted facility has been acknowledged by the US Air Force, but little to nothing is known of its purpose or facilities. Aerial pictures, taken from space, show a landing strip, numerous buildings, and Groom Lake (see picture above).
"Visiting" Area 51
Although access to Area 51 is extremely restricted, a whole cottage industry for tourists has grown up around the site. Nevada's Highway 375, which leads to the secret site from Warm Springs, has been dubbed "The Extraterrestrial Highway" because of the many reports of spaceship sightings in the area. Even the highway signs carry this moniker.
Rachel Nevada, a tiny town of about 100 inhabitants, is the closet town to Area 51. The small city has become a small tourist mecca for UFO enthusiasts and science fiction fans. The town boasts the Little A'Le'Inn, a motel, restaurant, and bar as well as a host of UFO souvenir shops.
Of course, the actual site is off-limits, surrounded by barbed wire and armed guards. Be advised, also, that no photographs are allowed of the area or its perimeter.
Rachel, dubbed the "UFO Capital of the World," is about a three-hour drive from Las Vegas. Although it is just 115 miles from Vegas, you must drive around Nellis AFB to get to the town.
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