Visiting Area 51
Area 51 is a 60-square-mile USAF (United States Air Force) testing facility located in Lincoln County, Nevada. The base sits about 100 miles from Las Vegas. Since the 1970s, it has been the focal point of UFO theories, drawing ufologists from around the globe who hope to uncover its secrets.
History
Richard M. Bissell Jr. was a CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) officer tasked with overseeing the development of spy planes. While searching for a site for flight testing and pilot training in 1955, he identified the location that would become Area 51. Because the area was already near a nuclear testing site, the land acquisition proceeded smoothly. The base sits partially on a dry lake bed called Groom Lake, which also serves as the facility's namesake. It remains an officially restricted zone for the development of new USAF aircraft.
It was not until August 2013 that official declassified reports finally acknowledged the existence of Area 51 and confirmed that testing of the Lockheed U-2 spy plane took place there.
Security at Groom Lake
Numerous employees from the firm EG&G are assigned to guard this restricted area. They patrol in vehicles while carrying M-16 rifles. However, no violent incidents have been recorded. Security personnel typically escort trespassers off the property and hand them over to the local sheriff.
Area 51 in the Spotlight
Area 51 is a legendary setting in both television and cinema. It has appeared in Independence Day, Stargate SG-1, The Simpsons, Transformers, Godzilla, Indiana Jones and The X-Files. The list of appearances is so extensive that a full page would be required to document them all. When you add in video games and comic books, it is clear why this location has been a pop culture icon for decades.
Entry is prohibited, but Las Vegas offers plenty of other activities to keep you busy.
Of course we have all heard about the place. The American base in Roswell that supposedly recovered a spacecraft with aliens inside.
But Area 51 is much more than that, it is above all a setting worthy of the strangest movies from the 60s.
Out there, not a motel, not a restaurant, a garage or a movie theater that is not adorned with an alien or a flying saucer.
If you like weird places, this is one of the strangest spots you will be able to find in the USA.