Nevada – Las Vegas Neon Museum

Hanna Ashcraft

6 years ago

Las Vegas Neon Musuem

Las Vegas wouldn’t be Las Vegas without brilliant neon signs lighting up the night. The Las Vegas Neon Museum is an art museum featuring historic neon signs that once enticed guests to visit the different casinos, hotels, restaurants, and other businesses. The signs were originally gathered from junk yards and private collections, but are now thoughtfully arranged for guests to wander through to compare signs from different decades. Many of the neon signs no longer work, but it was a very fun and cute experience to wander through the aisles and take photos with the signs.

Walking Around the Neon Museum

The main building, where you get your tickets has some great architecture. It has wavy roof line that dips very low and reminds me of a seashell. Very cool. Behind this building is the main large exhibition space. In this area, you can roam around without a guide. It was fun to discover the different all the different kinds of signs and sculptures around Las Vegas. The curator arranged the signs to play off each other. For example, in one corner there is a cute palm tree and below, two letters spell out “hi”. I love this little hi and cactus because it is as if we are saying hello to the desert, which you kind of forget when you are in Las Vegas. The signs are physically located within the exhibition to represent different areas of Las Vegas.

At a Glance:

Rating: 3 (out of 4) stars,
Intensity: Flats or low heeled sandals, cute dress
Location: North of the Las Vegas Strip and Old Town
Cost: $22.00/per person
Restrooms: In the ticketing office building
Timing: We probably spent one hour there

Highlights:

Very cute place to take pictures
Learn more about Neon and history of Las Vegas
Interesting architecture of the main building
Outdoor museum was great during our chilly October morning, but could be sweltering in the summer.

Lowlights:

A bit pricey for the time spent at the Museum, but the Museum is darling and always developing it’s collection, so I am happy to support them.

Most of the neon signs are not working due to the delicate nature of neon and the rough treatment they’ve had. But there are a few signs that do light up, making it a fun surprise to discover them. I recommend talking to the staff who walk around and monitor the artwork. The young woman we spoke to had fun tidbits of information, offered to take our photo, and was very approachable. I recommend asking a few questions to the staff you see, especially if you decide to skip the guided tour.

Photographing the Neon Museum

One thing that is great about the Neon Museum is they encourage photography (no video). They do have some rules listed on their website, all of which are completely understandable to ensure all guests have a good experience. The main gallery is outside, which can be tricky to photograph in direct sun. However, there are a lot of angles and corners to tuck into for a good shot. With so many signs layered up, every corner has a good shot. We lucked out by having a partly cloudy morning when we visited, making the light very even. If it is dead sunny, try going in the evening, when the sun dips.

My favorite signs include:

Moulin Rouge: We probably spent a good five minutes trying to figure out what this sign said before a staff member came over and helped us out. Originally spelling out “Moulin Rouge” the letters are rearranged to have “in Love” spelled out. How cute is that?! The sign is white and a rusty rose color and has stars from a different sign in the background. It’s also enormous! From the staffer, we learned that the Moulin Rouge was a strip club, but for various reasons, didn’t stay in business very long.
The Teapot: Though I cannot remember what the teapot was originally from, I loved this sculpture sign because it was adorable. No surprise there! It reminds me so much of the Teacups Disney ride!
Algiers Hotel: The last sign I loved because of the colors. The muted purple with golden orange wall behind make for a less-chaotic and simple picture than other areas of the exhibition. Also, there is a bench right in front of the Algiers Hotel sign, making it so you can take a sitting photo.

The North Gallery, Boneyard Park, and Brilliant! Exhibitions

There are two other galleries we didn’t get to check out when we visited – the North Gallery and Boneyard Park. The North Gallery is primarily used for special events, which hosted a wedding at the same time we were visiting! We got to see a little inside the North Gallery, but didn’t want to get in the way of the wedding. The North Gallery is also where the Brilliant! Exhibition happens each night. They light up about 10 of the signs for you to see with a guide. I am unclear about the Boneyard Park. It seemed closed to the public, but maybe it was also part of the wedding? Or only available to visit with a guide? If you know more about the Boneyard Park, leave a comment and I can update the post!

Getting There

We drove to the Las Vegas Neon Museum using googlemaps. You can also see the directions on the their website. It is not too far out of town and you could take an Uber/Lyft to the Museum – it is not walkable. There is a parking lot available for guests. It was full when we arrived, but that was likely due to the wedding.

Overall Thoughts: Las Vegas Neon Museum

I enjoyed our time at the Las Vegas Neon Museum more than expected. It was very cute, fun to photograph, and educational about Las Vegas history. Even if you only see the main Boneyard exhibition, like we did, it is a delightful and different activity. At $22/per person ticket entry, it was a bit expensive. But after a leisurely visit and talking to staff, I feel the institution is doing something very good for Las Vegas and I am happy to support them. When I think of it as supporting the Museum, $22 doesn’t seem like too much. If you have zero interest in art or Las Vegas history, this may be a bit steep for you.

Looking for other things to do in Vegas? Here’s what we did: