Last month while on a trip to Las Vegas, I wanted to do something I had yet to do in the neon capital of the world. And what better than to visit The Neon Museum!
The Neon Museum is a museum of old neon signs that used to light the infamous Strip at one point or another. There are currently two collections, with one being called the “Boneyard” and the other the “North Gallery”. With general admission, we had access to the Boneyard only, which is the larger of the two and has tons of signs from all sorts of Vegas establishments. Many of the signs have been refurbished and can be seen lit, which is best done at night obviously. However we didn’t go at night since we had other plans, but even during the day, the self-guided tour is fascinating.
There is a lot of cultural history in this collection and we learned a lot actually. For example, the designer of the sign for the “Moulin Rouge” hotel, which is one of the first fully-integrated hotels in the city in the 50s, is Betty Willis. Willis was the only woman in her time designing marquees and besides the Moulin Rouge, she is also the artist who design the most famous sign in Vegas: the “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Sign” sign. All of that info was learned at the museum, and that is only for one sign!
Overall, it was a great experience that honestly took too long for us to go see with how many trips to Vegas we take. It’s a fun day activity, and I imagine that at night it is incredible. The Neon Museum does special events as well as their general museum, so if you want a little bit more for your visit you have options. And it is one of the most cost-saving activities you can do.
What is a museum you’d like to visit one day? Tell me about it in the comments!
It sounds like you had a fun time! If I ever get the chance I’d really like to go to Titanic Belfast museum, the only problem is that it’s in Ireland. 🙂