Discover The Neon Museum In Las Vegas!

Welcome to The Neon Museum! One of Vegas’s hidden treasure. Las Vegas is filled with amazing attractions, more than a few big cities put together. Some people have been to Las Vegas a few times and still haven’t managed to see everything. It will probably take the average person over 2 weeks to see and do everything Vegas has to offer and I still doubt that they will see EVERYTHING. The cool thing about Vegas is that it’s always changing. So whatever was cool or new to see 5 years ago, has completely changed. But if you’re looking for something new and different than your typical Las Vegas attraction, you need to check out the Neon Museum.

Most attractions in Vegas are normally on the Vegas strip, but have you ever wondered off the strip? A few blocks away from the famous Fremont Street in downtown Vegas, hides one of Las Vegas’s greatest hidden treasure, that place is called The Neon Museum!

Most people haven’t really heard of the Neon Museum and I’m not really sure why, but it’s probably one of the coolest things I have ever seen in all of Las Vegas!

How did I discover The Neon Museum?

Growing up I was always obsessed with photography, I used to collect photos from magazines and turn them into huge collages and some I would just save because they were so freakin cool. This probably started when I was 11 years old, before I ever knew what I wanted to do as a career. At the age of 16 I started modeling and collected even more photos. I loved the stories behind the photos, the themes, the locations, makeup, hair and clothes. I became so obsessed that I ended up going to makeup school, after high school and became a certified fashion stylist and did that for a few years. Through my collections of photos, I stumbled upon an amazing photoshoot in Seventeen Magazine, done at something that looked like a junk yard of old billboards and signs. For years I saved those photos and always thought it would be amazing to shoot at a place like that and wondered where on earth this cool magical place was! Turns out, it was at The Neon Museum, but that’s before the museum was actually opened to the public.

So what exactly is The Neon Museum? 

The Neon Museum also known as the Neon Boneyard, is where the Las Vegas signs go when they die. Like I said before, Vegas is always changing, new hotels are being built consistently and in order to make new hotels on the Vegas Strip, you gotta shutdown old ones to make space for the new ones. So the Neon Museum has collected all the old signs from major old and historical hotels, motels, restaurants and stores and created an amazing wonderland of neon signs boneyard.

In 2012 the Neon Museum opened its doors to the public, showcasing more than 150 signs, 7 of which have been restored and are turned on during the night tour, in nearly two-acre of land.

The Neon Museum has been featured in many fashion magazines including Vogue and has been featured in movies like Mars Attacks.

So what’s so cool about it and what can you expect to see? 

Well it’s like taking a walk down Vegas memory lane. Las Vegas has one of the most interesting city history, full of mafia tails and scandals. Many of the original Vegas hotels signs are stored here, like the Stardust hotel, Golden Nugget, the Riviera, Moulin Rouge and more. One of the coolest features is the skull of the original Treasure Island hotel before it was renovated and renamed T.I., the skull is HUGE! and can easily be seen via google maps, smiling at you!

Other things you can expect to find in the gallery includes the Lucky Cuss Motel, the Bow & Arrow Motel, The Silver Slipper, Society Cleaners, Binion’s Horseshoe, the Normandie Motel, the Hacienda horse and rider, the Landmark and 5th Street Liquors. You will also get to hear some pretty cool mafia stories about many of these places on the tour.

The Neon Museum important tips and info:

I’ll start off by saying that the Neon Museum has some pretty strict rules.

*The tour itself is a guided one-hour tour, in which you can take photos, but you can’t wonder off by yourself and take photos, you have to stick with the tour. They are very strict about this rule. The photos can only be used for personal use only. Still photography for any additional artistic or commercial use is strictly prohibited on tours. If it appears that a photo shoot is being staged, you will be asked to stop and possibly asked to leave. If you wish to take professional photos and want to do a photoshoot there, you have to schedule it in advance and check for availability. They are also strict on what kind of camera you are using, so again, call or email them in advance.

*There are day and night tours, but there aren’t many tours per a day. The day tours start at 9am and end at 10am. The night tours start from 7:30pm and end at 9pm. (For tickets: Click here)

*If you really want to see the Neon Museum you should buy tickets far in advance. I went to Vegas 4 times already, on the hopes to finally visit and tickets were sold out.

*It also gets SUPER hot there in the summer so be prepared, bring a water bottle with you.

Where is The Neon Museum? 

• 770 Las Vegas Boulevard North
  Las Vegas, NV 89101

Here are a few more photos of this magical place!

So what are you waiting for? Check out the beautiful Neon Museum on your next visit to Vegas!