The Neon Museum, Las Vegas | Review
The Neon Museum in Las Vegas provides a home for the old, abandoned neon signs that play a major part in the city’s story.
The Las Vegas Neon Museum is basically where the old neon signs come to die. Or so it initially seems. Once inside, it’s clear that the Neon Museum is where the old neon signs come to begin a second life.
Formerly known as the Neon Boneyard, the Neon Museum is one of the top reasons to head to Downtown Las Vegas.
Why are there so many old neon signs in Las Vegas?
Businesses in Las Vegas rarely own their neon signs – the sign companies design them and lease them. But when the lease is over, the signs have often fallen out of fashion and are replaced. The old signs need a retirement home, and the Neon Museum takes them in, doing what it can to keep them in good shape. Those stacked up in the yard act as a trip down memory lane through casino resorts that are now long gone.
One belongs to the Moulin Rouge, the city’s first racially integrated resort, which closed not long after opening in 1955. It was designed by Betty Willis, who also designed the famous Welcome to Las Vegas sign.
Recommended Las Vegas experiences
- See a Cirque du Soleil show. If picking just one, Ká at the MGM Grand is the most spectacular.
- Take a Grand Canyon helicopter tour. Fly over the extraordinary desert scenery and land inside the canyon.
- Visit the remarkable Hoover Dam – on a VIP tour that goes inside the dam.
- Eat at the best in-the-know restaurants – on a foodie secrets walking tour.
- Explore Red Rock Canyon the easy way – on an electric bike tour.
Neon Museum, Las Vegas: Sassy Sally’s and Tam O’Shanter
The sign from Sassy Sally’s was deliberately designed to look older than it was, with each s in the name made to resemble a dollar sign. And the one from the Tam O’Shanter throws the kitchen sink at it with a lit-up, spinning hat, incandescent lighting round the outside and white, illuminated boards in the middle.
The Tam O’Shanter was a family-run hotel next to the Venetian resort – but it was bought out, knocked down and replaced by the far grander Palazzo. Joints tend to have a shelf-life in Vegas.
Las Vegas history through its neon signs
The yard becomes a curious wonderland of absurd creations – a giant pirate’s skull, Aladdin’s lamp, a cartoonish yellow bird – and lettering that ranges from the exotically foreign to space age in a bid to stand out.
But they all have a place in time, whether mob-era, the family-friendly years or the What Happens In Vegas Stays In Vegas period – and when placed together, the artistic merit starts to shine through.
Las Vegas Neon Museum entry price
Tickets to the Las Vegas Neon Museum cost $20 during the day, when you can wander around at your own pace. At night, there are guided tours, costing $28. Visit the museum website for more information.
More things to do in Las Vegas
Australia to Las Vegas flights | Los Angeles to Las Vegas road trip | Red Rock Canyon e-bike tours | Ferrari driving experience | Fremont Street zipline | National Atomic Testing Museum | Hoover Dam.