| rev:text
| - I am going to be honest with you. I have been to Vegas nearly every year of my life since high school. I was done and over Vegas. Tired of the strip. Tired of downtown. I have literally done everything you need to do in Vegas, still bored out of my mind.
I hated Vegas.
Until this trip.
Ironically, we had a tour guide here who grew up in Vegas and said she disliked it until working here. I'm big fan of quirky and vintage things and the outdoors so this met all my criteria. We booked a nighttime tour ($26) on the weekend, because I figured they are neon lights so they might look more striking at night. Took an uber over from the strip and it was about $17 and strolled around the gift shop until our tour began.The museum itself is actually the old La Concha Hotel and the front desk area looks very hotelish.
A couple of things to know about the tour and museum:
-the Neon Museum itself is a non-profit 501 organization dedicated to collecting, preserving, studying and exhibiting iconic Las Vegas signs.
-The tour takes about an hour.
-It is not as much a tour of bright lights and sign relics, but more so a walk through history. Some examples include: There is a neon sign from the Moulin Rouge, which lasted in operation for all of five months in the 50s and it's a landmark of the city's first racially integrated casino. A place where black performers could go after hours, after the casino they just performed at won't take them as guests. Then there is a sign from Binion's, (apparently Binion was a two time murderer) who opened the first version of casinos as we know them today, he replaced sawdust-covered floors (because horses were allowed inside) with carpeting, and was the first to offer free drinks to players.
-There are lots of signs that say "Sahar" but with an "A".
-The guides are fantastic and very knowledgeable about Vegas history.
-They encourage people to take photos.
-Beware of broken glass, and your boots/shoes will get super dusty
-Not all the signs are lit up. It is expensive to restore and turn on all the signs. Also keep in mind, the signs that are lit are pretty bright so if all of them were on at once, I'm pretty sure it would be seizure/blindness inducing.
-There is a large skull on the tour from the old Treasure Island pirate show (I can still remember that one, it was like Vegas style Pirates of the Caribbean). If you google map the museum you can see the entire skull smiling at you.
-If you forego the tour and just want to take pictures, there is a photo walk you can schedule that offered less routinely (few times a month).
It's a great place for tourists who appreciate off the beaten path types of activities, photo enthusiasts and even a great place for a wedding. Add this place to your Las Vegas bucket list!
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)
![[cxml]](/fct/images/cxml_doc.png)
![[csv]](/fct/images/csv_doc.png)
![[text]](/fct/images/ntriples_doc.png)
![[turtle]](/fct/images/n3turtle_doc.png)
![[ld+json]](/fct/images/jsonld_doc.png)
![[rdf+json]](/fct/images/json_doc.png)
![[rdf+xml]](/fct/images/xml_doc.png)
![[atom+xml]](/fct/images/atom_doc.png)
![[html]](/fct/images/html_doc.png)