Bright lights, eye catching signs; signs that made Las Vegas famous by high powered men with lots of money and lots of dirty baggage with them. Ever wondered what happened to those signs that attracted hundreds of thousand of people to those motels, hotels and casinos that was once the pride of Las Vegas? Well most have been preserved and are still functional at the Neon Sign Boneyard/Museum.
Located on the North end of Las Vegas Blvd you can see and learn about these infamous signs that once adorned the skies and streets of Las Vegas. From the La Concha Motel, to the SHOWBOAT, the Moulan Rogue, the Riviera, Tropicana, the old Golden Nugget, the Treasure Island signage, the Horseshoe, the Sahara and Stardust just to name a few. Each one has it's own story.
There are several tours throughout the day. Reservations for tickets can be purchased online only through their website. Prices start at $22, however they do have a local (no not Hawaiian local, but Nevada local) prices as well as student and military and dependents. For the military you must show your ID when you check in for your tour. If not all of your party has their ID or if you were trying to pull a fast one, you will be asked to pay the difference before you receive your ticket.
Once you receive your tickets, you will need to proceed to the guided tour waiting area located inside their store. Your tour guide will be there to pick your group up and introduce themselves to you. They will then tell you the do's and don'ts about the guided 1 hour tour. We had a 3pm tour and the sun was starting to go down. This is also January so that means it can get pretty windy and cold so dress warm. On this particular day our tour guide was fully wrapped up and wearing gloves. This island boy was wearing long pants and just a light jacket. So I was getting pretty cold quick.
After all the introductions and rules our guided tour began. Very informative information and history is about to be bestowed upon you. Like how the "Strip" got its name, to how those neon lights were made and what company is well known in Vegas for making them. You will also learn why certain the colors are use and the thought process of the branding.
So do these signs still work? Well guess what? They have several night tour packages available for an extra $10 more. Ticket reservation also available through their website.
Like I mentioned before, the tour is approximately an hour long and ample opportunity to take photos is given. Once your tour is over you can shop for some souvenirs or some snacks at their store, but wait.....you say you wanna see more vintage signs? Well you can because there are 9 other signs that have been restored and erected along Las Vegas Blvd and 90% of them are functional, meaning at night they are lit up like they once proudly did during their hey days. It starts just a quarter mile north past the Boneyard Museum. Once you see the Horseshoe from Binions Horseshoe Casino in the center island of Las Vegas, make a u-turn and head south. A map of these infamous signs is available at the check in counter. Make sure to get one prior to leaving so you can venture on your own to see them.
Does this interest you? If so, come learn about these retired vintage signs and their history. It's a good break from the highs and lows of legalized gambling.
4 stars only because it got too cold for me. Would have opted for a guided audio tour instead but wasn't available. Would have loved to go at my own pace.