There is a museum in Las Vegas that ironically is all about the glitter that is Vegas yet is itself rather subdued. No flashing neon arrows pointing to its displays, no prominent location on The Strip, nor will you even be able to find out its location too easily. The Neon Museum in Las Vegas is a bit clandestine. You will only be told its exact location after you have a confirmed reservation. There are no self guided tours of its exhibits and no one gets in without a reservation, usually made months in advance.
All the secrecy makes the experience seem a bit more special. Like you are a part of a secret club. The Las Vegas Neon Museum houses, preserves, and eventually restores what has made Vegas famous. Its neon signs. Restored signs are displayed on and near Fremont St. while those that are waiting to shine again are stored in the museum’s boneyard. The tours offered by the museum are of their 3 acre boneyard and will set you back $15. But if you love Vegas, vintage signs, history, or just a unique experience this tour is well worth it.
The signs are in various stages of repair or disrepair as the case may be. You are forewarned to wear close toed shoes as the boneyard is littered with broken light bulbs and rusted metal.
The museum is in the process of restoring the mid-century modern lobby of the La Concha Motel as their visitors center which was designed by Paul Revere Williams. A prominent icon such as the La Concha as a visitor center is sure to negate any secrecy that currently surrounds the museum.
As you would imagine, hotel and casino signs dominate the collection of the Neon Museum. But not to be outdone in glitz and glamor everyday businesses went all out with their signs in Vegas as well. The one on the right above is from a Chinese restaurant.
If Vegas did not coin the phrase, “keeping up with the Joneses” it does its best to keep it alive. The next best thing is always in the works. That means old hotels are continuously being imploded to clear the way for bigger, better and flashier. And those casinos that do survive need updated images every few years. So old signs come down and many find their way to the neon boneyard. The lamp above is from the Aladdin before it met some well placed TNT and the one on the right is the Golden Nugget.
The boneyard was a gold mine of photo opportunities for me. It has everything; color, lines and shapes, great compositions, and a story to be told. The tour does not allow for much exploring on your own, which I would have loved to do. But if you pay attention there are shots around every corner, from the obvious full-size hotel sign to more subtle ones. The “fallen star” above is very Vegas to me and cold be telling a classic Vegas story. What was once a bright star served its purpose, faded and is now laying in a boneyard waiting for another chance. A sign or a Vegas dream?
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