Las Vegas Neon Museum

The Las Vegas Neon Museum was established back in 1996 as a non profit organisation and comprises of over 150 artefacts dating as far back as the 1930's. The no longer used Neon signs tell a story of changing trends in the Las Vegas night sky and each exhibit here has a unique story to tell about the designer and establishent the sign once belonged to.

This is very much a Living Museum and many signs that are still in use today on the Las Vegas strip have been promised to the organisation for future displays. The Las Vegas Neon Museum is a source pride within the Las Vegas community.

The institution is not open for general admission, the museum does offer tours at 12.00 and 14.00 daily with a minimum recommended donation of $15 per person. Visitors would be well advised to reserve a spot on a tour two weeks in advance as spots fil up fast. Also worthy of note is that whilst Camera's are allowed onto the premises for personal use, they are permitted for commercial use. Film and Photography are permitted with special request and yet again must be done in advance and application fees vary depending on the size of shoot and the number of people involved.

As for the Collection...

The majority of the collection is displayed in the famous Neon Museum Boneyard. The signs here paint a chronological picture going back to the 1930's of Motels, Places of Business and famous Casino Resorts of yesteryear.

The wonderful Fremont Street Gallery can be viewed on a self guided Las Vegas Neon Museum tour twenty four hours a day beginning at the front of the Neonopolis at Las Vegas Boulevard.

The collection begins with the The Hacienda Horse and Rider, the first sign to be erected on Fremont Street. Designed by Brian Leming this sign was origninally installed at the Hacienda Hotel in 1967. Originally built by Yesco (Young Electric Sign Co.) it has since been restored to it's former glory.

Aladdin’s Lamp is another sign built by YESCO and was installed in 1966 at the Aladdin Hotel. A Raymond Larson design, the newly restored sign now resides on the Northwest corner of the Fremont Street Experience and Las Vegas Boulevard.

The Flame, a beautiful Hermon Boernge design was originally located on the roof top of The Flame Restaurant and since it's restoration is one of the more stand out pieces in the Las Vegas Neon Museum collection.

The Chief Court Hotel Sign is one of the oldest pieces in the collection dating back to the early 1940's. Beautifully restored, this is a real Las Vegas relic and well worth a look at.

Andy Anderson was the mascot of the Anderson Dairy, the sign is another Hermon Boernge design and was originally installed in 1956.

The famous is an unknown Las Vegas relic. No one is quite sure where it was originally located, however it has been restored brilliantly.

Another of the many Las Vegas Neon Museum signs to see is the Red Barn sign which somehow survived the burning down of the bar of the same name and has been expertly restored to the condition it was originally in when installed in the 1960's.

The Nevada Hotel sign is one of historical significance as it contains the first image of Vegas Vic.

The Dot’s Flowers sign is one of true beauty. It belonged to the well respected and loved Floral shop of the same name located on Las Vegas Boulevard.

Las Vegas Neon Museum Boneyard Bash...

The very first annual Las Vegas Neon Museum Boneyard Bash is set to launch on the 28th of Ocotber 2011. Entertainment will include Live Painting and music by David Christian as well as great food and drink and plenty of Halloween surprises.

Is it worth Visiting the Las Vegas Neon Museum?...The simple answer the the above question is yes it is. When you conjur up the image of Las Vegas one of the first things that comes to mind (maybe after Dollar signs) is the image of Neon Lights. Neon lights are the signature of Las Vegas in the same way that Lady Liberty is to New York, The Great Pyramid of Giza is to Egypt and the Gondola is to the majestic city of Venice.

The glorious Neon sign that is Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada has been greeting visitors since 1959 and the Inert Gas became Integral to the Entertainment Capital of the World long before this. In fact the first use can be traced to the Oasis Cafe on Fremont Street back in 1929. In the many decades following this the Neon sign became the number one way to attract business and some of the signs are truly beautiful such as the pink plumage still seen at the Flamingo even today.

Since the introduction of LED and LCD technology many of the Casino and Hotel Resorts which reside on the Las Vegas strip have strayed from Neon signs. The fact is that the technologies available allow ever changing information to be displayed and this information and advertisement can be seen in daylight hours. Although the replacement of Neon signs is sad to see, it is an absolute pleasure and a delight that the Las Vegas Neon Museum has took it upon themselves to honour the tradition of Las Vegas and allow visitors of today and the future the opportunity to experience the Las Vegas of yesteryear.

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