(updated June 2018)
On New Year’s Eve we took a tour of the Neon Museum. I cannot recommend this tour strongly enough. It would have been enough just to walk through the signs, but our guide was a great storyteller and had a really good knowledge of Las Vegas history and the history of the signs. I think she loved Las Vegas history as much as I do. At each of the stops along the tour our guide shared the history of particular signs as well as information about what else was going on in Las Vegas at the time.
Here are some photos from our tour. The photos are no replacement for actually visiting the museum and taking the tour, but they should give you a good idea of what to expect.
The lobby has an interactive, multimedia display where you can learn a bit of Las Vegas history while waiting for your tour to start. They also have an assortment of books, shirts and souvenirs available.
The Neon Museum’s popularity is rising and they are expanding their hours and offerings to accommodate the increased demand.
They now have 2 tour options: General Admission and Guided. The general admission tours allow you to see the collection at your own pace during the day, without a guide. The museum does post guides/docents in the yard in case you have questions during your self-guided tour. The self guided tours are available 9am-4pm for $19.
The guided tours are $28 and run every 20 minutes between 6pm and midnight. Guided tours are an hour long. Space is limited, so I highly recommend buying guided tour tickets online ahead of time. If this is your first time at the museum, I highly recommend taking the guided tour. Save the general admission tour for subsequent trips (I think you’ll want to visit the museum more than once).
They have also added a new sound, lights and projections show called Brilliant.
“Static signs come to life, splashed with iconic Las Vegas images and accompanied by the soundtrack of some of the greatest musical performers in history.” Brilliant runs nightly at 8:30p. 9:30p. 10:30p and 11:30p. Tickets are $23. You can buy combo tickets for $42 which included access to Brilliant as well as a guided tour.
For the more fitness minded, they offer Hot Yoga on Saturdays during the summer from 4:30p-5:30p.
Nevada resident, military, senior and student discounts are available for all tours.
The museum is at 770 Las Vegas Blvd North. There is a free parking lot next to the museum lobby. The RTC 113 bus has a stop nearby. It is also an easy walk from Fremont Street with sidewalks and crosswalks. We walked to Fremont after the tour, so even though Google Maps says it may be missing sidewalks, I can confirm that there are sidewalks and crosswalks for the full distance.
Visiting the museum is now on my Top Ten list of things you must do in Las Vegas.
Hi Mark, Just discovered your blog and found I’ll learn a lot of things to do and see that I didn’t know about before, despite many, many trips over the last 15 years. I guess I get a sort of tunnel vision when in the casinos and concentrate on playing and nothing else. My girlfriend wants to do something (anything) to get us out of the casino for awhile so reading your blog will help me find just what she wants. I’ve seen your comments/posts to VPFree for a long time and know you are very knowledgeable about gaming as well as about the city. Very glad I found your blog.
Thanks,
rodinsocal
Hi Rod.
Thank you so much for your kind words.
Even though I enjoy gaming, I keep coming back to Las Vegas because of all of the other things it has to offer.
If there are any topics you’d like to see covered, just let me know.
Take Care,
Mark