Any trip to Las Vegas is filled with lights, excitement and of course – everything that will glitter. But while Vegas is still full of shows and lights, there is still that bit of mystery about the history and what old Vegas used to be. But a bit off strip, you’ll find a lot of that history piled around and there for you to visit.
The Neon Museum is a bit of old Vegas as soon as walk into the front door – into an Art Deco hotel lobby and out the back door to the “grave yard”. It started as a place for old signs to be stored and turned into a place where tourists come to see them.
Great expense is taken to move the signs from their current location and to bring them to the Neon Museum. Depending on the age of the sign, there are great preservation methods taken to keep the signs in the state they are delivered in. You will find the original Stardust sign, ones from hotels on and off the main strip and even a giant skull from the family friendly years at Treasure Island.
While the Neon Museum is open during the day, the museum literally lights up at night. During your visit you’re only allowed to take photos with your phone, so leave your camera and video cameras in your hotel room. But be sure to get your selfies while you’re there. It’s worth the stop on your trip through Vegas, and will give you a taste of the glitz and glamour the city was built with and still offers visitors.
Now through April the Neon Museum has extended the stay of the Tim Burton exhibit. Mixed between the historical signs are different Burton characters and items you wouldn’t normally see. From Beetlejuise signs even the Aliens from Mars Attacks. This short exhibit offers fans to see special museum exhibits and installations with some of their favorite characters.
This is an exhibition of sculptural and digital installations that celebrates Burton’s link to Las Vegas’ historical neon heritage.
These artworks, many of which are site-specific creations, play with the Museum’s landmark sign collection, which was prominently featured in “Mars Attacks!” Burton’s irreverent homage to the sci-fi B-movies of the 1950s and 1960s and the disaster films of the 1970s unleashed gleefully destructive alien invaders upon gamblers, casino workers and Tom Jones. The presentation of Burton’s art in Las Vegas is a unique experience where the host institution also serves as creative inspiration. The Museum’s distinctive campus is transformed through the artist’s singular vision for this original exhibition.
About the Neon Museum
Founded in 1996, The Neon Museum is a non-profit 501 (c) 3 organization dedicated to collecting, preserving, studying and exhibiting iconic Las Vegas signs for educational, historic, arts and cultural enrichment. The Neon Museum campus includes the outdoor exhibition space known as the Neon Boneyard, a visitors’ center housed inside the former La Concha Motel lobby and the Neon Boneyard North Gallery which houses additional rescued signs and is available for weddings, special events, photo shoots and educational programs.
See their special event schedule and get tickets for your visit now!
