The Neon Museum

If you are interested in seeing vintage Vegas hotel signs, then The Neon Museum is the place to do it.

The idea of preserving all of these iconic neon signs from hotels that have long gone (or just renovated their look and need a new sign) came about in 1996. Collecting these signs took time for the museum. And once they were able to obtain so many signs, it took even longer to restore them to its full glitz and glory.

My husband and I came by here towards the middle of January. I purchased daytime general admission tickets, which cost $15 per person. You are able to go at your own pace, which is nice. But does not come with a docent led tour. However there are numerous of very knowledgeable employees stationed throughout the path (in their boneyard) for you to meander and wander around to see the signs displayed.

I actually made a mistake when I had purchased the tickets online a few days before (as it is recommended on the website to purchase in advance). I purchased tickets for Saturday, thinking I had purchased tickets for Sunday. So when we checked in, the security guard that scanned my tickets told me that my tickets were for yesterday. But she said that this shouldn't be a problem and that the people at the front desk can reissue me tickets today (phew). Thankfully it wasn't a problem and so we were able to come in for our visit (not sure if this happens often, as both the security guard and the 2 employees at the front desk didn't seem surprised or bothered by my mistake. Customer service along deserves 5 stars).

Anyways, we did take our time looking at all the signs, reading the information boards and also asked 3 of the docents I saw, numerous of questions (which is what they are here for and they encouraged it). We were here for about an hour.

Now let me share with you some of the things that I learned during our visit:
-The Hard Rock Cafe sign they have here is the largest restoration for the museum.
-The happy shirt sign is from Steiner Cleaners, which was a local business. The owner's daughter (when she was a child) was the one who designed the logo that the owner decided to use for the business.
-My favorite sign is the Treasure Island skull. The skull is made of fiberglass is part of a 2 sided sign (Treasure Island is still on the strip but they have rebranded themselves and changed the design. But I prefer the original pirate skull sign). This type of sign is know as a sculpture sign instead of the typical neon style sign that most of Vegas is best known for.


We had a great visit and enjoyed seeing some of the old signs of past hotels and current hotels still surviving along the strip and Downtown Las Vegas.

Restrooms are on the other side of the gift shop. The boneyard is outside, on a dirt path so do plan accordingly for the weather.

This was one of the reasons for my Vegas visit. You can visit during the day or night, but why wouldn't you wait until nighttime, when the signs are lit? Of course admission at nighttime is higher, $25 vs. $20.

We got the Brilliant! add-on was another $17. The Brilliant! experience was very cool, we got to see non-functioning signs artificially lit up to simulate what they once looked like years ago.

The boneyard is quite impressive when so many signs are lit up. The signs are packed in at several locations, so there can be traffic issues with tours and other guests. I thought the guided boneyard tours were private. They're not. If you hover around in the background, you can eavesdrop on the tour.

The only reason it's not 5 stars? You can only take pictures with your cellphone camera. You can't use a real camera. Well, you can. You just have to go on a special day, and shell out more $$$ for the privilege.

I thought it was super fun and they had ample parking! My 6 yo son was free. They also offer senior discounts. For two seniors, two adults and my kid, it was over $70.

The signage history was great and lots of good photo ops. There is also a small gift shop, which had stuff my Boomer dad enjoyed.

Would not classify as a museum.
Incredibly expensive - overpriced.
You can see signs on the main strip without the drive and the insane cost (25 dollars a person).
Most of the signs are not lit up.

Would not recommend.

Giving even one star is too generous in my opinion, but in order to leave this review I have to give something.

The Neon "Museum" is definitely not what you'd expect. As someone who lived in Vegas for about a decade, you'd hear about this place, but as a local it's not somewhere you really visit. My boyfriend was visiting Vegas for the first time, and we were looking at something to do at 6pm. I mentioned this place, and we decided to give it a try.

A $40 taxi ride later, we arrived and were promptly informed that it costs $5 more per person if you're not a local. Cool.

Once inside, it's about the size of a large backyard. While they do have maybe 20-25 lighted signs, the majority (90%) of the signs are non working. You are able to get some good pics in with the ones that are operating, but it's definitely not worth the entrance fee. We spent more time in the gift shop & talking while waiting for our Uber, than we did in the actual museum area.

And the use of museum is very loosely defined, as you really only get info concerning the 20 or so signs that are lit, otherwise you'd do better going to Fremont street to get a blast from the past, rather than this area.

I honestly did not like it, wouldn't recommend it to anyone, and won't be back.

I am glad I finally made it to The Neon Museum. If you are into "old Vegas" and learning new things about Vegas, take the tour! The tour guide is full of great information.

There are several signs here to see. Some are lit up and others are not. It's really fun touring it at night. Highly recommend!!

They have a cute little gift shop that has decent prices.

I have been dying to visit The Neon Museum for years and I finally got to see it in real life during my first visit to Vegas last month. First of all, you'll definitely want to reserve evening tickets so that you can see all the signs lit up after dark. I thought it was interesting that they're even open during the day because the real fun starts when the sun goes down. We did an earlier 5:30pm time slot and there were not many other people there at that time.

For just general admission, tickets were $25 each which isn't too bad. If you love history and want the full immersive experience, you'll want to opt for the guided tour. I don't think the tour costs extra, but you do have to book a specific time slot for that.

I will say the neon boneyard was not as big as I thought it would be. There are lots of cool signs to see and good photo-ops but you really won't spend more than an hour visiting unless you really dig into the history of each sign. It looks like they're in the process of adding a new space across the street (maybe they're expanding?). There is a fun little gift shop too if you want to take home some souvenirs. I'm glad I finally got to see it once, but not sure this would be a must-do every time. I believe they have other fun exhibits and programming throughout the year, so I'm sure Vegas locals & museum members find other reasons to visit.

The coolest thing we visited, the sign boneyard (https://www.neonmuseum.org/ ). Pay the extra $8 for the group tour is a plethora of wealth and knowledge from local guides, go when it's dark it's a wonderful walk down memory lane.

The Tropicana opened in 1957 and the owner vowed it'll never close. It was once nicknamed "Tiffany's of the strip" however, January 2024 they announced it will come down for the 1.5 billion baseball stadium. The neon museum is salivating to get their hands on its dish. Donate $5 to help make it happen.

https://secure.neonmuseum.org/donate/i/molaskyfund?_gl=1*uupzes*_gcl_au*MjY1OTIwOTg0LjE3MDc3MTI4ODY.

Better yet visit the neon museum and Vegas it's a wonderful city even for those of us who do not gamble or drink!

For me way to much hype not enough filler. I would call it more of a neon sign junk yard. It was cool to see the signs up close. The tour guides have a massive amount of info about the signs and lore of old Vegas. But it didn't live up to my expectations. It is literally a bunch of old signs tossed about ,some in working conditions and some in none working condition parts light bulbs fragments laying about. The amount you're charged and what is on display dont add up
It was kinda cool to see the old memorabilia but that will be the only time that I visit the neon Museum in Vegas

What a fantastic museum! I've read about the Neon Museum in my favorite travel magazine ages ago but we only decided to visit it on this trip. I'm so glad I did as it was a really unique and educational experience. I highly recommend visiting. Come near sundown so you can experience the museum both during daylight and after dark.