From showgirls to The Strip, Las Vegas has its own unique history! And This Week in Gambling, we’re looking at the Las Vegas museums… skipping all those quiet galleries in favor of neon, mobsters, and what made Las Vegas Sin City! Most museums feature ancient history, fine art, and amazing science… but not in Vegas! And even though there are no museums dedicated to the Rat Pack, and the Elvis Museum closed back in 2006, there are still several venues featuring unique moments from Sin City’s past.
One of the best is the Atomic Museum. Long before the mega resorts, post World War II, Vegas was obsessed with the atomic bomb, actually throwing rooftop parties to watch nuclear detonations at the Nevada test site 65 miles away. Now, the atomic museum’s ground zero theater transports guests into a simulated nuclear blast, recreating what observers experienced watching those early tests, but without all the radiation. They also have real nuclear artifacts as well as historic and scientific displays.
Global obliteration aside, what would Vegas be without showgirls putting some sin in the city? And that brings us to our next stop on the Las Vegas museums tour: The Showgirl Museum! Nothing quite defines Las Vegas like a showgirl, an icon of class and sexy sophistication. And Grant Filippo’s Las Vegas Showgirl Museum houses over 40,000 artifacts, preserving the glitz, feather headpieces, and costumes from legendary reviews like Jubilee and headline acts like Liberace. It’s a backstage look at what made Sin City the entertainment capital of the world. Tours are by appointment only, so be sure you call ahead.
Next up, it’s the Museum of Gaming History, which actually does not have its own building. Instead, they create displays for hotel lobbies and even for other museums like the fore-mentioned Atomic Museum. They also have an exhibit at The Plaza covering the evolution of casinos in downtown Vegas, and another at the El Cortez dedicated to gaming artifacts and casino operators. Additionally, while it may not be one of the more well known of the Las Vegas museums, Main Street Station has a self-guided walking tour covering vintage slot machines and table games along with antiques from The Sands and Stardust.
Next, what would Las Vegas be today without the influence of the Mafia? And the Mob Museum shows you how a tiny desert town became the gambling capital of the world! Considered one of the best attractions in Vegas, the National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement sits downtown in a restored 1933 federal courthouse. with high-tech interactive exhibits like a crime scene lab, a firearms simulator, mob artifacts, and a prohibition era speak easy and distillery that actually serves visitors moonshine. It delivers an unfiltered look at some of the more notorious figures who helped shape Sin City.
However, if the mafia built Las Vegas, it was neon that lit it up! And you can find the signs that define Sin City when you visit the Neon Museum. Day tours are available, but the stunning night tours are where the illuminated vintage signs bring retired neon back to life. Their boneyard holds over 200 rescued displays from legendary casinos like Riviera, Stardust, and the Moulin Rouge. So, that’s our look at the most Las Vegas museums in Las Vegas. If you enjoyed this video, keep up with Sin City news and events by subscribing to our YouTube channel.