Neon Museum Facts for Kids

This page is about the museum in Las Vegas. For the museum in Los Angeles, see Museum of Neon Art. For the museum in Warsaw, see Neon Museum, Warsaw.

Quick facts for kids
Neon Museum

Neon Museum Visitors' Center
Established	1996 (Opened to the public October 27, 2012 (2012-10-27))
Location	Las Vegas, Nevada
Type	Art museum
Visitors	85,000 (2015)

The Neon Museum in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States, is a special outdoor museum. It shows off old neon signs from casinos and other businesses. These signs are spread out over a big area, about 2.6 acres. The museum's main building, where visitors start, is actually the old lobby from the La Concha Motel. It opened to the public on October 27, 2012.

For a long time, a company called the Young Electric Sign Company (YESCO) kept many of these old signs in a place they called the "boneyard." The weather was slowly damaging these signs. People in Las Vegas, including business owners and city leaders, believe these signs are very important. They are not just art, but also a big part of the city's history and culture. Each restored sign at the museum tells a story about who made it and why it matters.

History of the Neon Museum
- The La Concha Lobby
- Growing the Museum
Museum Exhibits
See also

History of the Neon Museum

The Neon Museum started in 1996. It was a team effort between the Allied Arts Council of Southern Nevada and the City of Las Vegas. Today, it is its own non-profit organization. The museum is located on Las Vegas Boulevard North. It includes the Neon Boneyard and the North Gallery.

People started collecting signs after the famous sign from The Sands was taken down in the 1980s. There was nowhere to keep the huge sign, so it was thrown away. After almost 10 years of saving signs, the Allied Arts Council and the city worked together. They wanted a place to keep and care for the saved signs.

To celebrate its official opening in November 1996, the Neon Museum fixed up and put up the Hacienda Horse & Rider sign. This sign is at the corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Fremont Street. At first, you could only visit the museum by making an appointment. About 12,000 to 20,000 people visited each year during this time.

The La Concha Lobby

In 2005, the historic lobby of the La Concha Motel was given to the museum. The Doumani family, who owned the motel, donated it. Moving and fixing the La Concha lobby cost about $3 million. But this donation helped the museum's plans become real. Many public and private groups gave money and grants. In total, about $6.5 million was raised. This money was for the visitors' center, offices, a new park, and fixing 15 large signs. The museum moved the building about 3.5 miles north on Las Vegas Boulevard. They had to cut it into eight pieces first.

In November 2009, the Neon Museum fixed and put up the famous Silver Slipper sign. It is across from the museum's welcome center. Two more old signs were put up near the north end of Las Vegas Boulevard. This was to show that the road was a National Scenic Byway.

The museum started charging for tickets on October 27, 2012. Before this, you could only visit by appointment. In its first year, 60,461 people visited. This was more than the museum expected!

Growing the Museum

The museum soon needed more space than the old La Concha lobby. In 2016, the museum moved its main offices to the old City Hall building. They turned the old offices into a museum store. In 2017, the museum bought more land. This was its first expansion since opening to the public in 2012. For its fifth birthday, the Neon Museum offered free entry on October 28, 2017. In 2018, the museum's staff moved again to a space at the Las Vegas-Review Journal. They opened a special area there called Ne10 Studio for programs and events.

Museum Exhibits

The Neon Museum is on Las Vegas Boulevard. It is south of the Cashman Center. The museum has exhibits in three main areas:

Restored neon signs along the middle of Las Vegas Boulevard (between Fremont St. and Washington Ave.).
The Neon Boneyard.
The museum's North Gallery.

Restored Signs on the Street

"The Flame" sign displayed in the plaza next to Neonopolis

Horse and rider from the Hacienda Resort

Restored signs in Downtown Las Vegas

The Neon Museum keeps several restored signs in Downtown Las Vegas and along the Las Vegas Strip. Fixing these signs can cost a lot of money. Small signs might cost $10,000, while the biggest ones can cost up to $100,000.

Boneyard Park

The Neon Boneyard Park was created in 2012. The word "NEON" is spelled out using letters that look like parts of famous signs.

The "N" is from the Golden Nugget sign.
The "E" is from the Caesars Palace sign.
The "O" is from the Binion's Horseshoe sign.
The last "N" is from the Desert Inn sign.

The letters are placed on a pattern inspired by the sign for The Sands. The sign also has stars like those from the Stardust and a starburst like the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign. This famous sign was designed by Betty Willis.

Main Boneyard

Most of the Neon Museum's collection is in the Main Boneyard. Here, you can see parts of signs from places like the Stardust, Riviera, Desert Inn, and Caesars Palace. The museum also has large fiberglass sculptures. One example is a giant skull from the Treasure Island Hotel and Casino. This is also where the signs that still light up are kept.

North Gallery

In 2018, the Neon Museum started a show called Brilliant!. It is a 30-minute art show created by Craig Winslow. It uses many projectors to make the old, broken signs look like they are working again. The show plays along with old and new music.