They Keep The Lights On

When you think of Las Vegas, what comes to mind? Gambling and casinos? Nearly naked women and sinful nights? Quickie marriages (and divorces)? Perhaps. Myself, I always think about the lights. There's only one place that can even dream of coming close to being as bright and lit up as Vegas (that would be Times Square in NYC), and even that has nothing on the decades of art, science, engineering, and marketing that have grown into the iconic Las Vegas neon signs.

It's even brighter in person
Image from http://www.condominiumcentral.net/

But, what happens when these signs get old? Or a casino is demolished or renamed or rebranded?

Enter the only museum in America (if not the world) dedicated to the preservation of neon signs, The Neon Museum. Filled with the relics of by-gone Vegas businesses and eras, a tour here is like walking back through time. Many of the signs are in the process of being restored and refurbished but there are lots that are waiting their turn, giving visitors a close peek at the artistry and thought put into each sign.

To get here, my sister and I took the Deuce Bus to Stewart and 4th Street, then walked maybe 3 or 4 blocks to the Neon Museum. We were in a bit of a hurry (we were trying to squeeze this in literally a few hours before we were to fly back to Pennsylvania), but caught a 9:30am tour. Let me go on the record and say that at first I was grumpy that there were such odd tour times (a few in the morning, and a few in the evening- and that's it!) but having gone on the tour, I fully understand why. See, The Neon Museum is all outdoors-- in a desert. So halfway through our 9:30 am tour it was already near 100 degrees outside surrounded by huge metal and glass signs with little shade to be had. A tour at high noon would probably kill someone from the sun exposure!

The gift shop/ lobby of the Neon Museum....that's the only "inside" part you'll get

Pieces of the Moulin Rouge, Stardust, Lady Luck and others- that's all metal and a real sun folks.
It was HOT!!!

At night, the tour is a bit more expensive ($25 versus $18 in the day), but they offer a bevy of discounts for Nevada residents, museum professionals, students, etc. I wish we could have seen the tour at night, when the signs are lit up and you can get a taste of them in their former glory!

Part of the original Stardust sign- the rest is scattered around the museum

It sure FELT like the Sahara out there!

This museum is pretty new (only an official museum for about a year and a half now although the collection of the signs goes back for decades) and I am excited to see where they will go from here. They have a fundraiser going to raise funds to restore some of the more damaged signs (donate friends!), and they have a cool gift shop with lots of pop art-ish items, books, and art pieces. While actual signs themselves are not for sale (or the components of them), walking through the Boneyard (the exhibition space) gave me a feeling of ownership of these beautiful artifacts. What I loved most? That many of the signs and hotels of early Vegas were designed by women and African Americans such as Betty Willis who designed the most famous signs of the Strip including the "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign (more on THAT in another post) and signs for the Stardust and Moulin Rouge, and Paul Revere Williams, the first documented African-American member and Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (AIA).

Well friends, this is one of many entries I'll have for Nevada. I truly loved this museum, and hope that my lovely readers will support them on their fundraising effort! While I get the rest of these entries typed, feel free to peruse the rest of my Nevada (and other state) photos on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, and I'll see you on the next adventure!