Visiting the Neon Museum in Las Vegas
The last time I visited Las Vegas, I hadn’t even heard of the Neon Museum. Say what??? That was before the Neon Museum in Las Vegas was plastered all over Instagram.
On my most recent visit to Las Vegas, I was more prepared and knew that the Neon Museum was not to be missed. It’s one of the coolest museums I’ve ever been to, and worth a visit next time you’re in Las Vegas. Read on for a detailed guide to visiting the Neon Museum in Las Vegas!
What is the Neon Museum in Las Vegas?
It’s a Really Cool Non-Profit
The Neon Museum is a non-profit organization that, according to its website, is “dedicated to collecting, preserving, studying and exhibiting iconic Las Vegas signs for educational, historic, arts and cultural enrichment.” It’s gotta be one of the most unique non-profits in the country!
It’s a Non-Creepy Graveyard
Basically, it’s a super cool open air museum where old Las Vegas neon signs go to enjoy their retirement. Or if you want to be a little more morbid, it’s a boneyard for old neon signs. RIP glittery signs.
When I booked my most recent trip to Las Vegas, visiting the Neon Museum was at the top of my itinerary.
It’s Insta-Famous
The Neon Museum was founded in 1996, but awareness of it seems to have exploded in recent years due to its popularity on Instagram.
It’s More Than Just the Boneyard
The Neon Museum is set on a 2.25 acre campus which has the main outdoor exhibition space called the Neon Boneyard (so morbid!), a visitors center inside the retro cool old La Concha Motel lobby, and a North Gallery that holds more unrestored neon signs.
General admission or a regular tour will explore the Neon Boneyard, while the North Gallery generally can only be viewed if you buy tickets for Brilliant!, which is a special light exhibition.
Or, you can book the North Gallery space for a special event or photoshoot. Now I’m definitely regretting not having my wedding in Vegas – how cool would it be to get married at the Neon Museum???
Nine restored neon signs from the Neon Museum are also on display as public art in the city of Las Vegas. You can find a map with the locations of those restored signs here.
Where is the Neon Museum?
The Neon Museum is located in Las Vegas, Nevada, off “the strip”. The address of the Neon Museum is 770 N Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas, NV.
Getting to the Neon Museum in Las Vegas
We were staying on the strip and didn’t have a car, so opted to take a $9 Uber to the Neon Museum.
If you have a car, the Neon Museum offers free parking. Turn right onto McWilliams Avenue and then turn left into the free parking lot.
When to Visit the Neon Museum in Las Vegas
The Neon Museum is open year round. There are a few things to keep in mind when planning your visit.
- Las Vegas can be extremely hot in the summer months and the Neon Museum is outdoors. If you’re visiting in the summer, consider visiting the Neon Museum right when it opens, or closer to sunset.
- You can buy tickets to tour the Neon Museum at sunset or at night. This seems like it could be a pretty cool experience. However, only a small number of the neon signs have been restored and will be fully lit up. The other signs will be lit from external spotlights on the ground. Also, no tripods are allowed unless you book a special photo walk. So, it will be hard to take high quality night photos.
- Three, if you’re planning to take photos during your tour, you should consider the lighting conditions during your visit. We went in the late afternoon because I wanted to see the Neon signs without having blinding overhead sunlight.
Tickets + Tour Information
Tickets are required to visit the Neon Museum. They go on sale a month in advance, but we were able to book our midweek tickets the day before our visit with no problem.
If you’re visiting the Neon Museum, you can opt to take a 1 hour tour of the Neon Boneyard, get a general admission ticket, see the Brilliant! light show, or do both a tour and Brilliant! combo. Ticket prices are listed below.
We elected to buy general admission tickets so that we could explore the Neon Boneyard at our own pace. Volunteers were stationed throughout the Neon Museum and approached us to share interesting facts and stories, but were pretty hands off.
I’ve heard the 1-hour guided tours offer a deeper insight into the history of the neon signs and the “old” Las Vegas. I’d love to go back and take a tour next time. They offer tours 7 days a week, and tour times vary by season.
Brilliant! is a 30-minute light show that uses archival footage to bring the signs and history of Las Vegas to life. Brilliant! incorporates flashing and/or strobe lights so may not be for everyone.
Ticket Prices
General Admission
- $22 – adult
- $17 – seniors, children 7-17, students, NV residents, veterans, active military)
- FREE – children 6 and under
Guided Tour
- $28 – adult
- $24 – seniors, children 7-17, students, NV residents, veterans, active military)
- FREE – children 6 and under
Brilliant!
- $23 – adult
- $15 – seniors, children 7-17, students, NV residents, veterans, active military)
- FREE – children 6 and under
Guided Tour + Brilliant! Combo
- $42 – adult
- $32 – seniors, children 7-17, students, NV residents, veterans, active military)
- FREE – children 6 and under
Combo Tickets
If you want to visit both the Neon Museum and the Mob Museum during your time in Vegas, you can buy a combined ticket to both attractions for $48. Your tickets for the Mob Museum must be used within seven days of your first booked tour.
Photography and Videography Restrictions
We noticed a lot of photography restrictions listed on the Neon Museum’s website. The website essentially says that no photoshoots were allowed. You are also not allowed to take video or audio recordings.
We were a bit panicked, because we definitely wanted to get that the super fabulous Instagram shot. And isn’t the life of an Instagrammer just one big photoshoot? Well, it turns out we were absolutely fine.
What is Allowed
Still photography for personal use is allowed at the Neon Museum. That means you can take photos for social media and for your website/blog. Whew!!!!
If you go on a guided tour or buy a general admission ticket, you are only allowed one camera and lens per person. Plus your smartphone. Selfie sticks are also allowed.
What Isn’t Allowed
You aren’t allowed to take photos for any additional artistic or commercial use on guided tours or if you buy a general admission ticket. So no #ad, guys! And no selling your photos of the Neon Museum.
You aren’t allowed to bring multiple cameras, multiple camera lenses, tripods, or external flashes on guided tours or during general admission.
I usually travel with 3 camera lenses but only brought a super wide angle lens for my visit. To be honest, they did not search my bag nor do I think anyone would have noticed if I changed my camera lens. But, what can I say, I’m a rule follower in museums. And my photos turned out just fine.
Photo Walks
If you’re a hobby photographer are are dying to bring your tripod or multiple camera lenses to the Neon Museum, you can buy tickets to special photo walks for $50 ($35 for Nevada residents, students, active military, veterans and seniors).
Photo Shoots
If you want to stage a photoshoot, like engagement or wedding photos, you need to get special permission from the Neon Museum.
The Neon Museum Experience
When you first enter the visitors center, you may notice that it’s shaped short of like a seashell. The visitors center is situated in the former La Concha Motel, so it has a really cool vintage, retro vibe.
The Neon Museum also collects small artifacts, like matchbooks and postcards, from the properties represented in the sign collection – some of these are displayed in the visitors center.
You then walk through the gift shop, and out into the Neon Boneyard. I loved every moment of our walk through the Neon Boneyard.
The signs have been clustered around a walkway, so you’re essentially surrounded by neon. You can tell the signs have been thoughtfully and artfully arranged.
Since we weren’t doing a guided tour, we were able to explore the Neon Boneyard at our leisure.
Elvis and Priscilla Presley were married in a room at the Aladdin hotel in 1967 
All in all, I loved my time at the Neon Museum. One of my favorite things about heading out west is the prevalence of old neon signs, motels and diners. The Neon Museum is basically that, but on steroids! And it’s a great reminder that Las Vegas has some pretty cool roots – from an old mob town, to the glitz and glamor of the 1950s, to the over-the-top pool parties of today.
Next time I go back, I’m definitely doing a guided tour. I’m glad we had time to take photos at our own pace. But I think we really missed out on learning about the history of all of the neon signs in the museum.
Have you been to the Neon Museum? Let me know in the comments!
xx
Vicki
This sounds like such an amazing place! I would love wandering around here!
Vicki- thank you for your post! I love seeing the signs during the day, from your photos. I went there in 2018- did a tour at night, and was hooked on the place. Became a member of the museum, after. There is a story behind every one of those signs, as you can imagine. The changes I see from your photos- there are now lights in the Stardust sign, and the addition of the magnificent Hard Rock guitar. Keep having fun!
I would love to go for a nighttime tour. Next time!
How wide was your lens?
Would you recommend wearing closed toed shoes? I can’t tell if the ground is ‘dusty’ and wearing open toed sandals would be a bad idea? Thanks!