Jan 8, 2023
Written By: H.Couch
When you think of Las Vegas you think about gambling, drinking, food and clubs. But did you know there is a little hidden gem of lights and wonder from the Las Vegas of yester year. Located in the historic La Concha Motel, The Neon Museum brings to life the glitz and glamour that used to hang along the Las Vegas Strip and Fremont Street. Some have been cleaned up and glow, some fade away in the dark of night, but the memories of what each neon sign used to sparkle high above will never fade away.
I never really took much thought into visiting The Neon Museum in Las Vegas, but during a recent visit and after a few suggestions to go, we took a chance and bought our tickets for the earliest time available to twilight. Book early if you want to try to get right around twilight. Needless to say, we were pleasantly surprised.
I didn’t really know what to expect but I did appreciate the tour we paid for vs walking around on our own. With the tour we were able to learn the history of each neon glow the sign represented and its history in Las Vegas. I was surprised at the number of signs The Neon Museum was able to acquire, but wished that more were able to shine in its restored glory. As we walked around the ghosts of Las Vegas past, we learned that it takes a lot of politics and work to restore these signs. So, for now, some of Las Vegas’s sign history just rusts away.
There is a second part to the tour that you don’t want to miss. The new brilliant audio-visual section that brings unrestored signs to life with sight and sound using augmented reality. They play classic Vegas songs and project lights and video on the old signs that bring them to life. It was really cool to watch the signs light up to their old glory and dance along to Las Vegas legends Elvis and Liberace.
We really enjoyed our journey through the history of Las Vegas through its iconic signs. If you weren’t planning on making a side trip when in Vegas you really should. Make it to The Neon Museum and take the tour.
Thanks for wandering with us,
The Wandering Couchs
