Neon Museum

When temperatures are 105F or more, admission may be delayed until after 8pm. When temperatures are over 100F, guided tours and Brilliant! Jackpot will be canceled or rescheduled. Please reach out to our Customer Service team for assistance with reservations at 702-387-6366 or [email protected] The Neon Museum illuminates the cultural essence of Las Vegas by sharing iconic signage, diverse collections, and stories that define its vibrant past, present, and future. Create a sense of belonging for everyone. Promote scholarship through our work and collaboration. Offer fun engagement for everyone that reflects the spirit of Las Vegas. Demonstrate excellence . Founded in 1996, The Neon Museum achieved accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) in 2021, the highest national honor for museums in the United States. On its 2.27-acre campus, The Neon Museum has an outdoor exhibition space known as the Neon Boneyard (“boneyard” is traditionally the name for an area where items no longer in use are stored); the North Gallery, home to the immersive audiovisual experience “Brilliant! Jackpot,” which uses projection mapping technology to animate more than 40 non- operational signs; and its Visitors’ Center inside the former La Concha Motel lobby, a historic building from 1961 listed on the State and City register of Historic Buildings. The term “boneyard” refers to an area where items no longer in use are stored, generally to be prepared for disposal or repurposed. One-fourth of The Neon Museum’s collection is on loan from the Young Electric Sign Company’s (YESCO) boneyard, which housed many of Las Vegas’ decommissioned signs. Today, all the rescued signs displayed in the Museum’s outdoor exhibition area – The Neon Boneyard – are curated deliberately so that through guided tours provided by museum interpreters, visitors can enjoy the artistry of the signs while discovering the history behind them. The Neon Museum was established as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization in 1996 to collect and exhibit neon signs, the art form synonymous with Las Vegas. Dedicated individuals from the private sector and corporate and government entities worked collaboratively to promote the preservation of these national treasures as significant pieces of artistic and historical importance. Each of the more than 250 signs in The Neon Museum’s collection offers a unique story about the personalities who created it, what inspired it, where and when it was made and the role it played in Las Vegas’ distinctive history. In addition, The Neon Museum Collection chronicles changes and trends in sign design and technology through pieces ranging from the 1930s to the present day. On Oct. 27, 2012, The Neon Museum’s Visitors’ Center opened inside the historic La Concha Motel lobby, the distinctive shell-shaped building designed by acclaimed architect Paul Revere Williams, FAIA. Williams was the first Black architect to become a member of the American Institute of Architects in 1923, and in 1957 he was inducted as the AIA’s first Black fellow. The curvilinear La Concha Motel lobby is a striking example of Googie architecture, a style of Mid-Century modern design characterized by Atomic and Space Age shapes and motifs. Originally constructed in 1961 on Las Vegas Boulevard South (next to the Riviera Hotel), the La Concha lobby was saved from demolition in 2005 and moved in 2006 to its current location to serve as the Museum’s Visitors’ Center. References to many of the lobby’s original interior design elements have been included–with the mosaic lobby sign by Ben Mayer that is original to the 1961 construction. The base of the original La Concha Motel roadside neon sign was restored and illuminated as part of the Museum’s restoration efforts. The Museum’s official opening in October 2012 marked the first-time electrified signs were included as part of The Neon Boneyard’s permanent collection. The Museum currently holds 250 signs and exhibits 31