All of the Lights: Why You Should Visit The Neon Musuem In Las Vegas, Nevada

(Image courtesy of Roach, 1997, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, United States, New Line Cinema)

The first time I ever heard of Las Vegas, I was nine years old watching the 1997 movie Austin Powers; International Man of Mystery. In the film, Austin Powers (played by Mike Meyers) ventures to Las Vegas with Vanessa Kensington (Elizabeth Hurley). When Powers and Kensington discover Las Vegas, there is a montage of the pair on a tour bus surrounded by neon signs. For my twenty-first birthday, I went with a group of friends to Vegas. I had the opportunity to see the iconic hotels, great shows, and the best dinner I ever had (If you are ever in Vegas, you need to run, not walk to Cut by Wolfgang Puck). Although I did not have the opportunity to go to the Neon Museum, I have always wanted to visit. I had the opportunity to talk with Dawn M., Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, to learn more about the Museum.

(Image courtesy of the Neon Museum)

1. Why should someone visit The Neon Museum?

There is no other museum like us in the world dedicated to dedicated to collecting, preserving, studying and exhibiting iconic Las Vegas signs for educational, historic, arts and cultural enrichment.

(Image courtesy of the Neon Museum)

2. How has The Neon Museum adapted in the face of COVID-19?

We had to temporarily close our door, just like other businesses in the state, but that didn’t keep us from interacting with our patrons and fans. We promoted our web-based app, neonmuseum.app, so visitors could visit us “virtually” and read, hear and see highlights on 25 of the signs in our collection. Password: neon if you would like to visit. We also streamed “tours” on FB live.

(Image courtesy of the Neon Museum)

3. How does The Neon Museum acquire its artifacts?

The majority of our signs are donated by the owners.

(Image courtesy of the Neon Museum)

4. What is the future of the museum?

We have acquired an additional building that we’ll be expanding into to offer more programming and display more signs.

(Image courtesy of the Neon Museum)