A little-known fact about Las Vegas: it’s awash with wonderful museums featuring intriguing explorations of art, science, history, and culture.
So, whatever your interest, you will find something to quell it in Sin City. There are stellar entire galleries dedicated to the history of organized crime in the U.S., a museum harboring the world’s largest pinball collection, and top-notch exhibition spaces displaying the iconic Las Vegas neon signs.
To get you started, we’ve narrowed down Las Vegas’ long roster of museums to the essentials. Have a look below and take your pick!
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The 11 Best Museums In Las Vegas, Nevada
National Atomic Testing Museum
While snooping around the 8,000 sq. ft. National Atomic Testing Museum, you’ll stumble across treasured artifacts documenting the story of America’s nuclear weapons testing program at the Nevada Test Site.
The museum’s collection features over 3500 rare objects, including a large nuclear reactor used in the development of the nuclear rocket, the first air-to-air missile, personal atomic weapons, and a large DVD collection of atomic testing movies.
Address: 755 E Flamingo Rd, Las Vegas
Opening Hours: Thursday through Tuesday from 9:30 am – 3 pm
Tickets: General Adult Admission $24 | Youth (7-14) $18
Free Access: Under age 6
Neon Museum Las Vegas
Welcome to one of the most picturesque museums in Las Vegas. Nestled in the iconic Las Vegas Blvd, the Neon Museum will take you to uncover the city’s history through an eye-popping collection of colorful neon signs.
The museum’s 2.25-acre campus includes the outdoor exhibition space, the Neon Boneyard, which is dotted with more than 250 iconic Las Vegas signs, which are, at sunset, beautifully illuminated with ground lighting.
Address: 770 Las Vegas Boulevard North, Las Vegas
Opening Hours: January 10th – March 12th From 2 pm to 10 pm | March 13th – April 30th From 3 pm to 11 pm
Tickets: General Admission $20 (locals $16) | Guided Tours at Night $28 (locals $24)
Hollywood Cars Museum
This 30,000 sq. ft. (and still growing) museum features a dazzling display of vehicles appearing in over 100 films, TV shows, and videos. Among the Hollywood Cars Museum’s collection are some of the most recognizable and unique cars used in the entertainment industry, including five James Bond vehicles, original Batmobiles, and the bullet-ridden car from the newest “Green Hornet” movie. You’ll also see the “Robocop” cars and vehicles from the first film in the “Fast and Furious” series.
Address: 5115 Dean Martin Dr. UNIT 905, Las Vegas
Opening Hours: Monday – Sunday From 10 am to 5 pm
Tickets: Tickets are available at the Hollywood Cars Museum ticket counter only.
Free Access: Kids under 16 (with paid adult)
Las Vegas Natural History Museum
Las Vegas Natural History Museum inspires curious minds of all ages to discover the world’s wonders. In there, expect to glimpse a world-class collection featuring paleontological and archaeological findings from the desert to the ocean, from Nevada to Africa.
Stop by the museum’s International Wildlife Gallery to marvel at an impressive taxidermy collection, and get face-to-face with bears, antelope, big cats, and wild dogs. At the Marine Life Gallery, you’ll get up close and personal with lifesize models of various species of sharks and fish, as well as a 3,000-gallon tank where real stingrays and sharks reside.
The Treasures of Egypt exhibit displays one of just two sets of ancient Egyptian artifact replicas in the world that are authorized by the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities, while the museum’s extensive prehistoric exhibits display a 35-foot-long Tyrannosaurus rex and an Ichthyosaur that once swam in the waters covering Nevada.
Address: 900 Las Vegas Blvd N, Las Vegas
Opening Hours: Daily From 9 am to 4 pm
Tickets: General admission adults $ 12 | Children (Ages 3-11 years) $ 6,00 | Senior/Military/Student $ 10,00
Free Access: Infant (Ages 0-2)
Clark County Museum
The Clark County Museum harbors a fascinating exhibit depicting southern Nevada’s history from pre-historic to modern times. Located in Clark County, the most populous county in Nevada, the museum has collected and preserved over 60,000 items of local historical significance.
The museum has an incredible trove of items, which spans from the mid-1200s to the present. You’ll find Native American basketry and beadwork, precious archaeological findings, artwork and textiles, and industrial, medical, and household objects and tools.
Address: 1830 S. Boulder Highway, Henderson
Opening Hours: Daily From 9 am – 4:30 pm
Tickets: General Admission: Adults $2.00 | Seniors and children $1.
Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art
Located on the main campus of the University of Nevada (UNLV), the Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art is both a fine art gallery and a lively community gathering place. As the only art museum in Las Vegas, it displays 4 major collections of classic, cultural, and contemporary artifacts and artwork.
The museum displays contemporary art exhibitions by artists from America and abroad, including dazzling artworks that offer an opportunity for researchers and scholars to develop a more extensive knowledge of contemporary art in Southern Nevada.
Address: 4505 S Maryland Pkwy, Las Vegas, NV
Opening Hours: Tuesday – Saturday From 10 am – 5 pm
Tickets: Free admission
Discovery Children’s Museum
Las Vegas smartly flaunts kid-friendly museums that allow the little ones to play, explore and enjoy many life-changing experiences. One of the best is the Discovery Children’s Museum, which boasts three floors and endless wonders.
The museum is divided into different exhibition spaces, which with their own unique set of features. There’s “The Summit”, a 70-foot tower with each level boasting different climbing structures and interactive science exhibits, the “Eco-City”, where kids learn what it takes to earn a paycheck, and “Young at Art”, where the little ones will engage in hands-on investigations of art through color, line, shape, texture, space, and form!
Address: 360 Promenade Place, Las Vegas
Opening Hours: Tuesdays–Saturdays From 10 am–5 pm | Sundays From 12 pm–5 pm
Tickets: General Admission $15.50 (locals $13.50)
Nevada State Museum
If you’re looking for a unique museum experience, this is the place to go. The Nevada State Museum will take you to delve into the state’s natural and cultural history through unique activities and exhibits.
In the museum’s 13,000-square-foot permanent gallery, you’ll get an up-close look at the plant and animals that inhabited Nevada, hear the story of Native Americans, discover how geology shaped the Great Basin, and learn about the mobsters who controlled the Las Vegas Strip.
Address: 309 S Valley View Blvd, Las Vegas
Opening Hours: Friday to Monday From 9 am – 4 pm
Tickets: General admission $9.95 for adults | $4.95 for children (ages 3-17)
Free Access: Children ages 2 and under and museum members with a valid ID
Mob Museum
Located in a 1930s neoclassical building in the heart of Downtown Las Vegas, the Mob Museum grants visitors an immersive experience that’ll take them to discover some of history’s most intriguing crimes.
Through vivid storytelling, interactive exhibits, and multimedia displays, you’ll see artifacts used in gruesome events ( the 38-caliber Colt Detective revolver used in the 1929 St. Valentine’s Day Massacre and Al Capone’s Tommy gun are some of the relics you’ll find here).
Some of the museum’s best experiences include a group scavenger hunt, a tour through the basement, where it’s possible to relieve the sights, sounds, and tastes of a functioning Speakeasy of the Prohibition era, and examining forensic evidence to solve real-life crimes.
Address: 300 Stewart Avenue, Las Vegas
Opening Hours: Daily: 9 am to 9 pm
Tickets: General admission $29,95
Pinball Hall of Fame
The Pinball Hall of Fame is best known for being home to the world’s largest pinball collection. Created to rescue this lost arcade art, the museum hosts a fabulous array of pinball machines dating back to the 1950s.
All the machines are owned by Tim Arnold and were restored. They’re available for play, meaning visitors will get a uniquely memorable gaming experience while visiting this unique museum.
Address: 4925 Las Vegas Blvd S, Las Vegas
Opening Hours: Daily From 11 am – 9 pm
Tickets: Free admission
Zak Bagans’ The Haunted Museum
Set within a 1938 mansion — reportedly the site of dark and demonic happenings —, this museum is filled with some of the world’s most macabre treasures.
Half oddities collection, half haunted house, the museum was developed by Zak Bagans, who has been interested in the paranormal since he was just 10 years old. Among the house’s terrifying possessions, you’ll find the dybbuk box (a wine cabinet reputed to be the most haunted object in the world), the VW death van in which Dr. Jack Kevorkian ended the suffering of terminally ill patients, and the “Propofol chair” from Michael Jackson’s death room.
Address: 600 E. Charleston Blvd., Las Vegas
Opening Hours: Wednesday to Monday From 10 am-8 pm
Tickets: General Admission Ages 16+ $48 | RIP ALL ACCESS Ages 16+ $79 | Local/Senior/Military $ 42 | RIP ALL ACCESS – Local/Senior/Military $73
FAQ
What are the best museums in Las Vegas?
The best Las Vegas museums are:
- National Atomic Testing Museum;
- Neon Museum Las Vegas;
- Hollywood Cars Museum;
- Las Vegas Natural History Museum;
- Clark County Museum;
- Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art;
- Discovery Children’s Museum;
- Nevada State Museum;
- Mob Museum;
- Pinball Hall of Fame;
- Zak Bagans’ The Haunted Museum.
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