| Official Name | The Neon Museum |
|---|---|
| Location | 770 Las Vegas Blvd. N, Las Vegas, Nevada 89101, USA |
| Established | 1996 |
| Current Campus Opened to the Public | October 27, 2012 |
| Campus | 2.27 acres |
| Main Spaces | Neon Boneyard, North Gallery, Boulevard Gallery, La Concha Visitors’ Center, and Neon Boneyard Park |
| Accreditation | American Alliance of Museums, 2021 |
| Current Seasonal Hours | June–August: 8 p.m.–midnight, last entry 11 p.m.; September–May: 3 p.m.–11 p.m., last entry 10 p.m. |
| Current Admission | Evening admission from $35; daytime admission from $25 during the September–May daytime season |
| Official Website | neonmuseum.org |
The Neon Museum in Las Vegas preserves and interprets signs, architectural elements, artworks, photographs, documents, and other objects tied to the visual history of the city. Its best-known space is the outdoor Neon Boneyard, where retired signs from hotels, casinos, motels, restaurants, stores, and other Las Vegas properties are displayed rather than treated simply as discarded commercial objects.
How the Collection Developed
The museum was established as a nonprofit organization in 1996 with a focus on collecting and exhibiting Las Vegas neon signs. Its holdings now extend well beyond working neon. The museum reported in 2026 that its broader collection contained hundreds of signs and hundreds of individual sign components representing more than 200 properties, together with contemporary art, textiles, architectural drawings, archival records, souvenirs, and other material connected to Las Vegas.
The collection also records changes in signmaking. Older pieces show the use of exposed neon tubing, incandescent bulbs, painted metal, porcelain enamel, animated lighting patterns, large roadside pylons, and sculptural forms. Later signs document shifts in branding, fabrication, lighting technology, and the scale of resort advertising.
The Neon Boneyard and Its Illuminated Signs
The Neon Boneyard is the museum’s main outdoor exhibition area. Many signs are preserved in unrestored condition, with weathered paint, exposed metal, and missing electrical components left visible. This makes it possible to examine how the signs were built as well as how their surfaces changed after years of outdoor use.
Not every sign in the Boneyard operates with its original lighting. The museum distinguishes between restored, electrified signs and non-operational pieces that are illuminated from the ground after dark. Its current collection information describes 31 electrified signs in the Neon Boneyard. The contrast is important for visitors expecting every object to glow in the traditional sense.
Among the properties represented are names associated with different periods of Las Vegas hospitality and entertainment, including the Stardust, Sahara, Tropicana, Flamingo, Palms, El Cortez, Dunes, Debbie Reynolds Hollywood Hotel & Casino, and the former Mirage. The collection also contains signs from smaller motels, restaurants, retail businesses, and roadside properties, giving the Boneyard a broader view of the city’s commercial design than casino signs alone would provide.
La Concha Visitors’ Center
The museum entrance is housed in the preserved lobby of the former La Concha Motel. Architect Paul Revere Williams designed the shell-shaped building, which was constructed on Las Vegas Boulevard South in 1961. The lobby was saved from demolition in 2005, moved to the museum site in 2006, and later adapted as the Visitors’ Center.
The building is part of the museum experience rather than a neutral entrance structure. Its sweeping curves and Atomic- and Space Age references reflect the mid-century architecture that developed alongside the signs preserved outside. The Visitors’ Center opened on October 27, 2012, the date associated with the museum’s public opening at its current campus.
Brilliant! Jackpot in the North Gallery
The North Gallery contains Brilliant! Jackpot, an audiovisual installation created by experiential designer Craig Winslow. Projection mapping is used to make more than 40 non-operational signs appear illuminated and animated without rebuilding each sign as a functioning neon object. Light, sound, and music are synchronized across the gallery.
The experience grew from the museum’s earlier Brilliant! presentation, first shown to the public in 2018. The current program is offered as an add-on to evening admission and has a listed running time of about 45 minutes. Audio or video recording is not permitted during the show, although the museum allows still images on phones and tablets.
Recent Additions
The collection continues to change as Las Vegas properties close, renovate, or replace older signage. Recent additions and restorations include the Dunes entrance sign in 2025, an El Cortez sign dating to 1974 that was reilluminated in 2025, and a Siegfried & Roy sculpture restored and relit in April 2026.
In June 2026, the museum added the Mirage Lagoon sign associated with the Mirage Volcano attraction. The object entered the collection after the resort’s closure and became one of the museum’s newest links to a property that reshaped the Las Vegas Strip in the late twentieth century.
Planning a Visit
The Boneyard is outdoors and uncovered. Heat, high winds, lightning, poor air quality, and other weather conditions can affect admission or tours. The museum states that guided tours do not operate when the temperature is above 100°F, general admission closes when heat exceeds 105°F, and the museum closes when temperatures rise above 110°F.
Day and night visits provide different views of the same collection. Daylight makes faded paint, fabrication details, lettering, and surface wear easier to inspect. After dark, restored signs and ground lighting make the illuminated elements more prominent. Guided history tours are available as add-ons to admission, and the museum currently lists a typical tour duration of about 45 minutes.
Regular visitors may take personal-use photographs with phones or tablets. Cameras, tripods, selfie sticks, lighting equipment, gimbals, microphones, props, and similar external equipment are not allowed during standard admission. Separate scheduled photography and filming options are available for visitors who need professional equipment.
The site is ADA accessible, and the Boneyard uses a fine gravel surface designed to be navigable by powered and unpowered wheeled mobility devices. Onsite parking is available, with overflow parking at Cashman Center. The museum is cashless and accepts debit cards, credit cards, and supported mobile wallets.
Tickets are released 60 days in advance, and the museum recommends advance purchase because evening sessions can sell out. The institution has announced plans for a future relocation and expansion, but its current visitor information states that the existing museum remains open and continues to direct visitors to 770 Las Vegas Blvd. N. Current schedules and ticket availability are published on the official tickets and experiences page.