Though you wouldn’t immediately think of Las Vegas for its museums and galleries, the city has its fair share of high quality attractions scattered around the city. And it’s a surprising mix – who would have thought, for instance, that The Punk Rock Museum would find a home in Nevada?
While some are temporary or feature rotating exhibitions, most are permanent fixtures to the Strip and its surrounds. We’ll only be talking about the latter today – some being brand new additions to the city, and others long standing attractions. But whatever the case may be, they are must-see stops on your next visit.
Here they are, in no particular order:
The Punk Rock Museum
Founded by Fat Mike of NOFX and Pat Smear of The Germs and the Foo Fighters, The Punk Rock Museum opened in Las Vegas last April.
The museum sees a wide variety of memorabilia from the history of punk music, ultimately making for not just a loving tribute to the genre, but ensuring the attraction sits as one of the best music museums in the world.
And it is a truly impressive enterprise. Over a thousand items make up the collection, which spans 1115 square metres (12,000 square feet) of space. There are guitars from iconic moments in punk rock history, garages reconstructed where the music was created and a couch where Kurt Cobain from Nirvana once sat. A number of musicians have even donated instruments you can play on in the jam room.
They even have their very own dive bar, “The Triple Down” (which is why you have to show ID on entry). And if you’re lucky, you might even be able to get a guided tour of the facility by a legend of the genre themselves. If you’re a fan of punk music, this is a must visit destination for any trip to Las Vegas. And of course, don’t forget to exit through the gift shop – they’ve got a wealth of treats for the punk fan in all of us.
Learn about the Australian punk artists that feature in the museum HERE.
Address: 1422 Western Ave. Las Vegas, Nevada
Hours of Operation: Open daily, 12-8pm on weekdays and 10am-8pm on weekends.
Official Website: https://www.thepunkrockmuseum.com/
The Neon Museum
The Neon Museum, home to the discarded neon signs of Las Vegas, is one of the most visually captivating places I’ve ever been to.
At night (which is the time to visit), the boneyard is lit up with hundreds of signs from familiar casinos like the Golden Nugget, to lesser known or short-lived bars like Margarita Baby. The oldest neon sign in their collection, from The Green Shack, was created in 1934. The newest one, meanwhile, was from 2019, created by Tim Burton as a part of his Lost Vegas exhibition at The Neon Museum, pictured above.
But the experience doesn’t stop at just the yard of lit up history – be sure to check out the immersive experience Brilliant! Jackpot just next door (pictured above – but it doesn’t begin to do it justice). Created by Craig Winslow, this amazing 360-degree light show will transport you back in time as they “re-light” 40 iconic Vegas signs with the use of projection mapping. It is a surprisingly emotional trip down memory lane, even for those of us who never experienced it.
Read more about the Neon Museum experience in our full article HERE.
Address: 770 Las Vegas Blvd N, Las Vegas
Hours of Operation: 3pm to 11pm Daily
Official Website: https://neonmuseum.org/
The Mob Museum
Next, we head downtown, not far from The Neon Museum and just off Fremont Street, in the city’s 1933 Post Office and Courthouse, where you’ll now find The Mob Museum.
This three floor museum, which opened in 2012, details the history of the mob, from its Italian routes, to American expansion. It’s the story of how the mob came to be in Las Vegas, and some of the stories of what happened along the way.
Like the Neon Museum, it’s also a place to learn about “Old Vegas”, with a lot of information on what the downtown area – where the museum now sits – used to look like in the early days of the city. And while the exhibits are of course new, the classic aspects of the building – such as the courtroom – remain as they were almost a century ago. Except now there is a whole documentary projected in the room.
In the basement you’ll also find a speakeasy, that’s open late (until midnight on weekends!) – and a there are three additional interactive experiences, which are included with the “premier passes” and “deluxe passes”, or available as individual extras. We did the newest of the options, the Crime Lab, which saw you go hands on with the equipment that real life forensic scientists, fingerprint analysts, DNA profilers and medical examiners use to secure evidence and solve a case. It was led by one of the museum staff members and was as informative about the processes as it was enjoyable to experience.
They also have a Firearm Training Simulator and a Distillery Tour and Tasting, where you sample house-made distilled spirits while exploring “The Underground”.
Part museum, part immersive experience and even a bar – they offer a little bit of everything at The Mob Museum.
Address: 300 Stewart Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89101
Hours of Operation: The museum is open daily 9am to 9pm – Speakeasy hours are different and can be found HERE
Official Website: https://themobmuseum.org/
Meow Wolf Omega Mart
Though Meow Wolf fits securely under the umbrella of “immersive experiences“, the Santa Fe-founded company is, at its heart, a collaboration between an endless list of artists showing off their work. In the case of their Las Vegas location, there are some 212 “projects” that exist within the space, with credits listed towards hundreds of artists and collectives.
Each Meow Wolf location is formed around a different theme. In Las Vegas, the experience is called “Omega Mart”, and in short, starts as a supermarket – with bizarre items you can actually purchase (like these “Farm Fresh” sandals above) – and then you find your way through different portals to access the rest of the gallery – finding rooms with works like “Juke Temple“, below, with 14 credited creatives behind this piece alone. Some who only worked on this piece, others whose touches you’ll find throughout this Meow Wolf as well as at other locations.
Though there’s a central theme and story leading the way, this is a space filled with a wild variation of works – and with hundreds of pieces of content to absorb, you could spend days here and still not have experienced everything. How much you want to take in the story element is up to you – though if you really want to immerse yourself in the story, you’ll want to buy the “Boop“.
The installations are mostly permanent, but they do make some changes over time – between the two visits to this space I’ve had this year for instance, there were new items in the supermarket, like a new selection of “cereals”, seen below. And some areas had their layouts altered slightly.
The artistic genius of Meow Wolf can be found at AREA15, an immersive experience precinct. You can learn more about AREA15 HERE.
Address: 3215 S Rancho Dr #100, Las Vegas
Hours of Operation: 11am to 11pm Daily, except Fridays and Saturday where they open at 10am.
Official Website: https://meowwolf.com/visit/las-vegas
ARTE MUSEUM
If we’re including Meow Wolf in here, we have to also bring attention to the ARTE MUSEUM – the South Korean immersive art exhibition that made its US debut in Las Vegas last year. It’s part of the new generation of projection-based art experiences, that were popularised during the pandemic. Here, 14 pieces are spread around the museum, with a “multi-sensory” experience promised by the company behind it.
The museum sits with the theme of “ETERNAL NATURE”. In fact, you’ll get up close and personal with several “waves” during your tour of the gallery, like “Beach Aurora”, which features above.
Though some of the exhibit changes over time, more than a dozen works are on permanent display, all designed to expand the form, and entice the senses – something they do impressively effectively. Expect sound, video art and mirrors to all play a role – but pay close attention to what you’re smelling, too. The room below, for instance, smells of roses, making you feel like you’re indeed lost in a literal garden of art.
And no immersive art gallery would be complete without some form of an infinity room, like those popularlised by Kusama. Below is a look at one such room, “Star Raindrops”.
Though most are experiences on a loop, some are far more interactive. One of my favourites is where you get a colour in an animal and see it come to life before your eyes on one of the giant screens, in the “Live Sketchbook: Night Safari”.
ARTE MUSEUM may be the best immersive, projection/video-based art experience that I’ve ever seen. The art itself is often spellbinding, and the way they serve to titillate all your senses – sight, sound, smell, touch and even taste – as they explore “eternal nature” is wildly impressive.
You can read more about the museum in my article HERE.
Address: 3716 S Las Vegas Blvd Suite 208, Las Vegas
Hours of Operation: 10am to 10pm, Daily
Official Website: https://lasvegas.artemuseum.com/
While on the Las Vegas Strip, we stayed at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas. While on Fremont Street Downtown, we stayed at Circa Resort and Casino. Photos by the author unless otherwise credited. With thanks to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) and the respective museums for our visits throughout 2024. Neon Museum segment written by Hollis Brunt and taken from this earlier article.
