Area museums offer a look at Southern Nevada’s past

Whether it is through temporary displays or permanent tours, museums and exhibits around the Las Vegas Valley seek to preserve and showcase the history of Clark County.

Clark County Museum

The Clark County Museum, 1830 S. Boulder Highway, sits on 30 acres of land with exhibits inside and outside, which includes about 20 restored structures.

"We definitely have the best bargain in the valley," said Mark Hall-Patton, administrator for the Clark County museums system. "We have the oldest and largest historical structures that deal with Clark County specifically."

The inside portion features information about the history of Clark County along with changing exhibits. The museum also features Heritage Street, which is outside and is set up to look like a town.

Hall-Patton said there are seven original Las Vegas houses on the street that are decorated to reflect a certain time period in Las Vegas.

"We set it up to have knickknacks and food on the table like it is frozen in time," Hall-Patton said.

He added that people are impressed that they feel they can, in a sense, travel from decade to decade by strolling the street.

Hall-Patton said the museum is scheduled to open another historical house on Heritage Street by spring 2013.

During the holiday season, the houses are even set up to reflect what Christmas - or Hanukkah, depending on the house - would look like in that time period.

The museum is also featuring the exhibit "Lost Vegas: Bulldozed and Imploded Casinos of the Las Vegas Valley," which pays tribute to hotels and casinos that have been imploded or closed. The exhibit is slated to run to the end of the year.

The museum is open 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily. Admission is $2. For details, call 702-455-7955.

Neon Museum

Even though the casinos, hotels and various buildings might not be around, the Neon Museum in downtown Las Vegas offers a piece of gaming history by showcasing various signs - remnants of old Las Vegas.

"They are the things synonymous with Las Vegas," said Debi Puccinelli, public relations and marketing director for the Neon Museum, 770 Las Vegas Blvd. North.

The museum started as a nonprofit in 1996 with the mission to collect, preserve and exhibit original Las Vegas signs.

Since it started, the nonprofit has installed eight restored signs, such as Aladdin's Lamp, the Nevada Motel and Dot's Flowers, as public art throughout downtown Las Vegas. Puccinelli said the downtown gallery begins on Fremont Street at Las Vegas Boulevard and continues toward Third Street.

The museum's neon boneyard is an outdoor display that people can tour. Puccinelli said there are 150 full signs but about 450 pieces altogether. The pieces are donated by the community, businesses, private donors and various organizations, Puccinelli added.

In addition to the 2-acre outdoor space, the museum opened its visitor center Oct. 27. The center is inside the former La Concha Motel lobby.

So far, Puccinelli said there hasn't been a standout sign that is everyone's favorite.

"It depends on the mood," Puccinelli said.

On Election Day, Puccinelli said museum officials took a poll to see which sign Facebook fans liked the most. The Stardust was one of the top choices.

Puccinelli added that what makes touring the museum different is that it's guided.

"I know when people think guided they think of some guide speaking monotone," Puccinelli said. "We have a tremendous team passionate about a variety of things."

She said the team brings the tour to life, explaining the origins of the pieces.

And because Las Vegas natives attend tours, Puccinelli said tour guides get to interact with people, bouncing off their feedback and memories.

"You get to have the opportunity to engage with people," she said.

Puccinelli said the goal is to limit tours to about 15 people. Her recommendation is to call ahead to book a tour in case it fills up.

The museum offers boneyard tours daily every half-hour beginning at 10 a.m. Monday through Saturday, excluding holidays.

Tours are $18 for adults 12 or older and $12 for seniors 55 or older, veterans and Nevada residents. Children 6 or younger are free. Reservations are suggested.

For details, visit neonmuseum.org.

Nevada State Museum

The Nevada State Museum at the Springs Preserve, 333 S. Valley View Blvd., can take visitors on a journey of Nevada's history from a million years ago to the present.

Guests can learn about the geology that shaped Nevada before it had inhabitants, then follow the Native American tribe that lived in the area along with the settlers, miners, entrepreneurs and ranchers who later developed the land.

The museum is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. Admission is $9.95 for Nevada residents, $18.95 for non-residents and free for children 17 or younger. Admission is also included with the purchase of admission to the Springs Preserve.

Boulder City/Hoover Dam Museum

Guests can travel to Boulder City to the Boulder City/Hoover Dam Museum inside the historic Boulder Dam Hotel, 1305 Arizona St.

The museum, which takes people through the construction of the dam, features interactive displays that educate on pertinent information leading up to the creation such as the 1929 stock market crash that caused the Great Depression.

The exhibit includes photographs, artifacts, oral histories and sounds from construction of the dam.

The Hoover Dam Museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Admission is $2 for adults and $1 for students and children. For more information, visit bcmha.org or call 702-294-1988.

A wealth of other museums

These are just a few of the many museums packed with Southern Nevada history. Budding historians may also want to consider:

The Atomic Testing Museum, 755 E. Flamingo Road, is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. Visit nationalatomic testingmuseum.org for details.

The Howard W. Cannon Aviation Museum is open 24 hours a day daily inside McCarran International Airport, 5757 Wayne Newton Blvd.

The Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort State Historic Park, 500 E. Washington Ave., is open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. For more information, call 702- 486-3511.

The Las Vegas Natural History Museum, 900 Las Vegas Blvd. North, is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.

The National Museum of Organized Crime & Law Enforcement, the Mob Museum, 300 Stewart Ave., is open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Visit themobmuseum.org for details.

Contact Henderson/Anthem View reporter Michael Lyle at mlyle@viewnews.com or 702-387-5201.