Las Vegas’ Wacky and Wonderful Museums

Our city has some of the best eccentric and off-beat museums 

Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort

I do a lot of writing about Las Vegas, most of it over on the 10Best Las Vegas page, but most of it is about the obvious things people are looking for when they visit the city: hotels, restaurants, casinos. Recently I had the chance to write about our museums, which is one of my favorite topics. 

I covered the most popular museums, which includes what I like to think of as the Big 3: The Neon Museum, The Mob Museum, and the National Atomic Testing Museum. If you visit these three museums, you’ll get a pretty good look at the history of the city – and all three are home to unusual collections. While you should definitely visit them, there are also plenty of other historic sites, nature viewing areas, and museums you should check out, especially if you’re a local.

If you’re visiting the Atomic Testing Museum, you should also check out the Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art, which is on the grounds of UNLV. Admission is free and it showcases all kinds of art. Exhibits rotate regularly.

If you’re checking out the Neon Museum or the Mob Museum, you’re in the right part of town for museum-going. The Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort, which is next to the Las Vegas Natural History Museum, is the site of the oldest non-native structure in the state of Nevada. As the name implies, the location was where early Mormon pioneers built a settlement in 1855. In addition to the restored buildings on the grounds, the visitor center also has exhibits and a wealth of information about early Las Vegas. 

Portions of this building date to 1855

Not far from the Cultural Corridor, the Springs Preserve sits on the place that gave Las Vegas its name. It’s home to both the Nevada State Museum and the Origen Museum, but the entire site is fun to explore and holds all kinds of history in its archaeological sites. There are hiking trails, outside play areas for kids, and a botanical garden.

You can easily make an entire day out of museum-going and historical sight-seeing if you plan a trip to Hoover Dam with stops at the Clark County Museum, the Nevada State Railroad Museum, and the Boulder City/Hoover Dam Museum in the Boulder City Hotel. Alternatively, if you’d rather take in some nature in the eastern part of the valley, you could visit the Clark County Wetlands or the Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve. Out in Boulder City, you could also swing by Hemenway Park, home to a herd of Bighorn Sheep.

Clark County Museum's Ghost Town

Hemenway Park, Boulder City

Of course, since we’re in Las Vegas, you could explore history of a whole different kind at the Erotic Heritage Museum or the Burlesque Hall of Fame Museum.

And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the Pinball Hall of Fame, also known as the Pinball Museum, which is home to the world’s largest pinball collection (according to their website). This is totally a hands-on experience – visitors can play all of the games.  

There are even more museums than this – like the DISCOVERY Children’s Museum and museum-like experiences like the Bodies Exhibit and the Titanic Exhibit – but I think I’ve made my point: if you think Las Vegas doesn’t have great museums, think again.

What are some of your favorite Southern Nevada Museums?

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All photos by Terrisa Meeks

Old Mormon Fort Hosting Pioneer Breakfast June 13, 2009

Looking for some family-friendly Las Vegas activities? Visit the Old Mormon Fort, which is located in downtown Las Vegas's Cultural Corridor. Here you'll find the oldest non-native building in Nevada. On Saturday, June 13, the Fort is hosting a Pioneer Breakfast to commemorate the Mormon pioneers' arrival in the Las Vegas Valley. The breakfast will be held from 7:30 a.m. through 10:00 a.m., and there is $5.00 charge per family. Proceeds will benefit the Friends of the Fort, the non-profit group that supports the Old Fort State Park programs and special events.
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Picture information: My photographs taken on the grounds of the Old Fort.

School is Back in Session for the Las Vegas Meeks Academy for One

This year, my son and I are doing homeschool again. Friday is field trip day at the Meeks Academy for One (MAFO)—with only one student, we can go on a field trip every week.

So far this year, we’ve been to the Las Vegas Springs Preserve, the Las Vegas Natural History Museum, the Lied Children’s Discovery Museum, and the Old Mormon Fort. These photos were taken at the Old Mormon Fort.

We’ve learned about flash floods in the desert at the wonderful display at the Springs Preserve (it comes complete with rushing water). The Springs’ high-tech displays are well worth the price of admission. I suggest going early in the day at this time of year so you can take full advantage of the hiking trails. At the Natural History Museum, we visited the creepy CSI Bugs display—it comes complete with simulated morgue body freezer (and body). If you haven’t been to the Lied Children’s Discovery Museum lately (right across from the Natural History Museum in the Cultural Corridor), I’m happy to say that the exhibits have been both improved and expanded. My favorite new exhibit was the hurricane winds exhibit, which allows visitors to stand inside a phone-booth type contraption while a fan whips up the “wind” to about 78 mph.

The Old Mormon Fort, also located on the Cultural Corridor, is the oldest non-native building in the state of Nevada. Today only a portion of the original 1855 adobe remains in the ranch house. I was impressed with the visitor’s center; ask for a treasure hunt to keep your young scholar occupied finding the freight wagon, petrified wood, and other artifacts. Dedicated restoration prevented the Fort from suffering the same fate as the Kiel Ranch. By far, the most intriguing figure of early Las Vegas history, in my opinion, is Helen J. Stewart, a pioneer woman who wound up in charge of one of Las Vegas’ most important early stops after her husband was killed in a gunfight. (By the way, the local school is not named for the pioneer woman herself but for her handicapped granddaughter.)
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Photo information: My pictures of the fort. Hard to believe, but this slice of very old Vegas history is at the corner of Washington and Las Vegas Boulevard.