The Neon Museum is an outdoor collection of restored vintage Las Vegas signs on Las Vegas Boulevard North, just past downtown. Its heart is the Neon Boneyard, a two-acre lot holding more than 250 rescued signs from the 1930s onward. General admission starts at $25 in daytime seasons and $35 for summer evening entry, with the best atmosphere after dark when many signs are relit.
If the Strip is where Las Vegas shows off its future, the Neon Museum is where it keeps its past. This is the place the city’s dead signs go to be saved rather than scrapped: the towering Stardust script, the Moulin Rouge lettering, a giant skull from Treasure Island, and the golden lamp from the old Aladdin all sit here in a gravel lot under the desert sky. Locals call it the Neon Boneyard, and it has become one of downtown’s most photographed and most genuinely moving attractions.
The museum sits at the north end of Las Vegas Boulevard, a short hop from the Fremont Street casinos. You explore on a guided or self-guided walk through rows of signs, each with its own history, and after sunset a growing number of them are switched back on. It is compact, walkable, and unlike almost everything else in this city, it is about memory rather than spectacle.
This guide covers ticket options, day versus night admission, current 2026 prices and hours, what to see in the Boneyard, and how to reach it from the Strip or downtown.
Top Tickets
# Admission to The Neon Museum
# Neon Museum Night Experience & Open-Top Bus Tour
Table of Contents
Where to Buy Tickets & How They Work
The Neon Museum sells timed entry tickets by date and time slot, and popular sunset and evening slots sell out, especially on weekends. Booking online ahead of your visit is the safe move, because walk-up availability is limited and the box office closes an hour before the museum does. The options below range from a simple standalone admission to a night bus tour and a helicopter combo, so you can pick how much of an experience you want to build around the signs.
Admission to The Neon Museum
This is the standard timed-entry ticket into the Neon Boneyard, giving you access to the outdoor sign collection and the restored signs on display. You can wander the lot on your own or join one of the docent-led group tours that run through the day and evening, learning the story behind each rescued piece. It is the most flexible and best-value way in, and choosing a late-afternoon or evening slot means you catch signs both in daylight and lit up.
Price: From $25 for daytime adult admission and from $35 for summer evening admission. Discounted rates apply for students, seniors 65 and over, veterans, and Nevada residents (from $20 day / $30 evening), children 7 to 17 are about half price, and kids 6 and under are free.
Neon Museum Night Experience & Open-Top Bus Tour
This bundle pairs evening entry to the Neon Boneyard with an open-top bus tour of downtown and the Strip, so you see the signs after dark and then ride past the living neon of modern Las Vegas. It is a good pick if you want the museum plus a wider night-lights sightseeing loop in one booking, without arranging your own transport between stops.
Price: From about $69 per person, including night museum admission and the open-top bus tour.
Night Helicopter Flight with Neon Museum Ticket
The splurge option combines a night helicopter flight over the Strip with a guided visit to the Neon Boneyard, plus hotel pickup and drop-off. You get roughly 10 to 12 minutes in the air over the Bellagio fountains, the Luxor beam, and the glowing towers, then continue to the museum for the guided sign tour and Brilliant! show. The full experience runs about three and a half hours door to door.
Price: From about $204 per person, including the helicopter flight, transfers, Neon Museum admission, and the guided Boneyard tour.
Neon Museum Opening Hours
The Neon Museum runs on two seasonal schedules. From September through May it is open daily roughly 3pm to 11pm, with last entry at 10pm. From June through August it switches to nights only, 8pm to midnight, with last entry at 11pm. The box office closes one hour before closing, and outdoor tours can be canceled when temperatures top 100F.
The seasonal split exists because the Boneyard is entirely outdoors and the summer desert is brutal in daylight. In the cooler months the museum opens mid-afternoon so you can catch signs in daylight and then watch them light up at dusk. In peak summer it opens only after dark, when the heat has eased. Whichever season you visit, aim to arrive close to sunset for the best of both worlds, and always confirm your slot online, since exact times shift with the calendar and occasional private events.
Best Time to Visit
The best time to visit is at dusk or after dark. Signs are dramatic in the low golden light before sunset and best of all once the restored pieces are illuminated. Weeknights are quieter than weekends. In summer the museum only opens in the evening anyway, which conveniently is also the ideal time.
Photographers should book the last daylight slot so they get signs in warm light and then lit against a dark sky within the same visit. If you want the fullest lit-sign experience and the Brilliant! show, an after-dark slot is ideal. Try to avoid the middle of a summer afternoon entirely; even outside the evening-only months, standing in an unshaded gravel lot at 108F is no fun. A downtown visit also pairs naturally with the nearby Fremont Street Experience, whose canopy light show fires up after dark just a few minutes south.
How Long Does a Visit Take?
Plan on about one to one and a half hours. A self-guided or docent-led walk through the Neon Boneyard takes roughly 45 minutes to an hour, and the Brilliant! augmented-reality show adds around 20 to 30 minutes. Add time for the visitor center and photos, and 90 minutes is a comfortable total.
The museum is compact, so you will not need half a day. Most visitors move through the sign rows at an easy pace, stopping for photos and reading the placards, in under an hour. If you add the Brilliant! show or join a longer guided talk, budget closer to 90 minutes. It slots easily into a downtown afternoon or evening alongside a meal and a stroll along Fremont Street.
What to See & What to Expect
Expect an open-air lot packed with more than 250 vintage signs, from casino marquees to motels, wedding chapels, and diners. Highlights include the Stardust, Moulin Rouge, and Sahara signs, the restored North Gallery, the visitor center inside the salvaged La Concha lobby, and the Brilliant! immersive light-and-sound show that reanimates dead signs.
The Neon Boneyard
The main draw is the two-acre Boneyard itself, where salvaged signs stand in dense, overlapping rows. Some are fully restored and lit, many are weathered and rusting, and that mix of glamour and decay is exactly what makes the place so photogenic. Docents share the backstory of each piece, from mob-era casinos to long-gone motels, turning a photo op into a real history lesson about how the city was built and rebuilt.
The North Gallery and Brilliant!
The North Gallery holds larger unrestored signs, including the enormous Stardust and Sahara lettering, and serves as the stage for Brilliant!, an augmented-reality show that uses projection and synchronized music to make the darkened signs appear to switch back on. It is a genuinely moving few minutes and, for many visitors, the emotional high point of the whole museum.
The La Concha Visitor Center
You enter through the swooping, mid-century lobby of the old La Concha Motel, a rescued 1961 landmark that was moved here piece by piece and reassembled. It is a striking bit of Googie architecture in its own right and houses the gift shop and ticketing.
The Signs Themselves
Look for beloved icons like the Aladdin’s lamp, the Treasure Island skull, the Golden Nugget script, and the Hard Rock guitar. Each has a card explaining where it hung and when it came down, and together they map out decades of Las Vegas history you cannot see anywhere else.
Is the Neon Museum Worth It?
Yes, the Neon Museum is well worth it, especially after dark. It offers something no other Las Vegas attraction does: a poignant, walkable history of the city told through its own salvaged signs. The main caveats are the outdoor heat in summer and the relatively short visit, so time your slot for dusk and pair it with other downtown stops.
For anyone with an interest in design, history, or photography, this is one of the most rewarding attractions in the city, and it feels a world away from the slot machines. The honest downsides are simple: it is outdoors, so summer daytime is punishing, and a visit is fairly short at around an hour. Book an evening slot, combine it with Fremont Street or a downtown dinner, and it easily earns its place on the itinerary.
Things to Know Before You Go
- The Boneyard is fully outdoors with little shade, so bring water, sun protection, and closed-toe shoes for the gravel.
- Tickets are timed entry and evening slots sell out; book online in advance rather than relying on walk-up availability.
- The box office closes one hour before the museum, so do not cut your arrival too fine.
- Tripods and commercial photography require a separate paid photo permit; casual phone and camera shots are fine.
- Outdoor tours can be canceled when temperatures exceed 100F, so check conditions on hot summer days.
How to Get to the Neon Museum
The Neon Museum is at 770 Las Vegas Boulevard North, in downtown Las Vegas just north of the Fremont Street casinos and the Fremont East district. It is a couple of minutes’ drive or a roughly 15-minute walk from Fremont Street, and the museum has its own free parking lot, a rare perk in this city. From the Strip, the simplest options are rideshare or the Deuce bus up Las Vegas Boulevard, which runs the length of the Strip into downtown.
If you are already exploring downtown, you can easily combine the museum with the Mob Museum and the Zak Bagans’ Haunted Museum, both a short ride or walk away, or the Cold War history at the nearby Atomic Museum. The Neon Museum is about a 15-minute drive from Harry Reid International Airport (LAS). Whether you come from the Las Vegas Strip or downtown, aim to arrive near sunset so you see the signs shift from daylight to full neon.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is admission to the Neon Museum in 2026?
Daytime general admission starts at $25 for adults, and summer evening admission starts at $35. Students, seniors 65 and over, veterans, and Nevada residents pay reduced rates from $20 day or $30 evening, children 7 to 17 are roughly half price, and children 6 and under enter free.
What are the Neon Museum’s opening hours?
Hours are seasonal. From September through May the museum is open daily about 3pm to 11pm, with last entry at 10pm. From June through August it opens only in the evening, 8pm to midnight, with last entry at 11pm. The box office closes one hour before the museum.
Is the Neon Museum better during the day or at night?
Night is generally better because many of the restored signs are illuminated after dark and the Brilliant! show only runs in the evening. That said, a late-afternoon slot lets you see the signs in daylight and then lit up. In summer the museum only opens at night anyway.
How long should I spend at the Neon Museum?
Most visitors spend about one to one and a half hours. The Boneyard walk takes 45 minutes to an hour, and the Brilliant! augmented-reality show adds another 20 to 30 minutes, plus time for photos and the visitor center.
Where is the Neon Museum and is there parking?
It is at 770 Las Vegas Boulevard North in downtown Las Vegas, just north of Fremont Street. The museum has its own free parking lot, and it is a short rideshare or Deuce bus ride from the Strip.
Do I need to book Neon Museum tickets in advance?
Yes, booking ahead is recommended. Tickets are timed entry, and popular sunset and evening slots often sell out, particularly on weekends, so reserving online before you visit is the safest approach.
