Day 59 - Duck Creek RV Park, Las Vegas Nevada, National Atomic Testing Museum, Neon Museum

Today we went to the National Atomic Testing Museum.  

   

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Atomic_Testing_Museum

The museum is 8000 square feet so it took us some time to get through it. We have been to several atomic museums in our travels so this was pretty much a repeat of what we have seen in the past.

There is also an Area 51 display that was a little boring. We have been to Roswell, New Mexico and have been to the museum there. That was a fantastic museum that was not duplicated here. We were a little disappointed because we thought we might see something new, but didn’t.

  

Later that evening we toured the Neon Museum.

“In 2012 the Neon Museum Boneyard opened at 770 Las Vegas Boulevard North.  The nearly two-acre campus includes an outdoor exhibition space, known as the Boneyard, which features more than 150 signs, four of which are restored, a visitors' center housed inside the former La Concha Motel lobby and the Neon Boneyard North Gallery which houses additional rescued signs and is used for weddings, special events, photo shoots and educational programs.

The Museum includes nine restored signs which can be viewed as public art and visited on a self-guided tour twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. The gallery includes the Lucky Cuss Motel, the Bow & Arrow Motel, The Silver Slipper, Binion's Horseshoe, the Normandie Motel, Dot’s Flowers, the Landmark and 5th Street Liquors.”

    

 

                                      

The tour took a little over one hour and our tour guide was excellent providing us with interesting history of each neon sign.

  

  

                                  

 

 

The neon signs  are donated, delivered and set up at the bone yard by the casinos that are being demolished. The city of Las Vegas is very vested in preserving the history of the neon signs so they lease the land to the museum for one dollar per year.

 

There are more the 150 historic signs in bone yard with 6 fully restored on site.

 

 

                              

 

After completing the very informative tour we went to Fremont Street to the Fremont Street Experience. We had been there 10 years ago when it appeared to be in the throws of decline. Needless to say we were amazed at the transformation with bandstands, street performers , multiple zip lines, and too many  stores and restaurants to count.

 

 

 

                              

 

    

 

It was a beautiful night so we took in the sights and sounds of “Party Time!” By midnight we were done and went back to our quiet MH for the night. It was a very busy and enjoyable day.