When my friend first told me about this place, I was stoked. It sounded like a great mix of many things I enjoy.

Art.

History.

Nostalgia.

But in a nutshell, the Neon Museum was a letdown.

(That’s a very harsh criticism, but I’ll get to why later…)

First of all, the price tag. I paid $22 for a general admission ticket. Now, I know everything in Vegas is pricey, but this felt steep. And I felt especially swindled after viewing the entire exhibit.

Also – sadly I don’t have many photos of the space. I took several, but one of the rules at the museum is you can’t take photos of the signs for professional/business use. So here’s a screengrab from the museum’s website.

At first glance the Neon Boneyard is cool. There are dozens of signs arranged along a walkway, and it almost reminds you of a scene out of some dystopian movie.

But as you start to walk through, you realize there isn’t as much there as you would have hoped. We took our time and had walked through everything in about 30 minutes.

Now, the signs are neat. They have fully restored signs, ones that have aged well on their own, and some that are in dire need of repair. And there was a big sign for the old Moulin Rouge Hotel, which I enjoyed, because I love the Baz Luhrmann movie.

But at the end of the day, it was underwhelming based on what we paid.

Full disclosure: we went during the day, and at night there is another area of the museum open. But it costs even more money. ($23 on its own, or you can by a combo ticket for $42, which only saves you 3 dollars. Whoopee.) There is also an option for a guided tour ($28), which may have made all the difference. But I’ve gone on plenty of self-guided tours at other museums and enjoyed myself.

Other concerns: if you or your travel companions have any mobility concerns, you could have issues at the museum. The walkways are all loose gravel, and I can imagine anyone with wheelchairs, canes, and crutches struggling to get around.

Redeeming quality: The space was fairly fat friendly. With the boneyard being on the small size, you could walk the entire space without too much effort. But there weren’t any benches that I can remember where you could take a rest if needed.

Anyway, if you’re in Vegas, with ample cash, and looking to kill a few minutes (Literally minutes; don’t plan on this taking longer than an hour), then hit up the Neon Museum. But if you’re on a budget, I’d suggest skipping this one.

If money is a concern, there is a free option to go see a few fully-restored signs that aren’t at the museum. They have a map and information about the signs on their website.