Nevada State Museum Details
- Hours of operation: Thursday - Monday, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. For Cahlan Research Library hours, call (702) 822-8748.
- Cost: Admission to the Nevada State Museum is included with paid admission to the Springs Preserve ($18.95 for adults, $17.05 for seniors 65 and older, students 18 and older and $10.95 for children 5-17 years old. Children 5 and younger are free).
- Payment options: Cash, credit cards accepted at Springs Preserve's check-in window.
- Reservations: Not required.
- Location: Located inside Springs Preserve.
- Age/Height/Weight restrictions: Not applicable.
Family Flowers: Traditional Embroidery from S. Mexico
Through
2013, the rotating gallery at the Nevada State Museum presents the
colorful embroidery of Romeo Siguenza, a Las Vegas folk artist,
originally from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in southern Mexico. The
culturally significant handmade pieces tell the story of how traditional
arts are passed down through generationsNevada State Museum Description
If you're thinking of taking the kids out for the day at the Springs Preserve,
want to brush up on your Silver State history or if you're simply a fan
of old-school Vegas, then a trip to the Nevada State Museum is the spot
to see and do all of the above.
The Nevada State Museum relocated
from Lorenzi Park and opened on the Springs Preserve property in
October 2011. The two-level, 70,000-square-foot building is now closer
to the Strip (about 15 minutes) and is twice the size of its old
location. According to a museum tour guide, visitors to the museum have
stayed as short as 15 minutes and as long as nine hours.
The
museum features a 13,000-square-foot gallery with permanent exhibits, a
research library, a gift shop, lecture rooms and a banquet hall,
complete with a spacious outdoor balcony overlooking the Springs
Preserve and the Strip. It is divided into two sections -- its
permanent fixtures and a rotating exhibit, which changes every few
months.
The museums permanent exhibit takes you through Nevada's
geology, fossil and desert wildlife, as well as mining and railroad
history. One section of note covers the Great Basin (the desert covering
central and Northern Nevada, and parts of Utah, California, Oregon and
Wyoming) from dusk to dawn. It features low level dusk-like lighting and
the sounds of desert animals (as well as specimens) -- like the great
horned owl, cougar and Mojave rattlesnake -- to set the mood. It's a
whole new level of Vegas nightlife!
Another standout is the
skeletal replica of Nevada's state fossil, the ichthyosaur. This reptile
swam in the seas of Central Nevada 225 million years ago and measured
48 feet long. Nearby, you can view real fossil bones and take a closer
peek at other fossil findings with a magnifying glass -- it's science
class all over again.
Speaking of school, for those who loved
learning about the Oregon Trail, the museum also offers an interactive
travel game by testing your surviving skills in Old Nevada. The game is
part of a larger section on Nevada settlers, highlighted by a nearby
covered wagon and makeshift campfire.
Walk inside a nearby cave
and learn about the importance of mining to early settlers -- even see
examples of fluorescent minerals. Outside the cave, you can explore the
tools and technology of the mining profession and learn how precious
metals like silver, gold and copper are formed. From there you will
learn about the boom time of the railway, the formation of the Nevada
government and the construction of Hoover Dam. The museum also offers
extensive teachings and interactive exhibits on early Native American
inhabitants of Nevada.
As you learn about the state's history in
more modern times, you'll see an interactive Nevada nuclear test site
section, World War II history, the "real" truth about Bugsy Siegel and
the Flamingo hotel, a Las Vegas timeline from 1905 to today and much
more. The museum even showcases items sealed in the home of Las Vegas
mogul Howard Hughes after his death in 1976, like Grape Nuts cereal
boxes, a brown sugar package and other household staples.
Old
slot machines, neon signs, and trinkets like a $25,000 poker chip from
the old Dunes hotel (imploded in 1994) will make you nostalgic for
vintage Vegas. At the entrance to the museum you can stand next to a
1911 Desert Love Buggy, considered one of the most popular cars to
cruise Fremont Street. Used mainly for promotional purposes, it made its
first appearance in a parade in 1939, with its last one in 1994.
Another
fantastic piece of vintage Vegas is one of the most brilliant displays
of showgirl costumes through the ages. Lining a large pink sequined
wall, the costumes and headpieces are encased behind oval cut-out glass
windows. It's rare visitors get to see such elaborate, colorful costumes
up close.
On the other half of the exhibit space, the "changing"
gallery rotates every three to four months and includes a variety of
Nevada art work.
If you're a real history buff, the museum
includes a research library. You'll find Northern and Southern Nevada
periodicals from 1905 to present day. The research library also includes
files of all Nevada births, marriages and deaths from the early 1900s.
After you're finished, there's an extensive gift shop with all sorts of fun trinkets, art, jewelry, stuffed animals and more.
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