A visit to Las Vegas exposes you to world-renowned, high-end hotels, glamorous Broadway-style entertainment, extensive gambling, world-class restaurants and fun family attractions. However, the city offers delights from the opposite end of the spectrum. These weird and quirky attractions can add spice to a vacation saturated with the conventional and sophisticated.
If you wax nostalgic for the days of "duck and cover" and think the world was a far safer place during the Cold War, then travel back in time to this celebration of atomic weaponry. In 1950s settings, you can watch atomic testing clips, play with Geiger counters and learn ways to survive a nuclear attack. The gift shop sells mushroom cloud mousepads, Albert Einstein stuffed dolls and A-bomb jewelry.
Atomic Testing Museum
755 E. Flamingo Rd.
(Just East of Paradise Rd.)
Las Vegas, NV. 89119
702-794-5151
atomictestingmuseum.org
The glamour and piano music that was Liberace lives on in "Mr. Showmanship's" personal collection. Many of his trademark pianos are showcased including his favorite concert grand, covered entirely with mirror squares. His one-of-a-kind cars include a hand-painted, Stars-and-Stripes Rolls-Royce and a Roadster covered with Austrian rhinestone. And his legendary clothing includes a Black Diamond mink cape lined with rhinestones and a red, white and blue hot pants suit. The store enshrines his musical performances on CDs and DVDs, but also offers such showy replicas as Liberace's candelabra and piano rings.
Liberace Museum
1774 East Tropicana Ave.
Las Vegas, NV. 89119-6529
702-798-5595
The bright lights of the Neon Museum split themselves into two venues with opposite feels. Starting in front of the Neonopolis at Las Vegas Boulevard, a self-guided walking tour starts with the colorfully lit electric horse and rider that once graced the Hacienda Hotel.Larger, non-functioning signs can viewed up-close and at ground revel through the three-acre Boneyard including ones from the Golden Nugget, Silver Slipper and the Stardust.
Neon Museum (REFERENCE 5)
821 North Las Vegas Blvd.
Las Vegas, CA. 89101
702-477-7751
neonmuseum.org
You can ignore the shopping arcades and souvenir stores that litter the strip in favor of the World's Largest Gift Shop because this superstore has it all: miniature lighted Las Vegas signs, playing cards used at the casinos, books on brothels, fuzzy car dice, poker chips, and Elivs sunglasses and sideburns. And they're open until midnight every day. If you can't make it to the store, browse the website for online orders.
World's Largest Gift Shop
2440 Las Vegas Boulevard South
Las Vegas, NV 89104
702-385-7359
worldslargestgiftshop.com
