Vegas Magazine - Niche Media - There is a place beyond the crowds, beyond the ropes, where dreams are realized and success is celebrated. You are invited.
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PHOTOGRAPHY BY ERIC JAMISON/STUDIO J INC. for marquee shows. Bellagio, 702- 693-7871; bellagio.com DISCOVERY CHILDREN'S MUSEUM Even the local children's museum has flash to spare in Las Vegas. Here, visit- ing young ones can create computer art, play the laser harp, enter into the virtual eye of a hurricane, and even earn a paycheck working in the eco- friendly Green Village. 360 Promenade Place, Downtown; 702-382-3445; discoverykidslv.org MARJORIE BARRICK MUSEUM OF ART The Marjorie Barrick Museum, part of the University of Las Vegas's College of Fine Arts, houses pre-Columbian art and cultural objects from the American Southwest and Mesoamerica, as well as contemporary art from artists associ- ated with the Las Vegas valley. 4505 S. Maryland Pkwy, 702-895-3381; unlv.edu/barrickmuseum NATIONAL ATOMIC TESTING MUSEUM This surprising and engaging institu- tion—a Smithsonian affiliate—tracks the development of the US nuclear pro- gram from the Manhattan Project through today. Don't miss the simula- tor that allows you to experience bomb testing as Vegas residents used to—from an "outdoor" seat looking out onto the action. 755 E. Flamingo Road, 702-794-5151; nationalatomictesting museum.org THE NEON MUSEUM The so-called "neon boneyard" has housed more than 80 relics of Vegas's neon sign history since it opened in 1996. Fronting it all is the beautifully restored La Concha, an iconic mid- century hotel moved here to serve as the quirky cultural site's visitors center. INSIDER TIP: For extra drama, reserve a night tour, when the neon signs are all lit up from below for show. 770 Las Vegas Blvd. N., 702-387- 6366; neonmuseum.org THE SMITH CENTER Downtown's performing arts center is home to the Las Vegas Philharmonic, Nevada Ballet Theatre, and dedicated Broadway and Cabaret Jazz programs. The Art Deco-style masterpiece also hosts a fantastic lineup of traveling Broadway shows, visiting orchestras, and more. 361 Symphony Park Ave., 702-749-2000; thesmithcenter.com SPRINGS PRESERVE This 180-acre, $250 million Mojave Desert preserve, three miles west of the Strip, takes visitors through galleries, botanical gardens, and a living collec- tion of Gila monsters, foxes, and that other kind of Vegas nightlife—nocturnal critters like recluse spiders, sidewinders, and black widows. The best biological resource in southern Nevada, it's also one of the state's oldest archaeological treasures: Nomadic Native American tribes lived at the Springs 12,000 years ago. 333 S. Valley View Blvd., 702- 822-7700; springspreserve.org MOB MUSEUM The Mob Museum, housed in the former post office and federal courthouse where the Kefauver Committee hear- ings of 1950-51 drew national attention to organized crime, has provided visitors with a fascinating look at the history of organized crime and law enforcement since it opened in 2012. To celebrate, the museum has added a few artifacts, like the actual wall from the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, where seven asso- ciates of notorious Chicago mobster Bugs Moran were gunned down 88 years ago. Not every institution toasts an anniversary with coroner's reports, ballistic analyses, and bullets removed from the bodies of victims, but then, they do things a little differently at the Mob Museum. Don't miss: Al Capone's revolver, on loan through 2017. 300 Stewart Ave., 702-229-2734; themobmuseum.org Bugsy Siegel's cuff links and rings are now on display at the Mob Museum. A false-bottom valise for flasks came in handy during Prohibition. 96 VEGASMAGAZINE.COM The SOURCE: SCENE