Explore the Mob Museum in Downtown Las Vegas

When my wife and I were planning a weekend trip to Las Vegas, recommendations seemed to abound on visiting the Mob Museum. We had a pretty full itinerary, but were able to visit it just before heading to the airport. The Mob Museum is filled with artifacts and information about the mob and organized crime in America.

Learn about the history of Las Vegas as seen through the eyes of mobsters and crime bosses. The museum also provides a national perspective on the mob, from its origins to high-profile crimes and the changing face of the mob through the years.

Here’s a rundown on how the museum is organized so you can plan your visit to the Mob Museum during your next visit to Las Vegas.

COVID-19 UPDATE: The museum is open. Masks are required, and all guests are subject to a touchless temperature check upon arrival. Guests are also provided with a small stylus to use on the touchscreens throughout the museum.

Origins and Growth of the Mob in America

The self-guided tour of the Mob Museum starts on the third floor. I loved how the museum was organized, because it kept me interested as it flowed from the history of how gangs formed in early America and into prohibition. While I was vaguely familiar with prohibition, the museum did a great job of bringing it to life.

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I was not at all familiar with the St. Valentines Day Massacre. They had a looping video that explained what led up to that event. Then I saw the actual wall where several gangsters from one group were killed. Bullet holes were still visible in the wall, which had been carefully preserved.

I also learned more about the kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby. I guess I had never realized that the baby’s father was the famous American aviator, Charles Lindbergh. The museum highlights several other high-profile cases you may be interested in.

As you progress through the third floor, don’t miss the chance to sit in an electric chair. Take a deep breath before you let someone lower the lever to the right of the chair.

The National Crime Syndicate and Las Vegas

As organized crime grew across the country, the public was becoming more and more aware of its influence. In the early 1950s, a committee was organized by the government to call attention to the mobs and organized crime. Hearings in 14 locations across the country, including Las Vegas, showed the national syndicate of crime that was occurring, and the lack of enforcement by police against the syndicate.

Learn more about what became known as the Kefauver Hearings, and sit in the courtroom for a short video presentation. This is the real courtroom where one of those hearings took place, exposing the mobs influence in the casino industry in Las Vegas.

After learning more about the hearings, you can see the specific role of the mobs in Las Vegas. In fact, mob-connected individuals owned the majority of the casinos on the Strip in the 1940s and 50s.

Learn all about the skimming that took place in these casinos and how it worked. You’ll understand why the statement, “It’s always tax evasion” holds true for the downfall of mob bosses.

Continue working your way through the exhibit to see how the mob-owned casinos changed ownership to become more legit, and were seen as good business operations, void of mob control.

As you wrap up the second floor, you can see how the mob played roles in elections and other nationally historic events of the 1960s. But the final room can be a little disturbing. It’s a wall of the mob’s greatest hits (or kills). There are photos of dead bodies with an explanation of how the mob had someone bumped off. The photos are small, so they can easily be overlooked by younger kids – but still important to be mindful of what’s there so a younger kid doesn’t have nightmares.

Bringing Down the Mob

Once on the first floor (the one in which you entered the building), you’ll learn about the different ways law enforcement used to eventually bring down the mob. You’ll see some of the high-profile captures from the past 100 years. The crimes vary – from murders and illegal gambling to bootlegging during the prohibition years.

Organized crime in America still exists, despite the mob being brought down. You can learn all about the intricate web of gangs and crime from around the world – not just in the United States.

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Spend a little time on the large touch screen wall to learn more about the drug cartels, human trafficking and cybercrime. There’s even a display in the black market of animals, like hippo tusks and more.

Before heading down one more floor, take a moment to check out the gift shop to grab a quick souvenir.

Prohibition and the Speakeasy

Although prohibition is mentioned on the third floor of the museum, the basement helps bring more of it to life. A genuine speakeasy is located in the basement, reminiscent of the underground locations that served the prohibited spirits to people for a price.

As you walk down the hall toward the speakeasy and distillery, check out the artifacts and posters related to that era of the 1920s.

Along the walls of the speakeasy, you’ll see photos and items about the music and dancing often found in these locations. I’m a big fan of the jazz music and wish I was able to adequately dance the moves of a good 1920s jazz number.

Check out the distillery and taste some of the spirits. But note, that option is one of the add-on items that are described in the next section of this article.

Extra Experiences at the Mob Museum

Three add-on options are available as part of the premier and deluxe tickets. They are not part of the general admission ticket prices.

CRIME LAB

When people think of law enforcement, they often think of guns and parking tickets. But forensics is a big part of it as well. Immerse yourself in an interactive experience to learn about the role of forensics. This includes autopsies, fingerprinting, DNA profiling and more.

FIREARM TRAINING SIMULATOR

Law enforcement have to make split-second decisions that mean life or death. Get a taste of that in the firearm training simulator. Guests are provided a simulated firearm and belt and placed in situations where they can try to de-escalate situations before resorting to deadly force.

DISTILLERY TOURS

A distillery is in the basement of the Mob Museum, and it’s similar to what was used in the 1920s to produce moonshine. During the tour, guests will sample a variety of distilled spirits. You’ll learn a lot more about prohibition during the 30-minute experience. This tour is only available for people 21 and older.

The Details

Address: 300 Stewart Avenue, Downtown Las Vegas

Cost: General admission tickets are $29.95. There are two extra experiences, and tickets are $41.95 for access to the museum and one experience. It’s $48.95 to do two experiences during your museum visit.

Hours: Open daily, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. The Underground Speakeasy and distillery is open Sunday through Thursday from Noon to 9 p.m., and Friday through Saturday from Noon to 10 p.m.

Website: https://themobmuseum.org/

Phone: (702) 229-2734

Disclosure: I received two complimentary admission tickets to the Mob Museum in Las Vegas for the purpose of review. All opinions are my own.

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