My friend and I recently visited Las Vegas, and when deciding what we'd do, the Mob Museum was near…read morethe top of our list. We have both been to Las Vegas many times, and we hadn't ever visited the Mob Museum. So we decided to visit this time. We enjoyed the experience overall and would certainly recommend it to others.
When we arrived, we paid for parking and went inside to pay for the Mob Museum experience. We were prepared to walk around and read a lot of information about the mob. We were pleased to learn when we arrived that there would be a former member of the mob speaking upstairs in just a few minutes. We quickly went upstairs and found a seat. The speaker was Frank Calabrese, Jr., who worked with the FBI to bring down his crime family in Chicago. He told us his story first-hand while telling us about his book and sharing slides as he spoke. This first-hand account was a great way to kick off our visit!
After the speaker, we headed up to the third floor and started looking through exhibits and worked our way floor by floor down to the first floor and eventually to the basement. On the third floor, we learned about the birth of the mob, the start of organized crime, the founding of Las Vegas, prohibition, the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, Al Capone, the FBI fighting back, how several mob leaders were taken down due to smaller violations, and how organized crime spread. On the second floor, we learned about the Kefauver Hearings, the historic courtroom that became the Mob Museum in Las Vegas, the Mob eyeing Las Vegas, skimming from the casinos, Las Vegas going straight, the Mob infiltrating the police, and the Mob's greatest hits. On the first floor, we learned about how the FBI took down the Mob (or some of them), various stories about mob leaders, organized crime today (yes, the mob still exists!), use of force by the police, and the mob in popular culture. We also visited the Global Networks Touch Wall, the gift shop, and the Underground (speakeasy in the basement). While we didn't pay the extra fee to use them, there are interactive exhibit options for a Crime Lab, Firearm Training Simulator, and Distillery Tasting.
The general admission cost is $34.95 per person to access exhibits without a discount. For an extra $15, you get access to exhibits and one interactive exhibit. For $5 more than that, you get access to exhibits and two interactive exhibits. There are discounts available to Nevada residents, students, law enforcement and military. You can also get tickets before 11 AM or after 5 PM to receive $7 off admission plus 20% off coupons on the internet. The Mob Museum is typically open daily from 9 AM to 9 PM. The Underground speakeasy and distillery is open Sunday through Thursday from 11 AM to 11 PM and Friday and Saturday from 11 AM to Midnight. You should give yourself 1-3 hours to experience the museum.
Definitely check out the Mob Museum at some point while you're in Las Vegas! Worth a visit!