The Mob Museum

  Although by all reports the Mafia no longer controls the Las Vegas casinos, the mob was definitely in charge during the early days of the casino boom which started in 1946 with the Flamingo. From 1952 to 1957, they built the Sahara, the Sands, the New Frontier, the Royal Nevada, the Showboat, the Riviera, the Fremont, Binion’s Horseshoe, and the Tropicana. Money, skimmed off in the casino counting rooms, made it’s way to Mafia families in New York, Cleveland, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Chicago and many other cities.

  With entertaining videos and interactive displays (plus a lot of reading), this museum covers early Vegas history, the beginnings of the Mafia in the US, and the stories of people involved on both sides of the law, not only in Las Vegas but all over the country – police officers, undercover agents, and members of the Mafia.

   Most of the museum is accessible. A lift ( get the parking lot attendant to operate it ) accesses the entrance. A few of the interactive video screens are at an angle that makes viewing  difficult. The museum is very popular and can be crowded.

  There’s a $5.00 charge for parking and the lot isn’t very big, however, free parking is available next door at the farmer’s market, every day except Friday. We stayed at the RV park at Main Street Station, a couple of blocks away, and walked/rolled to the museum. Museum
36.17301, -115.14148