Vegas has such an oversized image that most people don’t realize it was barely 10 years ago that the valley’s population reached the one million mark. That means the city has had less than a decade to develop the kind of cultural richness that larger cities take for granted. So don’t expect to spend days touring our local art or natural history museums, they—like most of our local cultural experiences—can be pretty thoroughly covered in an afternoon.
Sometimes, however, smaller really is better. Instead of being overwhelmed by a cornucopia of offerings, Las Vegas museums tend to cover tiny subjects well. These bite-size museums let kids digest just enough to satisfy them. And when they aren’t being force-fed good-for-you culture, they may just beg for more.
Natural History
Parents who are interested in history won’t want to miss the Las Vegas Springs Preserve (tel. 702-822-7700), a 180-acre historical and environmental complex that explains why Las Vegas (“the meadows” in Spanish) is situated above a one-time lush meadowland with bubbling springs. www.springspreserve.org
The Nevada State Museum (tel. 702-486-5205), relocating to Springs Preserve in 2009, looks at The Meadows from its prehistory forward. nevadaculture.org
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The ORIGEN Experience allows visitors to go back in time to learn about the area’s earliest inhabitants.
Courtesy of Springs Preserve
Strange Science
Families will get a dose of radioactive history if they stop by the Atomic Testing Museum (tel. 702-794-5161) affiliated with the Smithsonian Institute. The museum offers a shocking account of Nevada’s role in developing the atomic bomb. www.atomictestingmuseum.org
The human body has always been a source of artistic inspiration, but in Bodies...The Exhibition (tel. 800-557-7428) actual, preserved human bodies are displayed in fascinating—or creepy—detail. www.luxor.com
Art and Music Exhibitions
Art lovers shouldn’t miss the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art (tel. 877-957-9777), which works with world-class museums to develop exclusive shows exhibits for Vegas that show a unique aspect of a specific artist or art movement. The current exhibition showcases American Modernism, organized by Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts. www.bellagio.com
Music lovers simply must stop by the Liberace Museum (tel. 702-798-5595). This masterful pianist and showman’s estate continues to contribute thousands of dollars in performing-arts scholarships to kids around the country, decades after his death. You can hear why he is so beloved as his music plays while you wander from rhinestone piano to glitzy costumes and over-the-top automobiles. www.liberace.org
Purchase the Power Pass
The Power Pass (tel. 800-490-9330) is a same-day (not 24-hour) pass that lets families save, if they plan to attend a variety of activities; it also bumps you to the front of the line and provides discounts on shopping, and at restaurants and other venues. A one-day pass for kids 12 and under costs $42.50 and an adult pass costs $75. Buy consecutive day passes and save more; a five-day kids pass is $94.50 and an adult ticket costs $148.50. The pass makes sense, just check out prices ahead of time and cluster two or three of the more expensive activities into one day. www.visiticket.com
Around the World
King Tut’s Tomb & Museum (tel. 702-262-4500) recreates the burial chamber of the boy king as it was discovered by Howard Carter in 1922, complete with the broken artifacts left by previous tomb robbers and the magnificent guardian statues. Previously at the Luxor Hotel and Casino, the King Tut exhibit has been donated permanently to the Las Vegas Natural History Museum; it will reopen in 2010. www.lvnhm.org
Walk through a full-scale recreation of the Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition (tel. 800-557-7428) complete with the outer Promenade Deck, the Grand Staircase and various other rooms including first-class and third-class hallways and an iceberg wall that you can touch, along with 320 other never-before-seen artifacts. www.luxor.com
[An earlier version of this article appeared on our test site; it included Star Trek: The Experience exhibit, which has since closed.]
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