By Tom Adkinson
LAS VEGAS – Neon lights are to Las Vegas what the Golden Gate Bridge is to San Francisco or the Statue of Liberty is to New York.
The colorful use of an inert gas inside glass tubes is so important to this entertainment mecca that neon signs even have their own museum – the Neon Museum, which opened in 1996.
The museum is a major attraction, although undoubtedly ranking lower on the Las Vegas popularity list than slot machines, stage shows, conversations with bartenders and certain behaviors you don’t care to talk about back home.
Whether or not you visit the Neon Museum, you can see several of its sign restoration projects on public streets, and you certainly can bask in the glow of a multitude of neon signs advertising businesses of all types.
Freemont Street, the first paved street in Las Vegas, certainly has its share – both under the canopy of a pedestrian mall called the Freemont Street Experience and out under the stars, where you do have to be mindful of traffic when you try to line up a particularly good angle on a photo of a towering martini glass or a gigantic can of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer.
Consider these sites during your trip planning: Las Vegas CVA and Travel Nevada.