Guns, murder, drugs, evading the police, laundering money, and violence. These are just a few of the things you might conjure up when you see the words “The Mob.” For as long as Las Vegas has been around, mobsters have somehow always been connected to Sin City. Now visitors to Las Vegas can spend a day at the Mob Museum in Downtown Las Vegas near Fremont Street and learn more about who these gangsters were and their effect on law enforcement and society.
Money Saving Tip! The Mob Museum is included on the Go Las Vegas Pass, Las Vegas Explorer Pass, Las Vegas Flex and Flex Premium Sightseeing Pass. If you are sightseeing in Las Vegas, then you can save a lot of money with a pass.
The Mob Museum History
The National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement, better known as The Mob Museum, opened in Downtown Las Vegas on February 14, 2012. The federal government sold the former post office building and federal courthouse to the city of Las Vegas for $1 in 2000 under the condition that the building would be restored and used only for cultural purposes. The building, which was built in 1933, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Finally, the non-profit Mob Museum, which cost $42 million to create, was revealed to the world in 2012. The Mob Museum provides visitors with a look at the never-ending struggle between criminals and law enforcement. In 2017, the museum was awarded one of the highest accolades available to museums, accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums (AAM).
The Mob Museum: Main Attraction
There’s quite a lot to see inside the Mob Museum, but you can’t overlook the actual brick wall where the Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre in Chicago in 1929 took place. Seven men were killed, including five men from George Moran’s North Side Gang. It was suspected that Al Capone and his “Egan Rats” were involved in an attempt to control organized crime in the city of Chicago. The plan was to kill George Moran himself, but somehow that didn’t happen. The scene of the crime was demolished and the last bit still standing was the wall itself, which now has a new home inside the Mob Museum.
Another important stop at the Mob Museum is the second-floor original courtroom. In 1950, Tennessee Senator Estes Kefauver had the opportunity to interview witnesses regarding the involvement of organized crime within the casino industry including several people associated with the mob. The courtroom was restored to look as it did in 1950. Today guests can watch the story of those hearings on large screens while inside the courtroom to get a better feel and understanding of what happened.
Visitors to the Mob Museum also get to learn about the creation of the FBI, how the Bureau of Narcotics investigated the mob’s role in drug trafficking, and who Government Men or G-Men were. Why It’s a Must-See
If mobster’s crime-filled lives are of interest to you, then a visit to the 41,000 square foot Mob Museum is for you. Guests will have an opportunity to learn about the impact of the mob not only in Las Vegas, but around the world as well. This interactive, self-guided museum features the history of many famed gangsters from the past as well as modern day ones including:
● Whitey Bulger
● Al Capone
● Mickey Cohen
● Sam Giancana
● John Gotti
● Charlie “Lucky” Luciano
● George “Bugs” Moran
● Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal
● Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel
The Mob Museum has over two dozen exhibits including the evolution of organized crime in what’s called “Organized Crime Today.” Other exhibits include “Birth of the Mob,” “The Feds Fight Back,” “100 Years of Made Men,” “Rise of the Cartels,” and “Mob’s Greatest Hits,” among others. Try out the “Firearm Training Simulator” if you want to feel like you’re on the side of law enforcement. If you’re more of a mobster, then the “Four Deuces Phone Booth” is for you. The phone booth stood outside the saloon/brothel/gambling hall and was the site of 12 unsolved murders.
For those fans of Hollywood gangster movies, the theater room allows visitors to sit down and revisit some of their favorite films. If you’ve been walking and reading everything in the Mob Museum, this is the place to go to sit, relax, and watch a movie for a couple of hours before you leave.
What To See When You’re at The Mob Museum
Before exiting the Mob Museums, visitors have the opportunity to make a few interesting purchases. Of course, you can always buy a souvenir in the gift shop. But you can also stop by the basement of the Mob Museum and enjoy a Prohibition-era cocktail like the “Bee’s Knees” or maybe “Bathtub Fizz” at the museum’s speakeasy. You can even purchase some 100 proof, 100% corn moonshine to take with you.
Why You Should Go to the The Mob Museum
While you can always read books or watch films that cover the mob and gangsters, there’s nothing like seeing actual artifacts and the stories associated with real-life mobsters in an interactive experience. Spend a few hours exploring the Mob Museum at your own pace before or after a visit to Fremont Street to enjoy another side of Las Vegas.