Sunday, August 24, 2014

A Trip to the Mob Museum


If you're into American history, crime and Las Vegas (especially any combination of the three), take a few hours of your day to visit the Mob Museum, which is located in Downtown Las Vegas. It's just a couple of blocks from the Fremont Street Experience, so if you're staying in the area, it's easily accessible by foot.

I didn't expect to enjoy the museum as much as I did. I spent two hours exploring this three-story museum, and I could have easily spent three -- it's that interesting! It includes tons of photos, videos and artifacts.

Before my visit, I really didn't know much about the mob, except for what you see in movies. The museum gave me a better understanding of how it operates, the violence, and its place in Vegas and American history. Let's just say that I now believe that the mob played a role in the assignation of JFK (until another conspiracy theory convinces me otherwise).

Here are some highlights via photos:

The Mob Museum is located in the old Las Vegas court house. What's notable is that this was the venue of the Fed's investigation into mob activities.
The actual St. Valentine's Day Massacre Wall. Members of a mob family were killed at this wall in Chicago by an opposing mob family that were dressed as police officers. A video tells more about the events of the massacre.
A close up of one of the bullet holes in the wall.
The actual courtroom where federal investigators interviewed mob members. Again, a short video goes into detail of the government's attempt to investigate the mob.
An actual Tommy gun in on display, and . . . 
. . . you can actually pull the trigger!
An electric chair that was used for death sentences. The Hubz didn't come with me to the museum,
or else I would have asked him to sit in it . . . 
. . . and I would have flipped the switch! I kid! I kid! The Hubz is the best.
I thought this was fitting for the last photo to post. I chuckle that his freedom from the mob is only worth half is fortune. 
Want another perspective of the Mob Museum? Check out this review at the Left Field Wander blog.

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