Must Do In Vegas: The Mob Museum

We just recently visited Vegas for a 5 day {much needed} vacation and while we spent a decent amount of time relaxing, we definitely managed to visit some great attractions. And our favorite of the whole trip? The Mob Museum in Downtown Las Vegas.

The Mob Museum in Downtown Las Vegas

Located just off Fremont Street, this historic building built in the 1930's is the former U.S Post Office and Courthouse and has been immaculately restored and is jam packed with tons of experiences. If a regular museum experience is your thing, you won't be disappointed. There's 3 floors of artifacts and information about the birth of the mob through organized crime today - along with the struggle between the mob and law enforcement.

Anyone who knows me knows I'm a sucker for crime - crime novels, shows, movies, you name it I'm into it. Couple that with my obsession for history, and this museum was made for me. I was in heaven reading about mobsters, their women, their demise or their evasion of being caught. Some of them I'd heard about and already done research on, and others were a fresh story for me to get sucked into. When Kolby researched the museum he said that people could spend anywhere from 2 hrs to the entire day reading, learning and exploring the world of the Mob. And that's no joke.

I think we probably spent 30 minutes just reading about 100 Years of Made Men & Their Associates

Several of the rooms had videos for you to watch detailing different aspects of the mob - this room was about the Mob in America. Super interesting stuff.

Next, we made our way into a space where I was blown away to see a particular... artifact? Artifacts? I don't know, you just see for yourself...

Seeing this absolutely blew my mind. I've actually done research on the St. Valentine's Day Massacre - I know, I'm a hopeless romantic lol But Al Capone is obviously one of the most famous "gangsters" of all time and if you're researching Al Capone, you will clearly learn about the St. Valentine's Day massacre. But if you haven't dove down the rabbit hole of murder and mayhem like I have, here's a recap:

The Saint Valentine's Day Massacre was the 1929 murder of seven members and associates of Chicago's North Side Gang that occurred on St. Valentines Day. The men were gathered at a Lincoln Park garage on the morning of that feast day, February 14th. They were lined up against a wall and shot by four unknown assailants who were dressed like police officers. The incident resulted from the struggle to control organized crime in the city during Prohibition between the Irish North Siders, headed by George "Bugs" Moran, and their Italian South Side Gang rivals led by Al Capone. The perpetrators have never been conclusively identified, but former members of the Egan's Rats gang working for Capone are suspected of a role, as are members of the Chicago Police Department who allegedly wanted revenge for the killing of a police officer's son.

Pretty crazy to see the actual wall, reconstructed brick by brick in the flesh.

Keeping Up with Capone - see what I did there? No? Okay fine, but still, the next artifact I found super exciting to see was none other than Al Capone's gun.

The description plate says it all. So cool.

The other awesome thing about the Mob Museum - they offer experiences that you can purchase for an additional (and well worth it) cost. They have 3 experiences you can choose from:

~ The Distillery - located in the basement (also called The Undergound) they have a functioning distillery where you can learn about bootlegging, how to make moonshine - and get a sample - and they also have a fully operational Speakeasy available with general admission tickets, where you can have cocktails, appetizers and watch live music.

~Firearm Training Simulator - An immersive training experience where you will make split-second decisions that law enforcement officers encounter daily on the job. A trainer will lead you through video training and live role-playing scenarios.

And last but certainly not least, the experience Kolby and I did on our visit to the museum,

~The Crime Lab - This mediated experience allows you to explore the work of forensic scientists, fingerprint analysts, DNA profilers, and medical examiners who determine how a crime is committed and secure evidence to the case.

With my love and slight obsession for CSI (OG, Miami and NY) this was a clear choice for us. I discovered I have a very rare type of fingerprint with less than 3% of the population having this type of fingerprint. And, not surprisingly, when we took the quiz at the end of the experience to determine if we'd be good Crime Scene Investigators, I scored a 97%. Woot woot!

We had wanted to do the Firearm Training Simulator as well but due to time constraints and availability we decided we'd do that one on our next trip to Vegas. Because trust me, we'll be coming back to the Mob Museum again due to the sheer volume of things to see and experience that we couldn't fit into this trip. We also will most definitely be checking out the Speakeasy on the next trip too. We got a glimpse of the Underground when we had to use the restrooms, located in the basement "Alleyway" which included a 300 gallon fish tank with pieces from the wreckage of the Lizzy D, a rum running ship that sunk off the coast of New York in 1922, as well as a phone booth that was in the Four Deuces club, the headquarters for Al Capone in downtown Chicago.

I couldn't pass up the photo opportunity with the phone booth, and we also saw this cute little note on the wall by the bathroom and since we're true Idahoans, took a picture of it lol

Oh I'll mind my potatoes alright.

All in all, go visit the Mob Museum in Downtown Las Vegas. You will not be disappointed. Also, I highly recommend choosing to participate in one of the additional experiences offered. We will absolutely be back for more of the Mob.