Museums, Las Vegas

Titanic Exhibition featuring more than 300 artifacts and located next door to 'Bodies' (Combo tickets for Titanic and Bodies are available for $55). You will find decorative sections from Titanic's famous Grand Staircase, gaming chips, passenger papers and many personal pieces within the exhibit.

Open daily 10 a.m. - 10 p.m.

General admission - $32

This controversial exhibit featuring ... brrrrrrrr... Real Live Dead Bodies (13 of them and 260 organs) freeze-dry. Some people find the Exhibition amazing, some - disturbing, and some - boring... We decided to find better use for money :)

General Admission $32.00 + service fee
Senior (Over 65 & Military) $30.00
Children (4-12) $24.00

The Box Office is located at The Luxor Hotel and Casino and is open from 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM seven days a week.

NOTE: cameras, video camera phones are prohibited inside the galleries.

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If you are an automobile buff (like Tim) this place is for you! There are more than 250 vehicles in the collection wich changes from time to time. You will see an amazing variety of rare cars incl. Mussolini's 1939 Alfa Romeo and Hitler's 1939 Mercedes among the antiques.

If you are planning on buying one of these cars (some worth $2,000,000; all proceeds for some cars going to the charity), you may be able to get behind the wheel.

Open Hours: Daily 10am - 6pm

Ticket: $ 12.00 - very inexpensive

Note: some places are giving free tickets to auto collection away: get coupon in local hotel magazines or Imperial Palace information desk, or print it out from the website.

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NOTE - MUSEUM IS NOW CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC

Many years ago when I was a child I remember either my great-grandmother or grandmother ooh and aah whenever Libarace would appear on television either because of his way over the top pianos or his even more way over the top costumes. As one of the first Las Vegas performers, Liberace was a fore runner for people like Elton John, who ironically is now also performing in Las Vegas.

Sue and I decided to spend a little time on Sunday visiting the Liberace Museum which is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2009. There is a convenient Liberace Shuttle bus which picked us up at our hotel and which services Treasure Island, Mirage, Flamingo, Bally's, Bellagio and Excaliber. Check with the concierage for a time schedule. Also be certain to check out one of the many flyers available in Las Vegas. Inside several we found 40% off admission discounts to the museum. We were surprised that of the people on our bus we were the only ones with coupons, and gave one to the couple in front of us. So the normal $15 admission cost per person then got down to $9.

The museum has actually expanded in the past few years and now operates 2 separate buildings on the opposite ends of a little strip mall. On the day we went we caught the 11:45 a.m. shuttle and were at the museum a little after 12:00. The first building, has a little history of Liberace including a mention that in 1960 he was awarded not 1 but 2 stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one for outstanding achievement in TV (his first TV shows were on the year I was born in 1952) and the other for Recording. The next room you enter has 8 of the most over the top cars you can imagine. (the one in the photograph here had a license plate which said 88 KEYS) From there another small room has a number of different pianos he either performed with or ones that he collected.

Leaving the first building you walk over to the 2nd, which I have pictured. This building has more pianos, a good collection of a number of his outlandish costumes. All in all as I was looking at these I thought to myself that Liberace not only was the first entertainer to probably be known by 1 name (ala - Madonna, Cher, etc), but the original King of Bling which indeed one of the signs further on said he was. There is also a small room with some of his furniture and other private collectables. Continuing on there is a room for student recitals and on the day we were there one was getting ready to start, a small place to purchase food and the obligatory gift shop.

All in all for $9 you can't go wrong ($15 may be a little over the top so find that coupon). Hey most strip table bets are $10 so look it as a lot more entertainment (about 1 to 2 hours worth) then you would get at the tables.

HOURS: Closed Mondays
Tuesday through Saturday 10:00 to 5:00
Sunday 12:00 to 4:00

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The Liberace Museum is a tribute to a remarkable man. Liberace was a classically-trained pianist, and technically brilliant. He was a natural showman, and developed a flamboyant stage show.

The museum has some of his pianos, costumes, and other memorabilia. Unfortunately, they allow no photos inside. However, you may photograph the sidewalk in front of the building, which has a set of plaques that commemorate Liberace's life.

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What I remember was seeing him at times on TV specials and the attention he received once he began his Vegas career. I will never forget the costumes and jewelry he wore and the extravagant cars he would drive right up on the Vegas stage before he began a concert. I remember him playing like it he was born to play a piano. He had talent, character, and humor and mostly he was a humanitarian. You can say anything about him, but he gave to his community, family, and to those less fortunate. Since 1976, The Liberace Foundation for the Performing and Creative Arts has awarded more than 5 million dollars in scholarship grants to more than 2200 students at over 110 colleges and universities. That to me says so much about the man, son, and entertainer.

The Liberace Museum is open:
Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sunday from Noon to 4 p.m.
Closed Mondays.

The Museum is Closed on New Year’s Day, Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Admission

Admission prices are $15 for adults and $10 for seniors 65+ as well as students with a valid school ID. Liberace Foundation and Museum members - free admission. Children age 10 or under are admitted with no charge and must be accompanied by an adult. Second Sundays free to Nevada residents.

Admission includes a one hour guided tours on Tuesday - Saturday at 11:00am or 2:00pm; Sunday 2:00pm. No tours on Second Sunday.

If you arrive at the Museum by taxi or bus, show your receipt or transfer ticket at the register desk to receive $2.00 off the adult ticket price. This discount may not be used in conjunction with any other coupon or offer.

Museum Store and Café

The Liberace Museum Store and Café operate during normal business hours.

This is building 2, which consist of his customs, jewelry, his private collect, awards, cafe, and gift shop. So you get to see a lot!

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Ethel M is a great chocolate, as many of those who have been to Vegas will attest to. They operate out of Las Vegas, and we decided to go take the free tour one morning. Attached to the factory on the grounds is a neat cactus garden, and you can walk around that for a while and take in a number of specimens from the desert life around the country. Once you are done, it's time to enter the factory, where you can walk along the production line (behind glass) at your own pace, and learn about the history of Ethel M. At the end, you are treated to a free piece of chocolate, then it's time to hit the gift shop and the many types of candy and chocolates that they offer for sale. The tour is free and doesn't take too long - this is a great diversion from the casinos!

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Sadly, it has been announced in Oct of 2010 that they have closed the doors to this wonderful museum and tribute to a very interesting and giving soul. Yet, hopefully in the future people may still be able to see these wonderful museum pieces.http://www.liberace.org/UserFiles/File/LiberaceMuseumClosure_Sept2010.pdf

Liberace (born Wladziu Valentino Liberace) was the most flamboyant, popular easy listening pianist of the '60s and '70s by a wide margin. His campy, theatrical appearance and performances often disguised his prodigious talent. Liberace chose to be a showman. At encores at his concerts, he began playing novelty songs like "Mairzy Doats." To ensure that he had widespread appeal as an entertainer, he took elocution lessons in order to mask his Polish accent.

In the late '40s, he signed with Columbia Records and, under the direction of producer Mitch Miller, recorded an over-the-top rendition of "September Song." Along with a live concert album, the single helped bring Liberace to a national audience.

Liberace became a star in the '50s, both through his records and assorted television and film appearances. His appearance and repertoire was becoming increasingly campy, as he dressed himself in rhinestone, gold lame, furs, and sequins while playing everything from Gershwin and show tunes to lounge jazz and light classical pieces, with a candelabra placed on his piano. Liberace's star rose rapidly in the early '50s, as he had his own television show, appropriately titled The Liberace Show. His celebrity reached a peak in the mid-'50s. Not only did he star in the 1955 film Sincerely Yours, a movie about a deaf concert pianist, but he was mentioned in "Mr. Sandman" by the Chordettes and he published his own cookbook. In 1956, Liberace celebrated his 25 years in show business with an extravagant concert at the Hollywood Bowl. That same year, he made some headway in the U.K. market, playing three Royal Command Performances.

Liberace didn't have any more pop hits in the '60s,'70s, and '80s, yet he continued to sell out concerts around the world and sell a number of records, even though he never earned the favor of the critics. Liberace remained a celebrity and a popular performer until his death in 1987. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

What I remember was seeing him at times on TV specials and the attention he received once he began his Vegas career. I will never forget the costumes and jewelry he wore and the extravagant cars he would drive right up on the Vegas stage before he began a concert. I remember him playing like it he was born to play a piano. He had talent, character, and humor and mostly he was a humanitarian. You can anything about him, but he gave to his community, family, and to those less fortunate. Since 1976, The Liberace Foundation for the Performing and Creative Arts has awarded more than 5 million dollars in scholarship grants to more than 2200 students at over 110 colleges and universities. That to me says so much about the man, son, and entertainer.

This museum has some many interesting faucets of his life. The first building consists of family history in photography. Flashy automobiles and a wonderful piano exhibit of his collection and some really rare pianos that were contributed to this collection.

The Liberace Museum is open:
Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sunday from Noon to 4 p.m.
Closed Mondays.

The Museum is Closed on New Year’s Day, Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Admission

Admission prices are $15 for adults and $10 for seniors 65+ as well as students with a valid school ID. Liberace Foundation and Museum members - free admission. Children age 10 or under are admitted with no charge and must be accompanied by an adult. Second Sundays free to Nevada residents.

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We booked this tour before we went to Vegas from the UK online. It cost next to nothing $7.50 each. we were picked up from hotel before 8am and got back about 6.30pm. It was about 2 hours to Laughlin which is a town situated on the Colarado river. We were given a very good buffet lunch voucher on arrival to be used in the Colarado Belle casino. It was excellent and included free with unlimited soft drinks. To buy the lunch was more expensive than the whole inclusive trip cost us. We went on a boat along part of the river which was nice. The whole day was really nice and well worth the money. i would highly recommend this trip to anyone.

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Looking for something different? The Liberace museum – its small but a great two hr diversion. The life he lead, the extravagance, and how he gives back to the musical community. The outfits were amazing and most weighed over 150 pounds! The museum gives lots of history, displays all his outlandish cars, studded pianos, and feathery garments.

Check their website before going, they offer a free shuttle service from many hotels - save yourself the taxi fare you will want it to buy a trinket here.