Las Vegas Natural History Museum

It’s not the biggest museum in America, but it’s nicely designed, clean, and one of my favorites anyway.

Every couple of years, I take a drive into North Las Vegas and spend an hour or so at the Las Vegas Natural History Museum, taking in the stuffed wildlife, the small aquatics area, worldwide archaeology, and all kinds of paleontology exhibits –dinosaur fossil displays, Ice Age creatures, and life-sized animals.

There’s an admission fee, but it all goes to upkeep of the museum, which operates in cooperation with the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC.

To get there, drive north on Las Vegas Boulevard (“the Strip”), through downtown until you reach Cashman Center. It’s just past that; easy to find.

Here are a few photos that hopefully will whet your curiosity:

Ugly-faced prehistoric wart hog

Hungry lion attacking wildebeest
Hall of antelopes and deer
Killer whales and other hunters of the sea

Egyptian papyrus art

So ... go visit! And take the kids; they'll enjoy the dinosaurs.