LAS VEGAS DAY07 - Discovery Children's Museum, Fremont Street, Mob Museum

December 03, 2023

LAS VEGAS DAY07 - Discovery Children's Museum, Fremont Street, Mob Museum

No free convention breakfast today. Here are some pics on the way to my first stop today, the Discovery Children's Museum...

Discovery Children's Museum

And we are here! You have to surrender your ID if you don't have a child with you (they only give it back to you when you leave). Maybe it is something they do to keep the space safe for kids...

3F - Young at Art, Patents Pending, Solve It! and The Summit

Interesting Features:

Young at Art - Saw children tinkering with art stuff. Copy paste blurb from the website: This whimsical, immersive exhibit teaches the “language” of art through hands-on investigations of its elements: color, line, shape, texture, space, and form!
Patents Pending - The things in here look really similar to what you might find in the Spark!Lab at Punggol Regional Library (wind tunnel, invent something etc).
Solve It! - Currently features an exhibition about energy with many interactive showcases. Here is the copy paste blurb from the website: Delve into the world of energy, sponsored by industry leaders, and explore hands-on exhibits that inspire innovation. Join us in powering a city, designing solar devices, and testing electric cars. Uncover the secrets of renewable and non-renewable energy and envision a sustainable future. Explore the core principles of energy science through interactive exhibits, learning about the generation, storage, and transportation of energy.
The Summit - This is the central column connecting all 3 floors together. Copy paste blurb from the website: This 70-foot tower encompasses 2,200 square feet and is made up of 12 levels that ascend all three floors of DISCOVERY Children’s Museum!

2F - Discovery Lab and Eco City

Interesting Features:

Discovery Lab - Copy paste blurb from the website: The DISCOVERY Lab offers a unique learning environment and workspace designed to stimulate exploration, creativity, risk-taking, critical thinking, and collaboration through a hands-on approach. It’s a place where all visitors are encouraged to dive into the design thinking process without fear of failure – in fact, failure is encouraged! Successful outcomes result from routine trial and error, and failure is considered an important stepping stone to knowledge in DISCOVERY Lab.
Discovery Lab Cont'd (Two Sections) - There are two sections, one is open while the other one is more closed (with all the more expensive equipment inside). Copy paste blurb from the website: DISCOVERY Lab offers a variety of interactive experiences. The open-making area presents design materials that provoke inquiry, and the guided-making area provides cutting-edge technology through an interactive computer lab featuring coding and CAD software, and a workshop space featuring a laser cutter, 3-D printers, and a kiln. Special resources available for use in this space include tools for woodworking, circuitry, sewing, sculpting, ceramics, painting, and more! Special STEAM-themed workshops and camps are also presented by community artists, engineers, and tinkerers.
Eco City - I found this section to be quite creative in the way they allow the children to pretend they have jobs. Copy paste blurb from the website: On DISCOVERY Children’s Museum’s second floor, you will find our little, environmentally-friendly Eco City, where kids learn what it takes to earn a paycheck and become contributing members of a community.

1F - Water World

Interesting Features:

Water World - Nice play section that allows children to play and learn at a water-themed playground. Copy paste blurb from the website: No need to bring a swimsuit; We’ve got you covered with our cute hooded raincoats (complete with mouse ears) to keep you dry as you splish and splash through this hands-on exhibit celebrating the power and movement of water!

And that wraps up the visit. There were a few other things on 1F but nothing too noteworthy. By this time, I was anxious to get my ID back and exit the museum. Here are a few photos of those things...

Fremont Street

Once out of the Children's Museum, I'm on my way to the Mob Museum next. But first, lunch at Fremont Street first.

Interesting Features:

Fremont Street - I didn't have much time here but it looked interesting. This is an older part of Las Vegas and everything looks like it has not left the 80's.
Denny's - This is where I stopped for lunch. Was not too crowded and the sirloin steak was good.
Toy Shack - I HAD to visit this place. Full of my childhood toys. No Legos to buy though... That was slightly disappointing.

Mob Museum

So hyped to visit this one... Overall, this was a good museum to visit. They had a lot of static displays that became monotonous after a while but I think the interactive experiences added some much need novelty to the visit. There is just something intriguing about the mob lifestyle. Wise guys...

Interesting Features:

Crime Lab (Interactive Experience) - Want to play CSI? This interactive experience introduces you to some of the tools and techniques that crime scene investigators use, and allows the participant to simulate using these to solve crimes. Copy paste from website: 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.
Historic Courtroom -This was pretty cool... A historic courtroom in the museum itself. Website copy paste: The first U.S. Courthouse and Post Office in Las Vegas – now The Mob Museum – opened in 1933. The most famous hearing ever held in the second-floor courtroom occurred on November 15, 1950, when a committee led by Tennessee Senator Estes Kefauver interviewed several witnesses about organized crime involvement in the Las Vegas casino industry. Mob affiliates Moe Sedway, Wilbur Clark and Lieutenant Governor Cliff Jones were among those questioned. Restored to appear as it was in 1950, the Courtroom now serves as a theater and centerpiece of the visitor experience. On a daily basis, Museum guests are immersed in a high-tech, multi-screen video production that tells the story of the Kefauver Hearings.
Flamingo's Mob connection - Mobster Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel financed the development of the Flamingo hotel. Yup. The very one that I stayed at during my trip to Las Vegas.
Distillery Tour & Tasting (Interactive Experience) - By this time, I was tired and just wanted to have a drink and call it a day. This is the perfect ending activity. How does Moonshine taste? Strong. This stuff will clear your sinuses. Website copy paste: Sample a variety of house-made distilled spirits while exploring The Underground, learning about Prohibition and gaining insights into the drinking culture that existed before the 1920s.

Back to the Flamingo for dinner

It gets dark quickly in the winter. I was tired by the time I left the Mob Museum. I had initially wanted to explore Fremont Street a bit more but dinner and sleep sounded more appealing by then. I had this salad thing with chicken that was delicious (Nathan's Soup and Salad).