Las Vegas Neon Museum Opening Soon

Jan. 7, 2011— -- Las Vegas has one of the most-iconic skylines in the world all thanks to one thing: neon.

Vegas nights sparkle, flash and shine, thanks to casinos blazing with massive neon signs.

But as "Sin City" constantly reinvents itself, old casinos are blown up for new, and casinos that remain in business update their signs with bigger, bolder images.

So what happens to all those discarded signs?

Enter the The Neon Museum, affectionately known as The Boneyard, a museum dedicated to preserving the unique history of Vegas and its bright lights.

"There is this constant move of decommissioning signs," explains Bill Marion, chairman of the museum board of trustees.

The museum has roughly 450 individual pieces representing 150 signs that hung from 1930s through the '90s. There's the sign from the former Stardust, the Dessert Inn (now the Wynn Las Vegas), Binion's Horseshoe, the Golden Nugget, Caesars Palace and the Silver Slipper.

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The non-profit organization has been trying to make the signs available for public viewing since 1996 but to date very few people have had a chance to see these relics of a Vegas past. Because of the current venue's small size, there are only two tours a day, Tuesday through Saturday and a maximum of 30 people are allowed in each group. The few slots on each tour fill up fast with reservations required. That doesn't leave room for walk-ins in a city known for last-second planning and spontaneity.

"We cannot accommodate now the number of people that want to come," Marion told ABC News.

But that is all about to change. By the end of this year Marion hopes that a long-awaited visitors' center and more formal museum space will open, allowing hundreds of people each day to stroll through the neon graveyard.

As part of a $6.2 million project, Marion said the museum -- using the historic La Concha Motel lobby as its visitors' center -- will open its doors at the intersection of Las Vegas Boulevard and Fremont Street to the masses.