Mob Museum opens in Las Vegas

In one room, a ghastly photo wall of bloody, uncensored images showcases the mob's greatest hits. In another, visitors are taught to load a revolver. And for when a gun just won't do, an oddball collection of household items -- a shovel, a hammer, a baseball bat and an ice pick -- show the creative side of some of America's most notorious killers.

Sin City's newest museum, dedicated to the mobsters that made this desert town, marked its grand opening this week.

Las Vegas has long been enamored with its gangster roots. Its longtime former mayor played himself in the mob flick "Casino," and hotels here often promote their nefarious origins. But the publicly funded, $42 million Mob Museum represents a new height in Sin City's devotion to crime. Even the local FBI agents are in on it.

"We wanted to make sure the truth came out," said Ellen Knowlton, a former special agent in Las Vegas brought on to legitimize the downtown attraction.

MOB MUSEUM NO. 2

It's the second mob-themed attraction to open here in the past year. The Mob Experience at the Tropicana casino quickly shut down because of slow ticket sales and other problems. It's slated to reopen later this year under the name Mob Attraction Las Vegas.

City officials said this version will perform better because it's an authentic examination of the decisions and circumstances that made Las Vegas an international symbol of debauchery and excess.

Casino workers and longtime visitors alike are known to wax nostalgic about the days when mob bosses kept drink prices low and street violence free. Their casinos became celebrity playgrounds and architectural icons. The Stardust, El Cortez, Tropicana, Dunes, Desert Inn, Flamingo and Fremont hotels were all backed by the mob at one point. Elvis and Priscilla Presley tied the knot at the mob-controlled Aladdin resort, and Wayne Newton later purchased it.

The mob, the story goes, helped build out the remote highway that would eventually become the Las Vegas Strip. Gangsters took over resorts built by front men, skimmed the profits and built nightclubs, housing tracts and shopping centers.

Increased law enforcement scrutiny and competition from business titans saw Las Vegas turn corporate in the late 1960s. Then, the celebrity chefs and Cirque du Soleil dancers moved in. These days, Las Vegas feels more like a raunchy version of Disney World than a mob hangout.

"We felt nostalgic the moment the old days ended," said Michael Green, a history professor at the College of Southern Nevada working with the museum. "To Americans, Las Vegas will always have that image, and they don't come here for Mickey Mouse."

WHAT YOU'LL SEE

Museum officials deny that they are sensationalizing the mob experience to sell tickets. One exhibit shows the modern reach of organized crime through the drug cartels of Mexico, money laundering schemes in the Bahamas, counterfeit rings in China and human trafficking in Brazil.

The museum also attempts to show the personal motivations behind the mug shots. There are pictures of a baby-faced Anthony Spilotro making his first Communion, Frank Costello relaxing in a hammock at home and gambling titan Meyer Lansky with his daughter at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, his arm tenderly hooked around her waist. The three were among the mob's most powerful men.

But the museum's extensive photo collection depicting cratered heads, exploded cars and body bags likely will be its biggest draw among fans expecting a hefty dose of violence.

A small gift store also plays up the mob's bloodthirsty reputation. The shelves lined with novelty items feature mobster paper dolls and gangster teddy bears.

A T-shirt reads: "In Godfather We Trust."

IF YOU GO 

Mob Museum

300 Stewart Ave., Las Vegas

702-229-2734, themobmuseum.org

ADMISSION $18 ($12 ages 5-17)