Department of Cultural Affairs - Division of Museums and History NEVADA STATE MUSEUM, LAS VEGAS 700 TWIN LAKES DRIVE LAS VEGAS, NV 89107 Phone: 702-486-5205 Fax: 702-486-5172 www.nevadaculture.org The Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas is a state agency which works to advance understanding of Nevada,  its landscape and its people, past and present.  The museum is open Wednesday through Saturday from 9:00 to 5:00 (except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Day).  The museum is closed Sunday through Tuesday.  Admission $4 for adults, $3 for seniors, and free to members and children under 18. For program information, contact Stacy Irvin at 486-5205 x 227 or by an Interact email message Location Map for NV State Museum & Historical Society EXHIBIT GALLERIES (overview description) BIOLOGY GALLERY In the Biology Gallery, you will see how the early people in the Las Vegas valley lived on the bounty of the Mojave Desert.  You will also see cacti and animals like the Bighorn Sheep, the Desert Tortoise, and butterflies and moths.  The Spring Mountain exhibit starts with the valley's desert landscape and travels up the mountain showing the different communities of plants and animals at different elevations.  A series of miniature dioramas depict the habitats of Nevada mammals from throughout the state. GEOLOGY GALLERY The Columbian mammoth, the Pacific Horse, the Shasta Ground Sloth roamed this valley 20,000 years ago. This gallery shows these now-extinct animals as life-size cast skeletons.  Some of the 225 million year old limestone “bones” of the state fossil ichthyosaur, found near Berlin, Nevada, are on exhibit in front of an actual size 48 foot long carved relief.  Visitors can make rubbings of the four skeletal fossils on exhibit AND see the first dinosaur fossils found in Nevada. HISTORY GALLERY The story of the people of the Las Vegas valley is told through pictures, text, and the tools and objects of daily life.  See how the first people who lived here used the atlatl to hunt their food and how the World War II gunners learned to shoot down enemy planes here in the desert.  In The 24 hour Show:  Working 'round the Clock in Las Vegas see the reality of daily life for Las Vegas families. CHANGING GALLERY BATS!  Champions of the Night Sky  on exhibit through 2009 "Hang out with the bats!" in this exhibit which combines science with an explanation of some of the myths and misconceptions on bats.  Nevada bats, including those seen here in the Las Vegas valley, are featured in specimen form.  Interactive exhibits help visiotrs understand some bat facts.  Fearsome bats from around the world are displayed along with bat myths and legends. IN THE HALLWAYS Second Annual Las Vegas Showgirl Art Competition Exhibition The Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas hosts the Second Annual Las Vegas Showgirl Art Competition Exhibition now on display.Exhibited in the East Gallery, visitors can enjoy the artwork from this year's competition, as well as showgirl costumes and accoutrements. The Las Vegas Showgirl Art Competition was established by former showgirl Lou Anne Chessik who performed on Las Vegas stages from 1979 through 1991 in such productions as Hallelujah Hollywood; Jubilee!; Lido de Paris, and Enter the Night.