We expected a tiny roadside museum, and instead were treated to a well curated experience. Staff was knowledgeable and passionate. Many artifacts and ways to understand them (signs, depictions, photographs, etc.) were presented. The rich local history, grounds, galleries, movies and gift shop were well done. Ample parking, nice restrooms, reasonable $8 entrance fee today. We are glad we stopped, it was an hour well spent. read more

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Highly recommend coupling a visit here together with Valley of Fire State Park. The museum is built on top of the archaeological dig site. The two movies are highly informative and interesting. The CCC rebuilt pueblos. Very impressive. read more

We stopped by the Lost City Museum in Moapa Valley. It said on the sign that the museum should be open. There were no signs of cars or people. So hubby and I walked the lands. There's a lot of history here. This museum was originally known as the Boulder Dam Park. It was built by the members of the Civilian Conservation Corps. It holds the artifacts of the era in which the Colorado River was dammed to form Lake Mead. All the area was flooded out during this build. The National Park Service turned the museum over to the state of Nevada in the mid 1950's. This is entrenched the name was changed to the Lost City Museum. There are original rebuilt houses on the Land site. It was very interesting to walk around and read the history behind the city. read more

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I am of the opinion that the Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV Metro Area is criminally underrated for its dynamic local culture, which includes geological wonders, endemic species, ice age fossils, land art, world-class hiking trails, unique towns and cities, multiple antique districts, ghost towns, hot springs, skiing, swap meets, eclectic museums, endless off-road adventures, and ubiquitous Native American influences among many other things. The Lost City Museum in Overton, NV is a great place to dive into the region's local culture for those with an affinity for history and Indigenous cultures. The museum is built on the actual prehistoric site of the ancestral Puebloans and tells the stories of Nevada's first permanent residents between AD 200 and AD 1200. The museum is also a Nevada State Museum and on the National Register of Historic Places. While the museum is not nearly as modern or interactive as some of the more popular museums in the region, I still found the exhibits and information extremely fascinating. I particularly enjoyed learning about the following: 1.) that the present-day Hopi Tribe in Arizona acknowledges the ancestral Puebloans as their ancestors, 2.) how Willis Evans brought key insights to the archaeological research for the museum as a Native American archeologist, 3.) the relevance of this site to other "lost cities" in Southern Nevada, and 4.) how artifacts from the site helped archaeologists to understand trade routes and migration patterns in the larger Southwest region. The museum is roughly 15 minutes away from the Valley of Fire State Park and makes a great itinerary addition for those traveling to the area. read more

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Very interesting history with photographs, artifacts and detailed descriptions of everything. The museum is very clean, organized and well ran, we thoroughly enjoyed all of it. Make sure to watch the videos, they tell the story in great detail. The sidewalk around the outside takes you to the pueblo village, mining equipment and a monument to the Moapa Valley Pioneers. read more

Lost City Museum - Museums Near Me - Overton, Nevada

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As with most museums, this is where the narrative begins. I came across this museum as I was leaving The Valley of Fire, which we are told consists of natural formations caused by erosion. I found it interesting how when leaving The Valley of Fire, they would have a museum named The Lost City. Obvious correlation once you understand what The Valley of Fire really is. I was hoping the museum would offer more truth but like most museums, all we get to see are baskets, jars, plates, arrowheads and jewelry. Why do we as people simply accept anything we are told, as if questioning the narrative is a bad thing? read more

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Nice view, plenty to explore and let the little ones get out some energy. Including your fur babies. Trails and roads to walk around. Old train track reminisce and tunnel. We did not explore or adventure over to the tunnel. There are benches along the paced trail. There were no porta potties. Best times to go morning, winter, late fall and spring. Otherwise take water and a snack with you on your hike it gets a bit draining. read more

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Worth seeing. The museum is on top of an archaeological dig site where an active Anasazi community lived between 300 B.C. to A.D. 1150. Well organized, with informative videos and a wealth of artifacts. read more

Decided to stop at this museum on our way to the Valley of Fire State Park. They have a decent sized parking lot and it only costs $5 admission. The admission is totally worth seeing all the cool artifacts inside (tools, pottery, baskets, jewelry, etc) watching the two movies offered in the small theater (one on the Puebloans and the other on preserving archeological finds), and the reconstructed pueblos behind the visitors center! They even have a nice picnic area surrounded by native plant life below the parking area. There's a gift shop inside as well. The employees were friendly and helpful. I would highly recommend this stop! read more

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Planned correctly you can check this museum on your way to Valley of Fire if coming from Utah going SW towards Vegas! Such a fun stop with some amazing back story & some great local Native American artesanal jewelry! Fell in love with two pieces that I ended up purchasing. Staff was knowledgeable and friendly. read more

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If you are looking for the formerly submerged town of St. Thomas, this is not it, this is not near it, and the museum has only a very small display about that area. Do not be confused (like WE were! ) I love history and culture so I'm glad that museums like this exist. But honestly, this one needs some updating to make it more appealing to a modern crowd. The collection is primarily artifacts from local tribes (some pretty good ones!) with a whole lot of text panels. Even though I'm a reader, I burn out quickly on this style of display. When everything has matching colors, fonts, and layouts, It's hard to keep track of exactly *what* you're looking at - especially if you don't know the regional geography. For instance: The "St.Thomas" display is quite close to the "El Dorado" display even though they're geographically quite distant. It's hard to discern exactly what makes these things unique or important from the samey-samey signs. If you're in the area and are a History buff, you'll probably find it quite interesting. But Children or folks who have trouble - or who simply don't enjoy reading - will likely find this a bit of a slog. read more

After hiking the nearby Lost City area with friends, we popped into this museum to hear more about the background of the area. While the museum did focus specifically on the Lost City area (hence the name), the majority of materials were about the original Native American tribes on the land and not as much about the city itself as I had expected. Museum is fairly small but has a lot of material, from artifacts to a film room. There is also an outdoor pueblo and pit house, as well as shaded kennels for pets and a picnic area. Oddly, they also have a lot of desert art on display and available for sale- good quality, but not limited to the gift shop area, set up between displays. read more

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Worth a visit. Once home to the Native American ANASAZI INDIANS. If that sounds familiar to you, you probably live in Summerlin or drive on the 215. A plethora of woven baskets, pottery and artifacts on display. Arrowheads and jewelry, the turquoise pieces were my favorite. There's also a short 15 minute film which offers more information about the history of The Lost City. The gift shop is full of great souvenirs and reasonably priced too. My daughter was able to buy a few souvenirs for herself as well as a gift for her classmate with only $15. Many helpful volunteers readily available to answer questions. This museum is built on the site of their early settlement before the ANASAZI people moved on due to drought or other factors. Right outside the museum is a pit-house that dates back to A.D 655. That's incredible! Replicas of early dwellings also on display behind the museum offer a glimpse of how early settlers lived in pueblos and adapted to the dry climate. Great excursion if you're in the area hiking @ Valley of Fire. Don't forget to leave a donation too! Every little bit helps! :) read more

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"Artifacts tell stories of people who traveled through and lived in Southern Nevada for thousands of years. For decades archeologists have worked to uncover and study these pieces of the past to give us a glimpse of what life was like for the earliest travelers and residents in the hot, dry Mojave Desert. "-From the Lost City Museum Brochure. These words from the Lost City Museum brochure summarize the experience that the visitor to the Lost City Museum will have. Although this Museum is on the same foot print of the typical Clark County Library, it does a commendable job of telling a story through displays and artifacts of Pueblo life in the Mojave Desert and the work of archeologists to uncover these sites. The most interesting thing that the museum told me about the Lost City is that it wasn't a lost city but a series of ruins extending the length of the 25 mile Moapa Valley. It is interesting facts that draw me to museums like this. This museum was on my radar for the past couple years. It is 1 of 7 Nevada State Museums. When I visited the other state museums, I would see advertisements for this one. Recently I finally ended up here after a joy ride beyond the northernmost reaches of the North Shore Drive led out of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area and into Overton. With this said this makes a great adventure with Valley of Fire or Overton Wildlife Management Area. From State Route 169, I drove up a hill into a spacious parking lot. Before stepping into the building, I took in a wall of petroglphs and a pit house. After stepping into a wall of sun-dried brick, I was stepping on a floor made from material from the Valley of Fire. If this wasn't interesting enough, this museum built in 1935 is next to an archeological site. The price to be enveloped in this history was $5. The three exhibit rooms led me on my journey. My favorite exhibit room is the CCC Exhibit and Ruins Site. The centerpiece of the room and the museum is the Dig Site Recreation. Throughout the room, I enjoyed looking at the pottery, paintings, dolls, artifacts, and signs. Making my way to the right was the Early Man, Hopi, Navajo, & Paiute Culture. The artifacts included jewelry, shells, baskets, and introduction to Lake Mead with Hoover Dam. This room led into a tiny theater where I saw a 20 minute movie on this very museum. Before I left the building, I talked to the man at the gift shop then returned to the Ancestral Pueblo Material Culture to check out the artifacts. This is where I earlier paid the volunteer the $5 admission. Before returning to my car, I walked around the building. On this walk I saw the Pueblo replica, and the garden. This walk left a fantastic last impression. In conclusion, I was impressed with this unique museum. If you are near the Valley of Fire or Overton, I recommend stopping by. If I have failed to convince you to stop by, maybe these two rewards that I am closing the review with will. *"The Best of Las Vegas 2015-Best Museum. " *Best of the City 2014-Best place to glimpse our deep past. read more

The Lost City Museum is another outstanding place to see if you are visiting Las Vegas and want to get out of the casino. I've been to this museum only once before ages ago so it was was all new. We went the Saturday after Thanksgiving from the Valley of Fire and, luckily, they were open. They are open seven days a week from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The museum is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is only $5 for adults & seniors and free for kids 18 & under. The visit was so worth it or more! The Lost City Museum, originally known as the Boulder Dam Park Museum, was built in 1935 by members of the Civilian Conservation Corps. The museum was actually built on the prehistoric site of the ancestral Puebloans, from AD 200 to AD 1200. The museum is small but it holds amazing artifacts and information. The Lost City Museum documents the history of the ancient Pueblos and Anasazi people that lived in the area. The most interesting was the Native American pit house and reconstructed pueblos, outside which visitors can go inside. You really get an idea of how life was like for the native peoples from the information and exhibits. The museum preserved artifacts that would have been destroyed by Hoover Dam when the reservoir behind the dam rose creating Lake Mead. The lake covered the entire Lost City. The National Park Service, working with the state of Nevada, rushed to recover as much as possible from the doomed sites. Archaelogists literally worked up until the last minute, recording information as water began to seep into the site. But they didn't get all materials out. St. Thomas, a Mormon settlement, with all its goods was submerged by rising water to 60 ft. below the surface. The town is back above water with water levels getting so low from the drought-BTW, another amazing place to visit. The museum has a lovely store with unique items including beautiful Southwest Native American jewelry, pottery, Kachinas, sand paintings, dream catchers, books and craft items. It is definitely worth checking it out. This museum is definitely a 5 star museum. The quality and uniqueness of the museum displays makes it worth returning. Service was also 5 stars. Staff and volunteers were knowledgeable and nice. Volunteers are always welcome. You could also become a museum member, a great way to support these small museums. Individual membership is $35 (seniors $20) which gets you in free to this museum and into the other 6 Nevada State Museums and 15% off in the museum stores. read more

This place isn't very big in size, but the history and artifacts within are very interesting. It is very well done. It's a nice drive out of Vegas to the small town of Overton. Very enjoyable! If you want to learn more about how the area was settled, the building of the dam, and the indigenous peolle of Nevada, this place is it!! read more

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Received free admission tickets an never been so why not? Enjoyed our hour long trip and pulled up. Very nice and friendly staff greeted us immediately. Gave us a quick run thru, advised we watch at least one of their 15 minute videos which we were glad we did. Museum is small but their is a lot to see and read. Your allowed to take pictures but not the for sale pictures on the wall. Make your way outside to see a replica of a adobe house. read more

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Interesting place about an hour outside of Vegas. They found lots of the artifacts from the "lost city" that was in the area and built this museum in the 1930s before building the Hoover Dam. The museum tells the story of the civilization that was once present in the area as well as the short media frenzy that involved the "discovery" of the lost city. The videos at the museum do a good job telling the story but are kinda long. Be sure to check out the pit house, pueblo, petroglyph, and mock archeological dig site. Interesting museum and worth the $5 admission if you're looking for a short day trip outside Vegas. read more

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Great place to visit and check out this off the beaten path museum. Definitely worth the day trip from Las Vegas.

Lovely and welcoming staff. Well kept museum with great artifacts. A hidden gem for sure. read more

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Ok, admittedly you have to have an interest to find this place fascinating but I do and I did. It takes at least 2 hours to examine everything...longer if you linger over the displays. It pays to do a bit of research before going so that you better understand what you are looking over although each item is well described. There is also a gift shop with some unique items and books. It was well worth the drive and so glad I spent the time there. read more

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I have been wanting to see this museum for a while now. My boyfriend and I had been driving around and decided to make a spontaneous trip here today. We love the drive out from Henderson to Overton. Take the time to stop, enjoy the views, and see the sights, particularly Roger Springs. But on to the real review. There is a pithouse when you approach the entrance and just looking at the outside of the museum feels cool. Upon entering, we were greeted and paid the $5 per person fee. It's not a bad fee, especially compared to other museums of similar size so no complaints there. We were given a brief and helpful introduction about the museum. The floors are original and are made of materials mined from the nearby Valley of Fire. Really cool. The displays are all very well done with a good mix of written content and artifacts. I learned a lot about the Anasazi and Paiutes and I truly think the museum was set up in an intuitive, welcoming, and educational way. Both of the employees we encountered were extremely friendly and knowledgeable and we appreciated that. Outside of the museum is a replica of a Pueblo, which makes for a cool photo op. All in all, it was worth the trip out here. I really enjoyed myself. If you want to read everything and take it seriously, I would say give yourself 2 hours. If you want to breeze through, it can probably be done in about 30-45 minutes. For us, it was worth the separate trip out here. For those who are taking in the Valley of Fire, however, I would sincerely suggest that you make some time to visit the museum. It's open from 8:30-4:30 so their hours are pretty decent for a small location. PS, I am an avid smashed penny collector, and they had a machine here with 4 different designs, including one that had the Pueblo on it. Extra points for that. read more

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Interesting and kid friendly museum. It focuses on the Anasazi's but also has some pioneer and early settlers history.

We visited this museum for a break from driving and our interest in history.it is small but has a lot of artifacts from diggings done in the 30's. There was a concern these were going to be lost when the Hoover Dam was built. The CCC was used to do the building of the museum and helping with the excavation. Very interesting and high quality artifacts.there is a Pithouse and adobe huts been reconstructed. A $5 fee is required and a small gift shop is also available for books, info and some pawn jewelry. Worth the 10 mile detour. read more

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Good place to visit and learn some history. while you're here on this side of town,stop by this museum and take you'r kids with you because your kids will learn about the Indians that settled here. read more

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We go on many adventures that are usually themed. This particular adventure led us to the Anasazi.The information at this museum was par to none. The staff was very informative. The drive was short from Vegas but worth it. read more

Lost City Museum - Pueblos from the Anasazi - Museums Near Me - Overton, Nevada

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I went here a few weeks ago, and this place is definitely worth the check-out. It's small, but it's filled with a lot of information and interesting facts about the area. The admission is $5.00, the staff is really nice, and walking the grounds are really nice on a not too hot day. About this time of year would be perfect, honestly. I've heard that they are having some issues due to state cut backs (why is it education always goes first on the chopping block?), but I found the museum to be well worth the time. Even the gift shop has some interesting items to check out, and Lord knows that I'm a sucker for gift shops. It's also close to the Valley of Fire, so it's very easy to make a full day of the trip out to Overton, and a perfect excuse to get out of the house. read more

Quaint little museum buried in a small town. Informative if the local Indians. Cost was $5 per person. There was a couple of movies with interesting information, a small gift shop, and real pueblos outside. A good stop off Hwy 15. read more

Very interesting and informative...I loved the little houses and the pit house, I also purchased a silver ring in the souvenir shop and I was very impressed...The ring was one size too small, but for a little extra they sized and delivered to my home address even though I wasn't living in Las Vegas...I really recommend to anyone to go check it out. read more

Lost City Museum - Ring I purchased. - Museums Near Me - Overton, Nevada

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This was a nice museum to go visit while in Overton! I wanted to go check out this museum on a whim, while searching up things to do in the area, and I'm happy I did! It costs $5 to enter, and the staff is very helpful and informative for anything with the museum or the area! I spent a good 45 minutes looking through the museum, and for the price, it can't get any better than that! read more

Lost City Museum - The entrance to the museum - Museums Near Me - Overton, Nevada

Due to cut backs the museum is only opened now from Thursday thru Sunday, but it is DEFINITELY worth a trip! It is a unique experience and you will not regret it! The gift shop is also is fantastic. After you visit, go have lunch in Overton and Logandale. There is Sugar's Home Plate, The Inside Scoop, Lin's Deli and The VIP! If you haven't checked out Valley of Fire, you just have to make a trip there too! Make a nice day of it!!! read more

We love this place, great stop to bring friends when they visit. Nice gift shop inside, and i love seeing the old adobe structures. Cool thing, is you feel alone while you are here, and you get to explore the structures without anyone standing around you. Its very unique, such an interesting spot. Only 5 bucks to see the museum. A lovely picnic area outside too. read more

we always love taking friends and family there when they come down to visit. it's very cool to see all the history and people there are super friendly read more

Small Museum but well worth it. My kids loved it and had a good time. Shows a good history of the area.

It's okay. Not too bad for older people. Definitely not for kids. I loved the gift shop and the history.

Come check this place out, very impressive. Love the layout, wild how people lived here so long ago. Grandma has some articles here, Celesta Lowe, a true Nevadan. read more

Excellent museum that we highly recommend. Wonderful interpretation of the Pueblo Indian history and magnificent exhibits. Located in the quaint town of Overton, about 1 1/2 hours north of Las Vegas. read more

This is a fantastic museum! My family really enjoyed visiting a few weekends back. Lots to see and a ton of information in each display about the areas ancient history as well as the Civil Conservation Corp (CCC) who built it. The pit house and the pueblo were awesome. Lots of great photo ops with vintage farm equipment and a petroglyph wall. There was a volunteer up front who was very helpful when we had some questions. The gift shop had a lot of great things like jewelry, books toys and way more than I can list! read more

I visited this amazing place many times as a child, and have not been back for several years. I loved it then, and I can't wait to go back! Every time it seems I learn something new or see something that I had forgotten about. I am planning a trip to Nevada in October this year, and I sure hope it is open for visiting and exploring! read more

Cool little museum to learn about the indigenous people of the Overton area.