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Liberace Museum

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two cruisers
First Reviewer
3 out of 5
Avg. Member Rating
1
Review
5
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Editor Pick

Story of a not so Humble Boy from West Allis

  • January 28, 2025
  • Rated 3 of 5 by two cruisers from Ames, Iowa

In the early 1950s I was first introduced to Liberace by way of a 15 minute television show (an experimental format that didn’t last long). Even in black and white, with a subdued setting, "Lee’s" charm and his mysteriously silent brother George fascinated me. Besides, my grandma was also a native of West Allis, Wisconsin…practically neighbors of the Liberace family…so his TV show was required viewing. Walter Valentino (Lee) Liberace went on to become a celebrated musician and spectacular showman. Each appearance he made was a challenge to outdo the last. I always looked forward to his Tonight Show appearances where Johnny Carson would play to his humorous side. He was a natural for Las Vegas.

Our hotel concierge arranged for us to tour the Liberace Museum. A free (tips graciously accepted) shuttle bus picked us up at our hotel. Luckily for us we were the last place to be picked up and the first place to return. At the museum we toured one building at our own pace before the guide gathered us together for the official tour. Our guide described herself as being ‘really hyped-up’ for the day. She talked a lot, told us very involved stories about his cars, pianos and peculiarities. Liberace’s family story was interesting and you could see how it shaped his entire life. It was a very musical family. His father played French horn in the John Phillip Sousa Marching Band. His mother was the strongest personality in his life. After he became a permanent fixture in Las Vegas, Mama would spend her time at the slot machines. Lee even bought her three slot machines that were kept at his home. The guide led us to a second building that was at one time the rehearsal hall for some of Las Vegas’s biggest stars. Owned by Liberace, it was rented out to Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack and also to Elvis Presley. Now this hall is the climate-controlled showroom for Liberace’s most audacious costumes, jewelry and furniture. Some of his costumes were so heavily jeweled they weighed over 200lbs and had to be supported by flying harnesses. Bill was not impressed with the car collection because they were either elaborate kit cars or junked up good cars. But honestly that was Liberace, all that glitter and fluff was a big joke…and he laughed all the way to the bank! I thought it was fun place and it was really interesting to see the difference in sparkle between a mirror coated car and a Swarovski crystal coated car.

Before leaving the museum you can stop at the snack bar and gift shop. Some days you can go into a small auditorium to hear a concert. If you have a car, the museum is easy to find at 1775 East Tropicana Street. There is a large parking lot between the two buildings. It is open M-S 10am-50m and Sundays 1am-5pm. We paid just $10 a piece for our tour. That is a bargain in this town.

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