DK Travel : Las Vegas : Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum

Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum

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Everything about Las Vegas is larger than life. At Madame Tussaud’s (within the Venetian Hotel) this is literally true – and the precise figure is 2 percent larger. Each waxwork figure in the museum is made marginally bigger than its real-life counterpart, because wax shrinks as it ages. For authenticity, many items of clothing and props were purchased at celebrity auctions. Rings on the figures’ fingers are regularly cleaned; hair must be washed and makeup retouched. And, as with real people, the figures’ clothes frequently need cleaning.
More Museums For more about the Venetian Hotel (see The Venetian)

Top 10 Features

1. Frank Sinatra

1. Frank Sinatra

Before entering the “Show-time Legends” section of the museum, get acquainted with a young, slender Sinatra performing on the stage of the old Sands Hotel. Recordings of Sinatra standards and other stage props enhance the 1950s mood.
2. Show-time Legends

Come face to face with your idols in a real spine-tingler of a room: eavesdrop on Louis Armstrong chatting with Ella Fitzgerald, and gaze without fear of reproach at Marilyn Monroe, tantalizingly real in a sequined dress.
3. The Big Night

3. The Big Night

A Hollywood gala is the setting, and the guest list is impressive. Mingle with the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger (positively huge at just 2 percent larger than life), Shirley MacLaine, Whoopie Goldberg, Paul Newman, Princess Diana, and Elizabeth Taylor; and yes, the hair is real.
4. Sports Celebrities

4. Sports Celebrities

They would never normally be gathered together in the same room, but at Madame Tussaud’s you suspend disbelief. Rubbing well-muscled shoulders are stars of track and field, tennis court, and boxing ring. Even with the waxwork enlargement, Russian gymnast Olga Korbut still looks tiny.
5. Rock and Pop

Remember those teenage heartthrobs of yours – Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, and Bruce Springsteen? Here you can get closer than you ever imagined. Videos and wrap-around sound help bring the experience to glorious life.
6. Behind the Scenes Glimpse

6. Behind the Scenes Glimpse

It can seem a little creepy, but the painstaking process of making the waxwork models is fascinating – from taking precise measurements of each celebrity to matching skin tones, dental impressions, eye, and hair color.
7. Finale

7. Finale

The somewhat anti-climactic finale is a state-of-the-art, multimedia, theatrical tribute to Las Vegas, featuring music, movie clips, and a special appearance by Elvis.
8. Souvenir Photos

A must-have souvenir is a photograph of yourself alongside your famous (or infamous) idol. It’s a great talking point with your more gullible friends back home.
9. The Building

Extending the copycat theme, and in typically grand Las Vegas style, the building itself is a small-scale replica of the library building on the Piazza San Marco in Venice.
10. The Gift Shop

10. The Gift Shop

The gift shop is almost as entertaining as the museum itself. You can choose a wig or a hat that makes you look like your favorite star (well, quite like) – great for kids or for costume parties. On a more serious note, there’s a chocoholics’ area, with chocolate body-frosting and other “choco-therapy” items.

Practical Information

For a quick lunch on the way there or back, try the Venetian’s Food Court. To avoid big crowds, arrive soon after the museum opens and visit the rooms in reverse order. Save time for browsing around the gift shop: the merchandise is more imaginative than you might expect. St Mark’s Library Building within the Venetian Hotel, 3377 Las Vegas Boulevard S www.madame-tussauds.com/site/lasvegas Open 10am–7pm Sun–Thu, 10am–10pm Fri–Sat 702 367 1847 Admission charge $19.95 (no need to prebook)