The Liberace Museum in Las Vegas
A trip to Las Vegas wouldn’t be complete without a visit to a museum about the most famous and glittering pianist in the world. The Liberace Museum was created by no one other than “Mr. Showmanship” himself, Liberace, on April 15th, 1979. While most people know him only as Liberace, his full name was Wladziu Valentino Liberace, and during the 1950s through the 1970s, he was actually the highest paid entertainer in the world. He died in 1987 on February 4th, but his legacy continues in the form of the Liberace Foundation.
Located at 1775 East Tropicana Avenue (at the intersection of Tropicana and Spencer), the museum features Liberace’s jewelry, his rare antiques, an astonishing wardrobe, as well as unique and historic pianos, not to mention a custom car collection. Proceeds from the museum help support the Liberace Foundation for the Performing and Creative Arts which has funded scholarships to more than 2,700 students since 1976, helping people achieve their creative goals for 34 years. Near the Strip and the hotels Las Vegas offers, the museum consists of two buildings. One contains the piano and car galleries, while the second building displays the costume and jewelry collections, as well as a recreation of Liberace’s Palm Springs bedroom. There’s also an Awards Gallery. Among the pieces collected, there are pieces of rare Moser crystal from Czechoslovakia. The pianist had owned a service for twelve, which included 14 separate glasses for each setting.
Visitors will discover, too, the Cabaret at the Liberace Museum. The Cabaret contains Liberace’s amazing, mirrored nine-foot Baldwin grand piano; it’s also a performance venue for local entertainers for afternoon and evening shows. If guests want souvenirs, they can find them in the Museum store, where there are CDs and video cassettes as well as books on music, and Liberace stationary and jewelry. Liberace’s resting place may be in Forest Lawn in Los Angeles; however, to truly find out about the person, inquisitive fans must come to the Nevada desert.
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