A lot of people would think that the Erotic Heritage Museum located on Industrial Road, is filled with disgusting sex objects, sex aids and dirty magazines, but they would be so wrong. You really shouldn’t miss this interesting and informative museum.

Yes, it does deal with all things sexual, and yes, it does have sex objects and photos, but there is nothing pornographic about this museum. The 2200 square metre floor space is devoted to the history of erotica, how sexuality has shaped human lives and how man’s attitude towards sex has changed over the centuries.

The exhibitions display erotic photos and artifacts from all over the world, including a 3ft-high penis and testicles made entirely of copper pennies, bone and ivory phallic objects and “Petals” a presentation of sepia-toned photos of women’s labia, taken by a cosmetic surgeon. There are also peep-shows dating back over a century and erotic films dating back to 1900.

International and local artists display their erotic paintings here; there are workshops, lectures, film clubs and live performances of erotic dance, music and poetry. The main purpose of the museum is to help people understand that while sex is a vital part of human life, a person’s body and what he/she does with it is entirely personal and private.

A visit to Madame Tussaud’s Las Vegas is a must for everyone who wants their photo taken with the “stars”. You will find this wonderful wax museum inside the Venetian Hotel and Casino.

The museum is spread out over 2 floors and has eight sections: In Speed Demons you can see Evel Knievel and even sit on a replica of his legendary Harley Davidson. In the TV Stars section you can sing a song or do a dance for Simon Cowell and then snuggle up to Eva Longoria. The Pop Stars area includes Michael Jackson and Lady Gaga among others.

John Wayne and Elvis are to be found in the Culture Icons section. If you touch Elvis’ hand he will talk to you in his syrupy Southern drawl! You might find the World Icons area a bit too “American” with Barak Obama, JFK, Martin Luther King Jr and George Bush.

You can play golf with Tiger Woods in the Sport’s Stars section or stand next to Johnny Depp, Harrison Ford or George Cloony in Hollywood Stars: part of the fun includes dressing up as Cloony’s bride and “getting married” to him.

There is an area called “Behind the Scenes” where you can learn some interesting facts about how the waxworks began and about how these marvelous mannequins are made. They are created in Madame Tussaud’s London studio and shipped out to Las Vegas. Each waxwork takes between 6 months and a year to make. This includes taking a whole lot of the personality’s measurements, hair samples and teeth imprints. Real hair is inserted strand by strand and the eyes are hand-painted.

Even if you aren’t a great car fanatic, don’t miss the Auto Collections which are housed on the fifth floor of the Imperial Palace Hotel and Casino’s parking area.

You will find cars on display that are collector’s items, either for sale or just there to be admired in the largest classic car collection in the world. There are over 250 models, ranging from custom hotrods to antique family cars.

Admire cars that are proto-types of which they are the unique model, historical cars, muscle cars designed for high-performance driving and cars that were once owned by celebrities. You can have your photo taken beside a 1939 Chrysler Royal Sedan that the TV host Jimmy Carson learned to drive in, a beautiful 1928 Isotta Franschini Tipo, a Jaguar XJ220 that when it was launched in 1994, was the fastest car in the world, or a 1932 Rolls Royce Phantom II.

The Grand Salon houses rare vehicles along with Bentley’s, Ferrari’s and Aston Martin’s, all in excellent condition. Each car has a placard that will explain its history – and its price. In the Main Showroom you will find less exotic makes such as Ford, Renault, Porsche and many others.

Don’t forget to visit the gift shop where you can buy books about cars, figurines, games, toy cars, custom-made vanity plates, parking signs and key rings.

The Atomic Testing Museum on East Flamingo Road is a great place for adults and children to spend an afternoon that is both instructive and fun.

In this large, modern museum you will learn about the Cold War and the history of nuclear testing that was carried out on the Nevada Test Site. During the years between 1951 and1992 over 900 nuclear tests were carried out on the site which is located only 65 miles from Las Vegas. In fact when atmospheric tests were carried out, prestigious casinos set up “lookout” terraces for guests to watch the mushroom cloud climbing high in the desert sky. 100 atmospheric tests were carried out, while 828 tests took place underground.

The history is explained through interactive displays, short films, and testimonies from people who worked on the site and real equipment that was used during tests. You can check test-dates with world events and pop culture by timelines on the walls around the museum. There are radiation-testing devices and you can use a Geiger counter to check your own radiation level.

In the Atomic Age Gallery you will begin to understand a little of the paranoia provoked by the Cold War, for there are hundreds of comic books and cartoon adventure strips dating from the nineteen fifties and sixties, all on the theme of nuclear warfare. There are wall panels and touch-screens to answer the publics most frequently asked questions – such as “Why is nuclear power necessary?” and “How long will the Nevada desert area be radio-active?” For the kids a Disney cartoon explains the components needed to make a nuclear weapon.

The Ground Zero Theatre gives short films showing atmospheric testing, complete with special effects – you feel wind in your face and the floor vibrates. The Today and Tomorrow Gallery features pieces of the Berlin Wall (to signify the end of the Cold War) and pieces from the World Trade Centre, to make you understand that nuclear weapons are still necessary in the fight against terrorism.

The Marjorie Barrick Museum of Natural History is situated on the University of Nevada campus and comprises a wonderful museum for all the family and beautiful gardens. Entry to the museum is free, but you can make a donation if you wish.

The museum first opened in 1967 with a collection of items and the history of Nevada and the southwest of the United States, but it began to expand in the late nineteen seventies to include anthropological, ethnological and archaeological artifacts of Native Americans and pre-Columbian Mesoamericans.

These magnificent objects cover a period of over 2000 years and include over 100 Mexican and Guatemalan masks that were used in religious ceremonies and for social occasions, such as weddings and coming of age rituals. There is a fine exhibition of Catrine dance masks – 19th century masks modeled to mock the French landowners who occupied Mexico. Guatemalan costumes and textiles and pre-Columbian sacrificial items are also on display. Each showcase has a short text explaining the object’s history and you can also ask for complementary history cards. There is a reptile section with local and regional lizards and snakes.

There is a library that can be visited by appointment and you will find books and short films about Mesoamerican art and culture. To entertain the kids, there is a giant sandbox where they can take part in “archaeological digs” for lost treasure and a section in the lobby where they can draw and paint and do rubbings.

The Xeric Gardens feature drought resistant plants with strange and amusing names, such as “beavertail” and “cholla bunny ears”, as well as many cacti and yuccas.

If you never thought that you could make your children understand that when you were a kid you had fun even though computer games hadn’t been invented, take them along to the Pinball Hall of Fame, opposite the Liberace Museum and they will soon see what you mean.

The “hall” looks more like a giant warehouse compared to the plush casinos that you have seen during your stay in Las Vegas, but the fun is here without risking your shirt. This is a nostalgic heaven with over 200 pinball machines and classical arcade games dating from the nineteen forties to the late nineteen nineties – and a couple of tables feature games based on Iron Man and Avatar.

There are all the golden oldie pinball machines with their science-fiction themes, such as Star Trek and Lost in Space, western and marine world themes. Some of the machines are really rare: Recretivo Franco’s “Impacto”, Williams’ “Black Gold” and Bally’s “Pinball Circus”, to name just a few.

Entry to the hall is free and you can change bucks for quarters at the door. All the machines have been restored and all function, so it’s not just a question of looking at them, you can play on them too. The club that runs the hall and takes care of the machines is a non-profit making organization; any extra money goes to good causes like the Salvation Army.

There is no pay out if you win the highest score, so you won’t come away richer money-wise, but good, old-fashioned fun is priceless.