Zak Bagans’ Haunted Museum

Information

At a Glance

What is it?

A museum filled with spooky artifacts from “Ghost Adventures” host Zak Bagans.

Where is it?

On Charleston Blvd., just east of Las Vegas Blvd.

Is it worth the cost?

If you believe in this kind of stuff, then probably. If not…

What else do I need to know?

You have to be 16 or older to visit and you must sign a waiver before entering because of all the supposedly cursed artifacts they have.

What’s the bottom line?

Fans of the creepy and spooky will probably enjoy this.

Full Review

Zak Bagans is the host of “Ghost Adventures” on The Travel Channel and so it really shouldn’t be surprising that he would open a “haunted” museum. Forged out of a spooky 1930s era home that was later a law office (also kind of spooky when you get right down to it), the attraction features more than 30 rooms filled with haunted, cursed, or otherwise creepy artifacts all presented in ways that are designed to creep you out.

Whether you believe in this kind of thing or not, there are some important cautions to know about before you come here.

First, it’s a guided tour that lasts about 90 minutes and there is no other way to do it – you can’t go at your own pace, you must stick with your group and follow the guides, and you can’t touch anything. For people like me who are easily bored and prefer doing things myself, this is kind of like my own version of being cursed by Peggy (more on her later).

Second, the people who run the place and the people who visit take this stuff VERY seriously. You have to sign a waiver saying you won’t sue them if you get possessed by a demon while visiting. And if you are a skeptic and choose to voice your skepticism in any way, including laughing at the sheer silliness of how some of the stuff is presented, be prepared for dirty looks.

I didn’t mean to laugh, but when they brag about a celebrity visit that ended in a ghostly encounter and that celebrity is Vanilla Ice, I’m not sure there is any other choice but snicker a little bit.

Mostly what you do on the tour is stand in dimly lit rooms while people in goth-lite outfits tell you stories about what they describe as haunted or cursed objects and a lot of things formerly owned by murderers and devil worshipers. There’s a room with creepy dolls, another with clown and circus related objects, one with a gambling theme (add up the numbers on a roulette wheel and it equals 666), a jailhouse set about serial killers, a dead celebrity memorabilia room, and so on.

The main attractions include the Dybbuk Box, reputed to be the most haunted object in the world; the possessed wine cabinet that inspired the movie “The Possession;” the VW van in which Jack Kevorkian ended the lives of terminally ill patients; a haunted rocking chair that got a bunch of press because some people fainted when seeing it; and Peggy, an infamous doll that causes bad reactions from headaches to vomiting for certain people. On many of these high profile items you have a choice of whether or not to look at it. Most of the people on my group, including me, did and none of us had a problem but that’s the thing about ghosts and demons – they are just so unpredictable.

There are a few places that break the stand and listen mode including a live freak show attraction and a carnival fun house where people jump out and try to scare you, but for the most part it is standing in a room and listening while people and/or videos describe stuff.

More exhibits are on the way with a new addition being added in 2020 that will have, among other items, the Chevy Camaro once owned by cult leader David Koresh.

I love scary stuff – books, movies, TV shows, politics – but if you hadn’t been able to figure it out by now, I am a skeptic so I found the place neither scary nor particularly interesting. Having said that, the other people on my group were absolutely believers and many of them were scared out of their minds. I saw some people literally quivering with fear and one person on the verge of tears for most of the 90 minutes. Lots of “Oh, hell no,” also.

So, in the end my recommendation on whether or not to visit should come down to what your own personal belief system tells you. If you are a total, or even partial, believer, this could provide some spooky thrills. If you’re not, then there are probably better ways of spending over $40 that don’t involve having stuff described to you.