Springs Preserve Part 2, The Nevada State Museum

~ Sober In Vegas

Do you ever have momentum in your sobriety where you’re like, “I feel good! I feel great! It’s happening! I like getting up in the morning! Hooray for life!”

Only to wake up the next day feeling like, “I feel nothing except failure, self-hate, disappointment”

And nothing even HAPPENED.

The feeling just washes over you.

For no damn reason.

(sigh)

Feeling a bit that way today but I want to press on.

I’ll make sure I eat well tonight, get outside, call a friend or two, go to a yoga class, and work on getting this post up.

Small steps, big payoffs (hopefully). ❤

As promised, here is Part Two of the three part post about The Springs Preserve.

As I mentioned in the first post, there is so much to do here it’s hard to believe–and one of the most special was the Nevada State Museum.

The exterior of the Nevada State Museum on the campus of The Springs Preserve

The thing that was so fun about this museum was that it focused on the natural history of the state (ie. fossils and different eras) as well as the human history of the state.

They also have rotating exhibitions that highlight specific eras in Nevada history.

Currently they are featuring an exhibition about the artistry and craft behind the costumes of the famed showgirl performance Les Folies Bergere, which ran at the Tropicana for years.

Entryway to the Special Exhibition area

It’s funny to think that the ‘Showgirl’ that Las Vegas is so famous for is now only a museum piece.

Las Vegas does not currently have a show featuring it’s famous ‘Showgirl’, they’ve all closed.

I never had a chance to see Folies, but I did get to see Jubilee! a few times before it closed and I just loved it.  Sure the show was a little dated and hokey, but the dancers were serious athletes and the spectacle of the set and costumes alone was worth the ticket price!

A close-up view of one of the featured costumes

I completely understand the showgirl may not be everyone’s cup of tea–but what I appreciated about this exhibit is it worked hard to be PG rated.

The photographs they chose were tasteful and the exhibition focused on the artists behind the design rather than focusing on adult elements of this type of performance.

Some of the vintage items from The Hacienda

In addition to the Folies section, the special exhibitions part of the museum had tons of vintage casino memorabilia that will be on view through August 2017.

They had memorabilia from everywhere a vintage Vegas lover such as myself would have wanted to see–The Desert Inn, The Hacienda, The Last Frontier, The Stardust, The Dunes….basically all of your favorite imploded properties! 😉

A few items from the historic Moulin Rouge, Vegas’ first fully integrated property

Across the hall from the Special Exhibitions area is the permanent collection.

The permanent collection also features fashion items from long running Vegas shows, as well as more memorabilia from long gone properties such as the Moulin Rouge and The Pioneer Club.

It also features the histories of the many peoples who have lived in Nevada over the past couple of centuries.

Items in the permanent collection dedicated to the Native peoples of Nevada

Something I was particularly struck by was bay of screens featuring videos of actors re-enacting Native American perspectives.  As I’d mentioned in the first post, I really appreciate that this Museum works to acknowledge the many histories housed within our state.

Mammoth fossil on display alongside a replica of an Icthyosaur, the Nevada state fossil

Finally, the Nevada State Museum has an area of the permanent collection that focuses on the natural elements–minerals, fossils, flora and fauna, as well as local state birds and animals.

I can’t wait to go back to this museum again.  There was so much more to absorb than I was able to do in an hour, and I look forward to another afternoon learning more about our beautiful battle born state.

Thanks for reading, and happy sobering friends!

14 thoughts on “Springs Preserve Part 2, The Nevada State Museum”

  1. Those feelings of out-of-the-blue heavy emotions come over me as well. Sometimes I hold them off with the tools that I have, other times I let them take me over (self-pity is a drug too). Glad to know that we either shake them off or we fend them off. We’re human. it’s not all pinwheels and rainbows. 🙂

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  2. I get those feelings / days too. I did even when I was drinking though. I think it’s normal in life to have some really great days followed by some crappy days, following by awesome days followed by “blehh” days, etc. Round and round we go! When I was drinking and having a crummy day a few drinks would put me in a better mood and I didn’t have to think too much about it. Now I have to work my way through it and I’m constantly asking myself “ok, what’s wrong? why are you feeling down or angry or..?” lol
    Thanks for yet another great blog with great ideas! 😀

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    1. So true–and it’s so much better to take the time to ask ourselves what’s really going on 😉 thanks for reading and sending lots of good thoughts your way from out west ❤

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  3. The first time that I heard the phrase “feelings aren’t facts” I was appalled. I’ve since grown to understand it. Most days, if I ignore what I’m feeling (without disregarding) and just push through, I am so much better off. To not be enslaved by the mind- and usually it’s the mind creating the BS. ❤

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  5. I haven’t gotten drunk since my college days when I thought I would vomit my guts out. Since then I drink, but usually only wine and, at most, only one glassful. And the only reason I mention that is because I, too, have days when the negative feelings wash over me and I don’t even want to talk to my wife. I think we all have those days. Maybe it’s part of the human condition. Just keep doing what you’re doing! I enjoyed the rest of your post, too. I went to the Springs Preserve once, but didn’t realize they had a museum there, too. I would love to see that exhibit sometime.

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    1. Thanks so much for your thoughtful words Emilio (and for reading!) I think you are so right–it’s simply a part of being human to have these feelings. How can we have amazing days without hard days? And yes, the Springs Preserve has grown so much in the past 10 years since it opened–they also just opened an area called ‘Boomtown’ I’m working on the 3rd and final post about that was really cool that re-creates Vegas circa 1905 🙂

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      1. Wow. I’ve gotta get there now. How can I live in Las Vegas and not know these things? That’s why I’ll continue to read your posts! 🙂

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