L to R: The Mob Museum’s Moonshine; The Mob Museum’s Historic Building; On the Yakuza Beat Program.
(Photos courtesy of The Mob Museum)
THE MOB MUSEUM, THE UNDERGROUND SPEAKEASY AND DISTILLERY ANNOUNCE NEW EXHIBIT AND JUNE HAPPENINGS
The Mob Museum, the National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement, announces its roster of June happenings, including the debut of its new “National Syndicate” exhibit, an educational summer camp with UNLV and a gripping event exploring organized crime in Japan’s underworld. Additionally, The Underground speakeasy and distillery invites guests to enjoy live music and drink specials for National Moonshine Day.
THE MUSEUM’S JUNE PROGRAMS AND PROMOTIONS FOLLOW:
“National Syndicate” Exhibit Debuts Thursday, June 5
Date: Exhibit to open Thursday, June 5.
Time: Hours of operation are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
Location: The exhibit is located in the Tentacles Spread gallery on the Museum’s third floor.
Cost: Included with Museum admission. To view Museum admission prices, click here.
Description: The Museum’s brand-new “National Syndicate” exhibit explores the rise and national expansion of organized crime in the United States following Prohibition. Outlining the formation of the Five Families in New York and their alliances with Jewish mobsters, the exhibit examines the development of a national syndicate that reshaped the nation’s criminal underworld. Racketeers such as Arnold Rothstein, Lucky Luciano, Meyer Lansky, Stephanie St. Clair, in addition to many others, are featured. Artifacts on display include pistols belonging to Detroit law enforcement figures Detective William DeLisle and Officer Ben Turpin, highlighting how the national syndicate infiltrated cities across the U.S. and forced law enforcement agencies to take notice and respond. A striking 1967 Life Magazine illustration of the syndicate serves as the exhibit’s centerpiece, accompanied by a video featuring insights from Mob historian T.J. English. This exhibit was created with the generous support of Steven A. DeLisle and the DeLisle Family Trust.
Witnessing History: The Mob Museum Summer Camp in Partnership with UNLV
Date: Monday, June 16, to Wednesday, June 18
Time: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Location: UNLV on Monday and Wednesday; The Mob Museum on Tuesday. Transportation will not be provided.
Cost: Camp registration is $100 per student. To register, click here.
Description: This June, The Mob Museum and UNLV’s College of Liberal Arts will team up to host a three-day summer camp for students entering grades 8 – 12 during the 2025 – 2026 school year, as well as recent high school graduates (class of 2025). Witnessing History: The Mob Museum Summer Camp will take students on a journey through time as they explore the history and impact of organized crime in America, while also learning about the important role of museums in building public memory and preserving and shaping our collective understanding of the past. Led by UNLV’s team of dedicated faculty and staff alongside Museum educators, students will be led through a handful of hands-on activities at both UNLV and at the Museum, garnering exclusive access to Museum artifacts and exhibits.
On the Yakuza Beat: A Foreign Reporter in Japan’s Underworld
Date: Wednesday, June 18
Time: 7 to 8 p.m., followed by a book signing.
Location: Inside the historic courtroom.
Cost: Free for Museum Members or with Museum admission. To RSVP to attend, click here.
Description: Investigative journalist Jake Adelstein exposed a scandal involving one of Japan’s most ruthless yakuza dons and lived to tell the tale. Guests are invited to join the author of “Tokyo Vice” for a rare conversation at The Mob Museum as he discusses his journey from rural Missouri to covering the police beat for Japan’s biggest newspaper, a tale that inspired a popular HBO series. Adelstein gained the trust of both police detectives and mobsters to bring stories of government corruption, human trafficking and double-dealing yakuza bosses to light. A book signing featuring Adelstein’s “Tokyo Noir: In and Out of Japan’s Underworld” will follow the program.
Speaker: Jake Adelstein is an American expat and investigative journalist specializing in organized crime and corruption in Japan. In 1993, he began working as a crime reporter for the largest newspaper in Japan, the Yomiuri Shimbun. After 12 years, Adelstein left the paper and published an exposé about a high-ranking yakuza boss, Tadamasa Goto, receiving a liver transplant at UCLA with the assistance of the FBI. Goto responded by putting a contract on Adelstein’s life. His 2009 book, “Tokyo Vice,” about his experiences has been adapted into a series on HBO.
“Art of the Mob: The LeRoy Neiman Portraits”
Date: On view daily
Time: The Museum is open daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Location: Oscar B. Goodman Room on the third floor.
Cost: Included with Museum admission. To view Museum admission prices, click here.
Description: Now on view is the Museum’s latest temporary exhibition, “Art of the Mob: The LeRoy Neiman Portraits.” The Museum’s fine art exhibition, in partnership with the LeRoy Neiman and Janet Byrne Neiman Foundation, features 13 original portraits of infamous organized crime and eminent law enforcement figures created by legendary artist LeRoy Neiman, whose vibrant impressionistic works famously immortalized dramatic moments in sports, entertainment and American society.
THE UNDERGROUND’S JUNE PROGRAMS AND PROMOTIONS FOLLOWS:
National Moonshine Day
Holiday: Thursday, June 5
Promotional Dates: Thursday, June 5 through Sunday, June 8
Time: 11 a.m. to midnight.
Location: The Underground Speakeasy and Museum concessions
Cost: 15% off all bottled moonshine and moonshine flights.
Description: In honor of National Moonshine Day, The Underground speakeasy and distillery is celebrating with 15% off all bottles of moonshine and moonshine flights. Crafted in the basement of the Museum, this award-winning, house-distilled spirit comes in its signature original recipe as well as Huckleberry Hideout, The Goodfella’s Vanilla, Ginger Jake and The Fuzz peach flavor.
Live Entertainment Calendar*
Dates and Times: Friday and Saturday 8 p.m. to midnight; Sunday 7 to 11 p.m.
- Sunday, June 1 | Sandy and the Knightcaps
- Friday, June 6 | The Volsteads
- Saturday, June 7 | Amanda King and her Prohibition Three
- Sunday, June 8 | The Ramblers
- Friday, June 13 | Mr. Nobody with Michael Grimm
- Sunday, June 15 | Red Penny Arcade
- Friday, June 20 | Katrina Bree’s Blue Note Trio
- Saturday, June 21 | Dixie Flats
- Sunday, June 22 | Cheyenne Adams & The Dirty Business
- Friday, June 27 | Michael Ross Nugent
- Saturday, June 28 | Coco and The Sidecars
- Sunday, June 29 | The Syn-Phonics
Location: The Underground speakeasy and distillery.
Cost: Free entry at the secret side door to visitors who know the password, published daily on Instagram Stories @MobMuseum_Underground.
Description: Revel in the sounds of the Jazz Age with music in The Underground speakeasy. Featuring a rotating roster of talented performing artists presented in an atmosphere surrounded by Prohibition-era artifacts, The Underground offers an immersive 1920s-inspired experience like none other.
*Schedule is subject to change without notice. For more information on the lineup or updates regarding live entertainment, please click here.
ABOUT THE UNDERGROUND
The Underground is an immersive Prohibition history exhibition featuring a speakeasy, distillery and private VIP room in the basement of The Mob Museum, the National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement. Artifacts from the 1920s and 1930s tell the intriguing story of the Prohibition era, which not only saw a proliferation of bootlegged booze and the meteoric growth of organized crime outfits but also had a profound, lasting impact on society, specifically making way for modern cocktail culture. A seasonal cocktail menu gives guests the opportunity to try contemporary takes on classic Prohibition-era cocktails. The menu and atmosphere have landed the speakeasy on several “best cocktail bars in Las Vegas” lists. Distillery tastings allow participants to learn about Prohibition and its impact on a variety of spirits and drinking habits while tasting a few of the Museum’s moonshines. The distilling program has received numerous accolades, including “Best Moonshine” at the 2020 International Whiskey Competition, “Best in Class” and “Gold” and “Silver Medals” at the 2024 American Distilling Institute’s International Spirits Competition and “Gold” and “Silver Medals” at the 2022, 2023 and 2024 California Craft Spirits Competition. Complimentary entrance to The Underground is granted at the secret side door to visitors who know the password, which is published daily on Instagram Stories @MobMuseum_Underground.
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:
www.Facebook.com/TheUndergroundAtTheMobMuseum
www.Instagram.com/mobmuseum_underground
ABOUT THE MOB MUSEUM
The Mob Museum, the National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, provides a world-class journey through true stories—from the birth of the Mob to today’s headlines. The Mob Museum offers a provocative, contemporary look at these topics through hundreds of artifacts and immersive storylines. Numerous interactive exhibits include a Crime Lab, Firearm Training Simulator and Organized Crime Today exhibit. The Museum is also home to The Underground, a Prohibition history exhibition featuring a speakeasy and distillery. The Mob Museum has accumulated numerous accolades, including being named one of Tripadvisor’s “Top 25 U.S. Museums” and a 2024 “Travelers’ Choice” Award recipient; one of Las Vegas Weekly’s “Twenty Greatest Attractions in Las Vegas History” and “Best Museum” of 2021, 2023 and 2024; Vegas Magazine’s “Best Historical Museum” of 2024; one of National Geographic’s “Top 10 Things to Do in Las Vegas;” USA Today’s “Best Museum in Nevada,” 10Best Readers’ Choice travel awards for “Best Las Vegas Attraction” in 2021 and 2022, “Top Five Best History Museums in the United States” in 2021 and one of its “12 Can’t Miss U.S. Museum Exhibits;” named “A Must for Travelers” by The New York Times and one of “20 Places Every American Should See” by FOX News. The Museum is a two-time winner of the Mayor’s Urban Design Award for Historic Preservation and Adaptive Reuse and is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. The Museum is open daily; visit the website for admission rates and operating hours. For more information, call (702) 229-2734, visit themobmuseum.org, or download the Museum’s free mobile app.
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:
www.Facebook.com/themobmuseum
www.Twitter.com/themobmuseum
www.Instagram.com/themobmuseum