The Mob Museum opened on Valentine’s Day of 2012, and many people in Las Vegas were skeptical of the idea.
But visitors seem to be coming in droves.
In 2013, roughly 220,000 people visited the Mob Museum. In 2014, that went up to 270,000. And it’s going to break 300,000 for 2015.
Executive director Jonathan Ullman told KNPR's State of Nevada that most visitors to the museum, 85 percent, are from outside Las Vegas; however, that doesn't mean they don't need the locals. He said 35 percent of museum visitors had heard about the museum from family or friends.
"Some folks are attracted to the Las Vegas story," Ullman said. "They've heard about how Las Vegas came to be and they very much want to understand the history of this city."
Other people want to understand the history behind what they already know about the mob and the influence it may have had in their own home towns.
It's not all history. The museum works to stay current and recently opened an exhibit about the FIFA scandal.
Jonathan Ullman, executive director and CEO
