American Sign Museum

As soon as I walked in here, I was blown away by all the lights. After visiting this incredibly unique museum, I wanted to hop in the car and see the lights on the Vegas strip.

The American Sign Museum was a stop we made on our trip to Cincinnati. It was our third attempt to see this museum. Life had gotten in the way and prevented us from going. Finally, we had made it, and I was thoroughly impressed.

When I am researching a place, I look at the location’s website, see pictures others have posted, and even read the reviews. I have a good idea what I will be walking into when we get there. My wife has it lucky; she has no clue what a place is or what to expect. She finds almost everywhere to be an amazing surprise. It is very rare for me to experience the amazement she feels.

Although I knew what to expect, I also knew we would see signs in various styles. Some of them would be familiar and even harken back to our childhood days. Others will be ones we have never witnessed before. I had figured we would see a few things that would grab our attention, but I did not realize that seeing it all would give me the “wow” that my wife experiences. I quickly realized that the pictures on the internet, and even the ones I took, couldn’t capture the emotion of wonder we felt as we walked through the exhibits.

At first, we walked in and saw a museum-quality display of fonts, metals, and sign styles. An interesting display that many people walked by. I tried to read everything about it, but I saw something that caught my eye and missed the entrance display.

That was the problem with this place.

“Problem” is a poor choice of words.

The museum was perfectly laid out. The entrance was an introduction, and as I tried to read it, another display caught my attention. Then there would be something around the corner that I wanted to see, and it would forever draw me deeper into the museum.

Then we entered Main Street—the centrepiece of this location.

Here is the most extensive collection of bright, flashy, large, and wondrous signs. Yes, it was all very commercial, but we live in a commercial world where things are designed to grab our attention and on this Main Street inside the American Sign Museum, our attention was surely grabbed. There were about 100 years of signage on display. Ranging from the earliest candle-lit displays, to the first electric ones, to the oversized, roadside signs that would draw travellers into a location. All of these were crowded in one area, and we walked through it, barely blinking, fixated by the flashing lights and the uniqueness of what we saw.

Other museums we have visited do display past signage. Usually, it is a few artifacts, but at the American Sign Museum, this was the entire purpose. Quoting their website:

The American Sign Museum promotes sign preservation and restoration by displaying nearly 100 years of signage. We preserve and protect American history and pay homage to the artistry and craftsmanship of days gone by. The collection explores an often overlooked part of our culture that hides in plain sight as part of our daily lives.

It is true: we so often take things for granted that we miss the skill and craftsmanship around us. How many times have we ignored something because we have seen it over and over? The American Sign Museum helped elevate the forgotten into museum-quality art pieces.

Simply looking at someone else’s pictures will not capture the awe. Being inside, surrounded, amazed, is the only way to experience this place. And because of this place, I know where our next summer trip will be: VEGAS!