This “Retirement Home” for Neon Signs & Billboards is Pure American Nostalgia

The American Sign Museum, Cincinnati

Ever wonder where old neon signs go to retire? Cincinnati’s American Sign Museum is basically heaven for vintage advertising, packed with glowing signs from the 1800s through today.

From massive movie marquees to retro gas station logos, it’s like walking through a time capsule of American marketing – except everything’s still lit up and buzzing.

America’s Last Surviving Sputnik Sign

Walk around the corner and you might spot something truly rare: one of the last remaining Sputnik-style signs from the “Satellite Shopping Center” chain.

This Space Age beauty has a central sphere with spikes topped with stars, inspired by the 1957 Soviet satellite. It once rotated to mimic orbit and was made between 1959-1963.

The museum rescued it from Compton, California, right before the building was torn down. Fewer than five complete ones still exist.

Watch Real Neon Artists at Work

Next time you visit, stop by Neonworks, where you can see artisans making and fixing neon signs just like they did decades ago. They heat glass tubes to 1,400°F, bend them into shapes, and fill them with neon or argon gas.

Want to try it yourself? Sign up for their monthly weekend classes to make your own small neon piece. This workshop isn’t just for show, it’s actually Cincinnati’s last operating commercial neon sign maker.

Before Signs, the Building Made Parachutes

Look up at those high ceilings when you visit. The museum lives in a 20,000-square-foot building that once made parachutes during World War II.

After the war, it became a clothing factory until it sat empty in the 1990s. They kept many original features during renovation, including old skylights and freight elevators.

The museum picked this spot in Camp Washington because of its 28-foot ceilings and strong floors that can hold signs weighing up to 3,500 pounds.

Main Street Is Really a Movie Set

That charming street of old storefronts you’re walking through? It’s actually used as a filming location for movies and TV shows.

The facades include real pieces from torn-down buildings across Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. Take your time to notice how the vintage streetlights change from day to night every 20 minutes.

As you stroll through, you’ll pass through a century of American retail history, with storefronts arranged from the 1870s all the way to the 1970s.

Burma-Shave Signs Live On Here

The museum keeps more than 30 complete sets of Burma-Shave sequential road signs.

From 1925 to 1963, these clever red signs with white letters lined American highways, selling shaving cream with funny poems. Each set used six small signs placed 100 feet apart.

The museum displays them just like you would have seen them on the road, and even has recorded stories from people who worked for the company.

A Piece of McDonald’s History Hides in Plain Sight

Most people walk right past an original “Speedee” McDonald’s sign without realizing what they’re missing. Take a closer look to catch the clever neon work that makes his face appear to wink.

This 1950s chef character with a hamburger head was the face of McDonald’s before those famous golden arches. The museum found this treasure during the renovation of one of Ray Kroc’s first Midwest franchises.

The Holiday Inn Sign Once Started a Fire

That giant green and yellow Holiday Inn sign has quite a story. When they first tested the prototype, faulty wiring in the arrow caused an electrical fire.

Designer Harold Balton created these 50-foot roadside beacons that helped make Holiday Inn America’s biggest hotel chain in the 1950s.

The museum’s sign is one of only three left that still have all working parts, including the original star on top and the flashing components.

A Classic NYC Sign That Found a New Home

The Clover Delicatessen sign used to hang on Lexington Avenue in Manhattan from 1948 until the deli shut down in 2020. It’s a bold neon clover with bright lettering.

The sign is one of the last examples of classic NYC deli signage. Now it’s part of the American Sign Museum, where it’s helping preserve a slice of New York’s history.

Sign Collectors Gather Here Every Year

Once a year, the museum turns into a marketplace with over 200 sign collectors from around the country who gather to buy, sell, and swap vintage advertising.

These annual “Sign Swaps” have turned up treasures everyone thought were gone, like a 1920s Coca-Cola sign that historians believed was destroyed.

You can join in even if you’re just starting your collection, many people bring photos of signs too big to transport, and deals happen at every price level.

A "Sign Graveyard" Exists Below Your Feet

More than 400 unrestored signs wait in what staff call “the sign graveyard” in the basement. This collection includes delicate paper and cardboard signs from the 1890s.

You’ll find gas-illuminated signs from before electricity was common, and massive pieces too big to display right now.

Researchers and preservationists regularly visit this basement to study sign-making techniques from the past.

Visiting the American Sign Museum

Find it at 1330 Monmouth Avenue, Camp Washington, Cincinnati.

Tickets:

• Adults: $15
• Seniors (65+): $12
• Teens (13–18): $10
• Children under 12: Free with paying adult

You can also join the free guided tours at 11AM and 2PM daily.