The Clark County Heritage Museum covers the golden age in Las Vegas gaming. (Armando Navarro/FOX5)HENDERSON, NV (FOX5) -
The Clark County Museum in Henderson has seen a dramatic increase in visitors, all because of a famous pawn shop that's 19 miles away.
Pawn Stars is the No. 1 show on cable and often features appearances from museum administrator Mark Hall-Patton.
Because of those appearances on the hit cable show, the museum has seen a 73 percent increase in visitors, even though the Gold and Silver Pawn Shop in Downtown Las Vegas is more than 19 miles away.
The pawn shop welcomes thousands of visitors every week, and as an added value the museum is busier than ever. It features exhibits both indoors and outdoors on a 30-acre lot. You can explore prehistoric Nevada all the way up to the booming gambling days.
Hall-Patton said the reason he went on Pawn Stars originally was to, hopefully, shed more of a spotlight on the museum. And it worked.
"They're actually coming in from all over the world and coming to the Clark County Museum," said Hall-Patton.
He said once he gets a visitor there that they often come back.
"We've got 20 restored buildings, we have a ghost town, we've got walking trails, nature areas, a history of the valley in the main building. There's a lot to see," Hall-Patton said.
The museum is located at 1830 South Boulder Hwy. in Henderson. It is open every day from 9 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day.
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