For day 11 (October 9, 2018), we visited the Museum of Neon Art (MONA). This is the only museum that features electric, kinetic, and neon art.
Contents
Hours
The museum is open 5 days a week and is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. We went after work around 6PM and it wasn’t crowded at all.
Wednesday to Saturday 12PM-7PM
Sunday 12PM-5PM
Address/Directions
Address: 216 S Brand Blvd, Glendale, CA 91204
Admission
General Admission is $10 per person. Children 12 and under get free admission and Seniors (65+) have an $8 admission fee. MONA members have free admission to the museum in case you want to become a member.
Parking
There is street parking all around Glendale but you may have to pay the meter depending what time you visit. There are also parking lots located nearby the Americana. We parked in an open lot behind Shake Shack.
The Museum of Neon Art
Just like the name suggests, the first thing that you will see is a neon sign in the front saying where you are – The Museum of Neon Art. There is also another big neon sign at the top of the building of a swimmer. Since we went before the sun set, the signs weren’t lit up yet. You should try to go when its darker out so you can see the bright lights.
When you walk in, you are basically in their gift shop. The admission desk is also located here and you will need to pay before you can see the rest of the art.
There are some informational signs that you can read as you walk in if you want to learn more about neon art.
Some of the areas look like something from a movie like this electric lab –
Everything is in one big room so there won’t be much walking involved. We initially walked in a counter clockwise rotation but one of the personnel advised us that it did not matter what way to start.
The majority of the art pieces are interactive – there is a red button that you can press and the art will come alive.
The piece below would light up red like when we pressed a button.
Other things would move like this insect –
This was a neon art piece in the middle of the room yelling at you that all his patients die..
Towards the back end of the room, there is a small hallway and if you walk down it, you will find this plasma room. You’re not allowed to touch these though. The plasma room really reminded me of a science fiction movie.
Places Nearby
If this is your first time in Glendale and you have some time to spare, there are a lot of other things that you can do here too. There is a popular mall just down the street called Americana at Brand if you want to do some shopping (it is similar to The Grove if you’ve been there). Some food places that we like near here include Shake Shack, Bourbon Steak, and Cauldron Ice Cream.
I thought that the Museum of Neon Art was a nice, quick activity to do. The $10 admission might be a bit steep but at least there was no line and no crowd. I generally like neon lights so I thought the whole arrangement was fascinating and appealing to the eyes. This was definitely worth visiting for the first time. Their art rotates like any other museum.
