The American Sign Museum: A Flashy Trip Down Memory Lane

Looking for something unique to do in Cincinnati? The American Sign Museum marries art, history, and pop culture to create an homage to the colorful world of American signage in one of the most unique Cincinnati museums.

Have You Visited the American Sign Museum?

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The American Sign Museum, located in Cincinnati’s Camp Washington neighborhood, is the largest public museum dedicated to signs in the United States. Inside, you’ll find an assortment of colorful signs ranging from metal and tin to electric and neon. Each sign in the museum is a chapter in American Sign history. They’ve been plucked from their original locations and brought here for posterity.

Visiting the American Sign Museum is like taking a neon-lit time machine ride through the past century and beyond. With each step you take through this glowing tribute to the vibrant world of American signage, you walk further back in time to a bygone era that pre-dates the digital age. You’ll encounter everything from the earliest painted wooden signs to the flashy and vibrant neon signs that became a staple of American nightlife. They come with their own taste of yesteryears’ marketing – some cheeky, others charming.

In the heart of the museum, you’ll find the bright neon signs – the rebellious teenagers of the sign family. Born in the 1920s, these signs transformed the American nightscape with radiant hues. The star of the show is the single-arch 1963 McDonald’s sign featuring Speedee, the burger chain’s original mascot. Weighing two tons, this iconic historic sign is the heaviest on display in the museum.

Explore further, and you’ll discover an impressive collection of signs that speak volumes about American culture and lifestyle. Often overshadowed by their neon counterparts, these business signs shine in their own light here. They range from giant metal signs that once presided over gas stations to the tin signs that adorned shop windows and the walls of local grocery stores.

Visiting the American Sign Museum is nothing short of a joyride through sign history. It’s an artistic wonderland and a 3D history lesson rolled into one. Whether you’re a history buff, a pop-culture enthusiast, or someone who just enjoys cool signs, the American Sign Museum is bound to light up your imagination.

10 Fun Facts About the American Sign Museum

American Sign Museum founder Tod Swormstedt is the former editor and publisher of Signs of the Times, a sign industry trade journal that his family has owned since 1906.
The American Sign Museum is the only museum in the country that covers all types of signs — wood, metal, gold leaf, porcelain enamel, gas, light bulb, neon, and plastic.
The American Sign Museum started in 2005 in a Cincinnati artist’s co-op space, and its current location is a former parachute factory. It covers over 100 years of sign history in 20,000 square feet of indoor space.
The Sputnik-looking electric sign on display at the American Sign Museum was built by the owner of the Satellite Shopping, a strip mall in Anaheim.
The tallest sign in the museum is a 20-foot-tall fiberglass genie from a Los Angeles carpet company.
The museum’s electric bill is about $45,000 per year.
One of the brides on TLC’s “Say Yes to the Dress” used the American Sign Museum as a wedding venue. Whether you want to say “I do” or celebrate another occasion, here’s how to book the American Sign Museum as an event venue.
The slingshot in the fiberglass Big Boy on display dates the piece back to the 1960s before the company removed the “weapon.”
The single-arch 1963 McDonald’s sign, featuring Speedee before he was replaced with Ronald McDonald, is the heaviest in the museum, weighing two tons.
In addition to being a museum, the American Sign Museum also houses a neon shop where experts make and restore neon signs.

To Visit the American Sign Museum

Here’s all the practical information you need to visit the American Sign Museum.

Where is the American Sign Museum?

The American Sign Museum is located in Cincinnati’s Camp Washington neighborhood at 1330 Monmouth Ave.

How much does it cost to visit the American Sign Museum?

Adult admission to the American Sign Museum is currently $15. Discounts are offered to seniors, youth, military, and first responders. Get additional information about museum hours, guided tours, and more at the American Sign Museum website.

How big is the American Sign Museum?

The American Sign Museum is housed in a 20,000-square-foot former parachute factory.

How long does it take to visit the American Sign Museum?

Allow about two hours to visit the American Sign Museum: one hour for the guided tour and another hour to look around.

When did the American Sign Museum Open?

The museum opened to the public in 2005.

Have You Visited the American Sign Museum?

What was your favorite part of the American Sign Museum? Any additional tips and tricks to pass along? Share your experiences in the comments section below.

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The American Sign Museum: A Flashy Trip Down Memory Lane

Have You Visited the American Sign Museum?

10 Fun Facts About the American Sign Museum