The Gangster Museum of America

The Gangster Museum of America was really fun and interesting. We took my in-laws and it was not what anyone expected. There was no walking yourself through and just looking mindlessly at memorabilia. Your taken through the museum and history is woven for you all along the way. It made the whole experience so much more encompassing and something we will remember.

Since I haven't lived here for a real long time I did not realize the extent of the gangster influence here. Not to mention the gambling, prostitution, corrupt law enforcement and politicians. Hot Springs certainly has a very colorful background and apparently has always been an exciting place! Hot Springs would have been Las Vegas if things had continued. Wow, that's hard to imagine isn't it?

You also get to see a few videos along the way that are just a couple of minutes long. Each one is very interesting and enlighting. They also have some old one armed bandits from one of the casinos, you can give it a try but they are hard, the arms are very heavy. Not like the ones today at all. They also have a roulette table from, I believe, The Southern Club, and a case with some smaller memorabilia. They have several weapons as well. My father-in-law, a retired police officer, particularly enjoyed the Tommy Gun. That's him in the picture below. There is one video of a famous Hot Springs madam and that woman tells it like it is! I bet no one messed with her. At the end you go into a theater and watch a little longer movie and it shows you a bowling alley under Central Ave!

I highly recommend this to anyone visiting Hot Springs. I have seen some dollar off coupns in some tourist books, that makes this an even better deal. The man who did our tour was so kind and took time to talk to us and answer questions from us and everyone. No one hurried us. It was a fun, relaxing good time.

The Gangster Museum of America
113 Central Ave
Hot Springs, Ar. 71901
501-318-1717