Gangster Museum of America — Attraction in Hot Springs

There is some low-level Gangster stuff going on in this museum. The museum is supposed to be open until 8 pm. We walked in on Tuesday evening and were told that there was a private group coming in and there wouldn't be another available tour until the following day at 10:30. We asked if they offer a veteran or senior discount and we were told, "No." He didn't offer to sell us a ticket for the following day. Instead, he said we should arrive at 10, to make sure we are in the first group.

We arrived at 10. We were met by a different clerk at the desk. She asked if we were seniors or veterans (we are both) and gave us a discount on the tickets.

The person who led our tour was the same person who told us they don't offer ticket discounts...and he had a female who appeared to be in training. They took turns introducing the gallery we were in.

The tour guide is dressed like a gangster, fedora and all. Basically, the tour takes you through several different galleries. The guide gives a brief introduction, and then steps out of the room while a video is played. There are artifacts in each room, but very little is said about them. You have to look at them while the video is playing, otherwise forget about it. When the video is over, the guide(s) are back leading you to the next gallery.

The tour itself was interesting, but honestly the museum could be re-tooled with QR codes and pre-recorded information so that it is more of a self-guided tour. The gangster staff can then be on hand more like docents to answer questions.

Also, this was one of the first museums I have ever been to that didn't stress purchasing items from the gift shop or ask for donations.

The $16 entrance fee is a little steep for what...

Definitely worth it. Go! That being said... Giving this museum four stars is not based on the contents of the museum. We enjoyed our tour guide. He was very knowledgeable about the gangster/ baseball history as it relates to Hot Springs. My 4 stars is because there is no self guided tours. My husband is a big baseball fan. He's also hearing impaired and wears hearing aids. Although he said he enjoyed the tour, 1. I seriously doubt he heard any of it and 2. The tour guide moved us from room to room so quickly there was no time to get a closer look at the content and read the information the museum thoughtfully included to explain what you were looking at. I tried to take as many pictures as I couldn't of the stuff I thought would most interest him. The tour guide was so kind to tell me to feel free and wander around and take as many pictures as I wanted while he talked. I was concerned that would be a huge distraction to the other patrons since there's literally pictures on every wall. Nevertheless, I certainly appreciated his offer. I don't lay blame on the tour guide for us feeling rushed. Our tour took about 45 minutes longer than anticipated because he was trying to be thorough and still, that allowed us little to no time to explore each room. I do not know what the solution is. Having a guide was great because of the stories and we did get a quick summary of history. But, wandering would give more opportunity to appreciate the work they put into collecting and displaying the historic memorabilia. We enjoyed it as much as time allowed. I was able to fall behind the tour and get some pictures. I missed a lot of the tour guides presentation but it was worth it. The collection is amazing. Enjoy...

We visited the Gangster Museum of America on a weekday in June, 2023. We took an afternoon tour. They did have discounts if you were a veteran or senior. So that could save you some money. The tour begins with you entering through a door that looks like a bank vault door. You then go through a series of rooms that have a theme pertaining to Hot Springs history and how Gangsters have connections to the town. You have a narrator who tells you a short story. Then you watch an accompanying short video. After the video and more possible narration, you are asked if you have questions or want more time to take pictures. They do allot you time as our tour was delayed because of folks taking pictures. The problem is that it seemed like everyone was in a rush to get through it. So you felt pressured to move on and not delay the flow. At least it seemed that way to us. I tried to take pictures upon entering or leaving rooms. Our narrator was quite good at what he does. It probably would have been better if he just narrated the whole thing. Maybe use the video or pictures for effect. But he did a good job. The museum itself, seemed a little high priced for what it was. To us, it did not seem all that much like a museum. Yes it had some items. But they seemed more like props for the show, rather than museum pieces. Yes we enjoyed the show. But we felt it was over priced and really wasn't really what we would consider a museum. To us, it was more of a tourist exhibit consisting of basically, a show using props for visual effect. I think it was worth the time. But as I said, I think it's...