Zak Bagans' The Haunted Museum — Attraction in Las Vegas

While I thoroughly enjoyed the ~2 hours we spent in the museum, the beginning was rocky.

We made reservations for a specific time and showed up when we were told to. First you check in at an outside gate to fill out your waivers. Then they move you to a semi-shaded alleyway with bench seating and we waited 20-30 minutes (we were at the front of this line). While you’re here there are tvs BLASTING little interviews about different rooms, which made it hard to talk while we waited. There were some water misters above the seats but in 100 degree weather they really didn’t do much.

Then they moved us (a group of 5) and 8 other people to an outdoor courtyard that had some shade + water misters if you stood up, or two tables with umbrellas where we waited for another 15-20 minutes. There is a single track of spooky music that loops the entire time. No wonder they say employees report being irritable after being “around dark energies.”

Then they moved us inside! Which is where the box office is. You’d think after checking in outdoors and filling out the waivers you wouldn’t have to go in and verify your tickets again BUT this is where they do a hard sell on the RIP experience upgrade. Even after we said no thanks the girl there said she was “required” to give us the whole upselling schpiel. It’s just one small room for the entire group, so we had to listen to it every time a group said “no”. (Two pairs in the group had pre-registered for the RIP.) They realllyyyyy emphasize that if you don’t upgrade you’re still going to have to stand around and wait throughout the tour when the RIPs get to see their special rooms. The waiting wasn’t nearly as bad as they made it sound because there are plenty of things to look at (I’ll get back to that point later).

Anyway, so you all get checked in. This is your only opportunity to use the bathrooms unless you request for your tour guide to call in another guide to escort you back to this area. It’s also the only place you’re allowed to take pictures once inside. You’ll probably spend another 10-20 minutes in this room. My friend had plenty of time to go back to the front area to buy a water bottle, but there are also water fountains. You can’t bring water in with you past the box office, but there is one exhibit with a water cooler about 1/3 of the way through the tour. I feel like they should have a second water checkpoint because it’s Vegas and everybody is dehydrated, especially after they make you wait outside for 30-45+ minutes. As a few other reviews have mentioned, it’s really not surprising that people pass out during the tour.

The tour itself was pretty fun. It is fast-paced though. There’s really no time to linger or look at things because they play videos in most of the rooms and you want to watch those but then you’re shuffled to the next area. They definitely make the groups too big and should keep them limited to 5-6 people instead of 10+. The rooms just aren’t big enough. I don’t get the point of timed slots if they still make you wait forever AND overcrowd the tours. Cut the number of people in half and figure out the right amount of time between each group.

We ran into a lot of groups. Since it’s in a historic house, it’s doesn’t have the flexibility for traffic patterns like a normal museum. This isn’t a huge deal, but it can pull you out of the moment and explains why they’re rushing everybody from room to room.

Still, I want to go back. Specifically to do the late-night flashlight tour ($200). It’s self-guided so you don’t waste your time watching all the videos and can linger where you want. It also includes all the RIP areas. They limit the total number of people allowed in the ENTIRE PLACE to 20 every 90 minutes so that eliminates crowding. (I do wonder if 90 minutes is long enough, but I don’t know how strictly this is enforced.)

Take the guided tour 1st to get the context/history about the main exhibits. There are a few plaques, but you get most of the information from the tour guide or videos that probably don’t play during the...

A Powerful, Unforgettable, and Spiritually Intense Experience

Zak Bagans’ Haunted Museum is one of the most memorable and intense attractions I’ve ever visited both in what you see and what you feel. This isn’t a gimmicky haunted house. It’s a deeply immersive walk through real objects with real histories, many of which carry serious emotional and spiritual weight. If you’re spiritually sensitive or grounded in faith, I recommend reading this full review before visiting.

The Pros: The museum is incredibly atmospheric and well curated. It truly feels like stepping into another realm. The guides are passionate and knowledgeable, and the collection is massive, everything from haunted dolls and cursed objects to rare celebrity memorabilia and true crime items. If you’re into the paranormal, occult history, or strange phenomena, this place is a vault of eerie, unforgettable encounters.

What I Wish I Had Known: There are a few satanic artifacts in the museum, and I personally didn’t like being near them. I wish they’d been grouped into a single skippable room for those who don’t want to interact with that kind of energy. If that’s you, be aware that you may briefly pass by them even if you skip certain rooms.

My Personal Experiences: In the serial killer room, I became instantly and overwhelmingly nauseated like I had the flu. I had to leave, and the moment I did, I felt fine again. In the ballroom, my husband and I saw shadow figures moving in the mirror behind us confirmed, no one was there. In the Bela Lugosi mirror room, I watched my husband’s face distort, and seconds later, the guide mentioned it’s a common occurrence. I saw a bright orb exit the Dybbuk Box room, even though I never stepped inside. Several times, I felt something gripping my shoulder and neck in an achy, cramping way.

The “Ghost Smell” That Followed Me: I noticed the scent from the museum almost immediately sweet, foggy, and woodsy, like a mix of antique velvet, incense, embalming fluid, and fog juice. I now call it a “ghost smell,” because the whole museum reeks of it and naturally, so did I. That part didn’t surprise me.

What did was what happened after I got back to the hotel. I had showered and changed, but when I opened my suitcase, a sealed, untouched pair of pajamas also smelled like that exact scent. They hadn’t even been in the same room. I tried everything: shaking them out, comparing other clothes, even checking the suitcase lining. Nothing worked. Finally, I said a prayer over my belongings and the scent vanished instantly. Maybe it was air particles… or maybe not. What I know is, the moment I prayed, it disappeared. That was one of the most surreal parts of the experience.

Why You Should Take This Seriously: I rarely share this and usually keep it private, but after today, I feel compelled to speak up. I have abilities I can see spirits and sense them. This is my resume. So when I say some things in that museum are more than just stories, believe me. I know what I’m talking about. If you’re sensitive like me, prepare yourself. If you’re not, protect yourself anyway. What’s in there doesn’t care if you believe in it or not.

Spiritual Note: I wore my cross that day, and I’m very glad I did. Whether you’re religious or not, I strongly recommend spiritual protection. When I left, I said a prayer to make sure nothing followed me. If that resonates with you, here’s the one I used:

“In the name of Jesus Christ, I command that nothing from this place may follow me, attach to me, or use my energy. You may not travel with me. You must remain here. I seal this in Jesus Christ’s name. Amen.”

Final Warning: Please understand this is not a joke. There are truly evil things in this museum, and they’re not to be taken lightly. These are not props. There can be real spiritual consequences if you don’t protect yourself. Spiritually prepare before entering, and cleanse or pray afterward. Don’t underestimate what you’re...

This feels more like an oddity museum than anything. The amount of lights flashing, smoke effects, and loud ambiance playing makes it impossible to really see or hear anything paranormal, unfortunately. Not only that, but you're not allowed to take photos (which I understand because it keeps it a mystery ). Either way, you won't catch anything on camera. They keep it fairly dark, but they have different stage lights in some parts of different colors as well. There's also very, very heavy incense smoke throughout the whole thing. THERE IS NO WHERE TO SIT throughout the entire 2 hour tour, which is less like a tour and more like you're guided into each room and then left alone to watch a video produced by Zak Bagans. He seems very control freak about the entire thing because even when the videos aren't working, he has a script he makes the guides read word for word. The guides were great! I won't bash on them, but it just makes the whole thing seem inauthentic. I would recommend coming with an entire group of your own people if possible because the pathways and exhibits are very small and are line based, so you queue up to walk through the exhibit but you don't actually have the time to stop and really look at anything because you're pressured by the people behind you to keep moving so they can see too. If you at least are in a group of people you know, you can look at things a little longer.

Now I will say I do believe the place is haunted. It's just that the whole production of it makes it incredibly hard to see it for yourself. You won't hear anything because of the dang ambience track playing loudly, you likely won't see anything because it's set up like a haunted house attraction with all the lights dimmed and random flashing lights, and by the end of it you'll be so focused on how bad your feet hurt that you'll just want to get out of there.

Making people stand in small rooms for extended periods of time with no seating throughout the whole thing to take a break is just setting them up for failure. I understand that in a lot of the exhibits, there's not a lot of room for seating, but I definitely saw a few places they could put a bench or two.

RIP Access was cool but not worth all the hype, in my opinion. It wasn't anything really extra beyond letting you go down to the basement and getting a shirt & lanyard. The rest of the RIP only things were just cheesy gimmicks like crawling through a tunnel. Like woopty doo you made me crawl through a claustrophobia inducing tunnel into a room that everyone else was going to anyways.

The gift shop was way over priced and everything had Zak Bagans face on it 🙄 The RIP shirts go up to size 4x but they fit small my 3x was more like a 1x so keep that in mind if you're a bigger person doing RIP access. I'm going to frame mine or hang it up.

All in all, I think it was definitely a cool experience, but I would have liked more opportunities to interact with the spirits like spirit box or other forms. You really only get 3 chances, 1 with the teddy bear in the carriage, 1 with Peggy, and 1 in the basement, and like I said you are essentially rushed through the whole thing so you don't get a chance to catch anything.

It was definitely cool as an oddity museum, there was a lot of history there, and the experience was great ( besides my feet killing me by the end.) All of the tour guides were wonderful, you can tell everyone there loves their job. They had their own stories, which was cool listening to their experiences in the house. Again, I do believe there's activity there, but you likely won't experience it. I got tugged, and that was it. No one else had anything happen. I'm sure stuff does happen every now and then, but with all the special effects you...