Zak Bagans' The Haunted Museum, Las Vegas: What's Inside and What's True

Zak Bagans’ The Haunted Museum fills the Wengert Mansion at 600 East Charleston Boulevard, a short drive from Fremont Street. It opened in October 2017, after its grand opening was postponed out of respect following the mass shooting on the Strip, and it has become one of the most popular paranormal attractions in the country. Visitors walk through more than 30 rooms on a guided tour, sign a waiver before they go in and often come out with stories of their own.

The museum is built around Bagans’ collection of objects said to carry curses or spirits, gathered over years of filming Ghost Adventures. It also tells a story about the house itself, of hauntings and rituals in the basement. This guide covers what you will see, what the records say about the mansion, and how to plan a visit.

History of the Wengert Mansion

Cyril and Lottie Wengert built the house in 1938, when it was among the largest buildings in Las Vegas. Cyril Wengert was a prominent banker and businessman, and the family raised their children in the Tudor Revival mansion, designed by architect H. Clifford Nordstrom with steep gables, a tall chimney and a stone base. It covers about 11,000 square feet and is on the Las Vegas Register of Historic Places.

Lottie Wengert died in 1968, and her son Ward sold the house in 1972. For the next decades it was offices, mostly for law firms. The State Bar of Nevada bought it in 1997 for $1.4 million and made it its headquarters, and in November 2015 the Bar sold it for the same price to Hellfire Media, Bagans’ company.

Bagans, a Las Vegas native and the host of Ghost Adventures since its first documentary in 2004, had long wanted a home for his collection. The museum opened in October 2017 with 30-plus rooms reached through winding halls and hidden passages. It has kept adding exhibits, including a transaxle from James Dean’s Porsche 550 Spyder in 2021, and visitors sometimes run into Bagans himself in the museum or gift shop.

The Haunted Museum's stories, and what is true

The cursed objects

The collection is the reason most people come. It includes the Dybbuk Box, a wine cabinet said to hold a malicious spirit and called the world’s most haunted object; Peggy the Doll; a mirror owned by Bela Lugosi; the Devil’s Rocking Chair from the Connecticut case investigated by the Warrens and known as The Devil Made Me Do It; the original staircase from Indiana’s Demon House, demolished in 2014; and Dr. Jack Kevorkian’s Volkswagen van. There are also items tied to Charles Manson, John Wayne Gacy and Richard Ramirez, and a rebuilt section of Bobby Mackey’s Music World, the Kentucky honky tonk.

The museum leans into these stories with jump scares and graphic images. Whether any object is cursed is a matter of belief; what is certain is that each comes with a well-known story.

The basement rituals

The museum and its tour guides say dark rituals took place in the basement in the 1970s, and that hostile spirits troubled earlier occupants. On Ghost Adventures, Bagans said some believed the Wengert family haunted the house and others said rituals had happened downstairs.

A 2019 investigation by Casino.org traced both claims to one person, who said she had sneaked into the empty basement as a teenager and seen a pentagram drawn in blood. Casino.org found no pre-2015 newspaper story, city record or urban legend guide calling it a witch house, and county records showed it was rarely empty: law firms and the State Bar used it for decades. The Wengert family told the Boulder City Review in 2019 that the haunting stories were a rumor that had gone too far. Atlas Obscura’s entry also says the house was never used for rituals.

The Wengert family

Another story says a Wengert child died in the house. Cyril Wengert’s son Jimmie did die young, but in a hospital in 1930, eight years before the mansion was built. The family has said they knew of nothing paranormal in their old home.

Where to look

• The Dybbuk Box room: the most famous object in the collection.
• The Demon House staircase: brought from Indiana before the house was demolished in 2014.
• Peggy the Doll: one of the best-known objects from Ghost Adventures.
• The basement: seen on the late flashlight tour and the RIP All Access upgrade.
• The Kevorkian van: which visitors can look into.

Visiting The Haunted Museum

Entry is by guided tour only, in groups of up to 12, and tours take about two hours. The museum is open 10 AM to 8 PM every day except Tuesday. General admission starts at $54, and the RIP All Access ticket, about $88, adds a T-shirt, a lanyard and access to areas that are otherwise off-limits. Locals, seniors and military get a discount with ID.

There is also a Late Night Flashlight Ghost Tour of about 90 minutes, in the dark, that includes the basement. Check the official site for the current price, as it varies by night.

Everyone must sign a waiver, and the museum now admits ages 12 and up with proof of age (older listings say 16). Some exhibits are restricted for guests under 18. Large bags, food and drink are not allowed, though there is a bag check, and the museum is free of drugs, alcohol and firearms. Expect jump scares and graphic images.

• Visiting Guided tours only, about two hours, groups of up to 12; everyone signs a waiver and needs proof of age
• Tours The Haunted Museum tour and a Late Night Flashlight Ghost Tour that includes the basement
• Hours and season 10 AM to 8 PM Wednesday to Monday; closed Tuesdays
• Tickets From $54 general admission; $88 RIP All Access
• Ghost hunting No private investigations; the guided tours are the way in. Ages 12 and up only

Tips for your visit

• Book ahead for weekends and October, when tours sell out.
• Take the flashlight tour if you want the basement.
• Bring ID for everyone in your group, including teens.
• Leave big bags in the car or use the bag check.
• Combine it with Fremont Street, the El Cortez and the Old Mormon Fort, all a short drive away.
• Read up on the Wengert family first: the real history makes the tour more interesting.

More haunted places nearby

• El Cortez Hotel and Casino: Downtown’s oldest casino hotel and its ghosts
• Westgate Las Vegas: Where Elvis is said to linger
• Flamingo Las Vegas: Bugsy Siegel’s hotel on the Strip
• Haunted places in Las Vegas: Every haunted place in the valley, mapped
• Haunted places in Nevada
• Haunted places in Las Vegas

Sources

Facts on this page are checked against the official website, historic records and news coverage. Ghost stories are reported as staff, visitors and investigators tell them, and we say where records contradict a story.

• Zak Bagans' The Haunted Museum: official site
• The Haunted Museum: quick details
• Casino.org: Vegas myths busted, the Haunted Museum's mansion
• Clio: Zak Bagans' The Haunted Museum
• KTNV: Zak Bagans says his museum will help preserve Las Vegas history (2017)
• Atlas Obscura: Zak Bagans Haunted Museum
• Wikipedia: Zak Bagans