American Sign Museum

Name: American Sign Museum
Address: 1330 Monmouth Avenue, OH, Cincinnati, Cincinnati, US
Telephone: 5135416366

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Museums ·Cincinnati ·Closed

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#2Museums in CincinnatiTravelers' Choice 2026

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About

American Sign Museum in Cincinnati’s Camp Washington neighbourhood preserves and displays American signs spanning more than 100 years.

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American Sign Museum — A large metal star surrounded by colorful vintage signs

American Sign Museum — A glowing car shaped sign among the museum’s neon exhibits

American Sign Museum — A close view of the museum’s green Go sign

American Sign Museum — A tall Cross Hardware sign displayed inside the museum

American Sign Museum — A close view of a red neon restaurant sign

American Sign Museum — The museum’s brick facade with large Cincinnati Sign Garden letters

American Sign Museum — The long brick museum building viewed across the street

American Sign Museum — A vintage Holiday Inn sign displayed in the museum’s outdoor area

American Sign Museum — The Holiday Inn sign standing beside the museum building

American Sign Museum — A tall vintage drugstore sign displayed outside the museum

What's on here

Sign Crafting Saturday Saturday, 13:00

Why go

Explore Signville, a recreated streetscape among about 500 signs and artifacts.
Watch Neonworks of Cincinnati demonstrate neon sign restoration.
See a single-arch McDonald’s sign from 1963 featuring Speedee, later replaced by Ronald McDonald.
Look above the entrance for a 20-foot fiberglass genie originally from a Los Angeles carpet company.

Opening hours

TodayClosedShow all

MondayClosed

TuesdayClosed

Wednesday10:00 – 16:00

Thursday10:00 – 16:00

Friday10:00 – 16:00

Saturday10:00 – 16:00

Sunday10:00 – 16:00

Don't miss

Rotating neon windmillA rotating neon windmill in the collection.
Sputnik-like plastic orbA plastic orb in the collection.
Gold leaf lettering on glassGold leaf lettering on glass.
Frisch’s Big Boy statueA fiberglass statue with a slingshot.
Johnny’s Big Red Grill neon signOnce popular with Cornell University students; added to the collection in 2009.

Know before you go What's inside With kids Tips for your visit

Know before you go

Open Wednesday–Sunday, 10:00–16:00.
The section housing Freaks & Sideshows is closed for deinstallation and is due to reopen October 14; the rest of the museum remains open.

What's inside

Las Vegas showcards.
Signs from Big Bear Stores, Howard Johnson’s and Earl Scheib.
Equipment used to design and manufacture signs.

With kids

The 90-minute Communicating with Signs program for school groups in grades K–6 includes making personal signs.
School groups in grades 7–10 explore community identity, market research and business ideas along the museum’s Main Street.
The 90-minute Marketing & Branding program for grades 7–12 explores brand identity and has students develop a marketing plan.
Girl Scout Brownie and Junior troops can take 90-minute programs combining a museum tour with a creative activity tied to badge steps.
Financial literacy programs use collection signs and a Main Street shopping exercise to teach children about money and spending.

Tips for your visit

Buy tickets through the museum’s website.
For visit enquiries, call 513-541-6366.

Interesting facts3

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3,800 items
More than 3,800 items are cataloged.
American Sign Museum - Wikipedia
The collection covers signmaking from the late nineteenth century through the 1970s.
American Sign Museum - Wikipedia
The museum occupies part of the Oesterlein Machine Company-Fashion Frocks, Inc. Complex, a National Register historic building.
American Sign Museum - Wikipedia

Shorts

History

1906The Swormstedt family’s trade journal Signs of the Times began publication.
1911H.C. Menefee, Tod Swormstedt’s grandfather, bought Signs of the Times after serving as its first editor.
1999After more than 20 years at the family journal, Tod Swormstedt began work on the museum. He chose Cincinnati, where the journal was based, after considering other cities.
2005The museum opened to the public as a nonprofit, supported by a $1 million family contribution and donations from sign industry figures.
2007The museum began acquiring a 42,000-square-foot property in Camp Washington to accommodate larger signs that did not fit its first exhibit space.

Show all

June 2012The museum opened at its current location.

How to get there

On foot1330 Monmouth Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio.

Sources: American Sign Museum - Wikipedia · American Sign Museum - American Sign Museum · Membership - American Sign Museum · American Sign Museum - American Sign Museum · American Sign Museum: tickets (its own site) · School & Youth Programming - American Sign Muse… · checked 7 Oct 2026

Where

1330 Monmouth Avenue, OH, Cincinnati

Website: americansignmuseum.org/
Phone: 5135416366

Plan from here: A day out →

Questions and answers

Do members receive shop discounts?

Yes. Members receive discounted gift shop prices.

Does membership include reciprocal museum membership?

Yes. It includes National Association of Reciprocal Museums membership.

Do members receive event-rental discounts?

Yes. Members receive discounted event rentals.

Do I need a smartphone for my membership card?

No. Each member receives a physical membership card by mail.

Do school programs cover money and spending?

Yes. Financial literacy programs use collection signs and a Main Street shopping exercise.

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