Silver State National Peace Officers Museum (Closed)

Virginia City, Nevada

"More than you could ever imagine." The lifetime collection of the late Walter Gist, a one-time California police chief, displayed inside the 1876 Storey County Jail. Gist wanted to preserve the entire history of American law enforcement, not just the Wild West, so the museum includes 1930s Chicago gangster memorabilia such as a death mask of John Dillinger. Thousands of badges, hats, guns, whistles, and handcuffs are displayed, as well as a billy club that fires tear gas. The strap iron doors, steel lined rock walls, and stone floors of the old jail provide an appropriate crime-does-not pay vibe, and you can pose for photos inside one of the cells.