Las Vegas, Nevada grew into a gambling mecca thanks in no small part to organized crime.
You can learn all about the city’s mob history at the downtown Las Vegas Mob Museum, also known as the National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement.
Located in the city’s former U.S. Post Office and Courthouse, the Mob Museum has a wide range of exhibits, major crime-related artifacts, a speakeasy and a distillery.
The store is located by Gate D50 and has plenty of Mob Museum merch as well as some displays about organized crime history in Las Vegas.
The Stuck at the Airport museum team is planning to visit the LAS airport mini-Mob Museum soon.
The Mob Museum Store is now open at LAS! Find Mob Museum merch and a few small displays exploring Las Vegas’ organized crime history. Located near the D Gates by Gate D50. For the full experience, visit the Mob Museum in downtown Las Vegas. pic.twitter.com/EQ974t0ym9
— Harry Reid International Airport (@LASairport) January 15, 2026
Christmas came early for some lucky folks at San Antonio International Airport (SAT) who were invited to visit a giant suitcase vending machine filled with free gifts such as tortilla blankets and concha slippers from H-E-B grocers.
We unpacked some holiday magic with @HEB and surprised airport visitors with a giant suitcase vending machine of free gifts! 🤩🎁 Travelers could choose from fun items like concha slippers and tortilla blankets, so they could bring a “Taste of Texas" to their destination. 🧳✨ pic.twitter.com/XkoFT8d2NY
Not all airports have giant suitcase vending machines filled with free stuff.
But if you’re traveling for the holidays and still need to buy some great gifts, keep in mind that at most airports, the shops open very early and stay open very late.
Many airports have free gift wrapping stations too.
PROCRASTINATORS, LISTEN UP!!! 🗣️ If you've *still* got holiday shopping to do, you can find plenty of great gifts for everyone on your list at TPA. Plus, the Shoppes at Bayshore is open 24/7/365, even on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. 🎁
`The completion of the Concourse D extension at Nashville International Airport (BNA) adds eight new dining, shopping and live music venues to an airport already teeming with great options for passengers and for non-ticketed guests who get a guest pass via the BNA PASSport program.
New Heights Cantina & Taqueria (pictured above) offers award-winning local New Heights beer, a Taco Truck for orders on the go and a space for live music.
The other new additions include 3rd & Broadway (local and regionally made gifts), Sandella’s Flatbreads, The Castle ( “where soccer and great food collide”), Daniel Diamond (rhinestone products, fringe jackets, etc), Martini (bites, brews, beers, cocktails and coffee) and several others.
But the shop closed in July 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. And in a tweet announcing its departure, Powell’s said, “We hope to return one day.”
It is with heavy hearts that we announce the closure of both the store and kiosk at the Portland International Airport. Thank you for all of your support over these past 30 years. We hope to return one day. pic.twitter.com/tw8ryTRlxX
As part of the expansion and makeover of the main terminal at PDX, Powell’s Book is returning to the airport.
And they’ve got a seven-year lease.
“Since the day we closed our airport store almost four years ago, the most common question from shoppers has been ‘Will Powell’s be returning to PDX?’ Now with the main terminal expansion, we are thrilled to serve travelers through our world-renowned airport,” said Powell’s Books CEO Patrick Bassett.
Powell’s Books will open a temporary kiosk shop when the new main terminal opens at PDX this summer. The bookstore will open a larger, 1,940-square-foot retail space in Phase 2 of the main terminal construction.
The new store – Powell’s fourth Portland retail location – will be in the South Hall of the airport, immediately after the Concourse B/C security checkpoint. The temporary kiosk will be directly in front of where the permanent retail shop will eventually open.
The Stuck at the Airport team is visiting Kalispell, Montana this week. And we’re spending time at Glacier Park International Airport (FCA), which proudly bills itself as the Gateway to Northwestern Montana, Glacier National Park, and the Rocky Mountains.
One of the things we’ve learned is that Montana is bear country. And visitors spending time outdoors here are strongly encouraged to carry EPA-approved bear spray. And to learn how to use it.
But what about traveling with bear spray?
According to the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) “What Can I Bring?” tool, “one 4 fl. oz. (118 ml) container of mace or pepper spray is permitted in checked baggage provided it is equipped with a safety mechanism to prevent accidental discharge.”
But TSA takes a stronger position on bear spray. It is not allowed in either carry-on or checked bags.
Glacier Park International Airport knows that many passengers forget that they have bear spray in their bags. And that many travelers don’t know about the ‘no bear spray on airplanes’ rule.
So in an effort to keep checkpoint lines from getting bogged down with TSA officers opening bags to remove packed bear spray, a bear spray amnesty box is provided.
“Good News! There are no bears in the air,” is the message greeting travelers at the airport security checkpoint. The box has a picture of a bear next to a pile of suitcases and informs travelers that “Animal repellent is not allowed in checked or carry-on baggage. For safety reasons, please leave your bear spray here.”
What If You Need Bear Spray?
Passengers who land at Glacier Park International Airport in need of bear spray for their local adventures will find bear spray available for rent at the Glacier Outfitters shop in the baggage claim area.
It’s an unusual, but very appropriate local service to offer at an airport. So we are declaring bear spray rental at Glacier Park International Airport the “Amenity Airport of the Week.”
We take a break today from sharing the latest details on the Southwest Airlines debacle to celebrate the Airport Amenity of the Week.
Free coat check at Wisconsin’s Appleton International Airport (ATW) isn’t brand new. But we just learned about it. And want to celebrate it as a great amenity that we hope other airports might adopt.
Knowing that traveling in the Midwest can be tough in the winter, Appleton International Airport offers free coat check service to all travelers.
Passengers can drop off jackets at the ATWExpress Park desk in the terminal before heading to their gates and pick them up at that desk on their return. Coats are kept safe in a storage room.
The free coat check service is separate from the ATWExpress Park service, which is a valet service that costs just $8 a day.
Coat Check Service at Milwaukee Mitchell Airport Too
Winter coat check service is offered at another Wisconsin airport too. For the fourth year, Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport (MKE) is offering a coat check service at the Summerfest Marketplace shop. Coats are placed in protective plastic before being stored away.
The service is not free. But it is a great deal at just $2 per day and a maximum of $10 per trip.
Here’s to many more great airport amenities that we can celebrate on Stuck at The Airport.com in 2023.
If you have a nomination for Airport Amenity of the Week, be sure to let us know.
A new vending machine at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas is a cool treat for Lego fans or anyone needing a fun last-minute gift.
Located post-security, just beyond the A/B gates, the vending has been in place for just a few weeks and is the first Lego vending machine in an airport.
Santa forgot to bring you some new Legos? Get them on the go with our NEW Lego vending machine. It's the only Lego machine in an airport. Find it post-security, just beyond the A/B Gates checkpoint.#Legopic.twitter.com/MmUjSeMUoI
Stock will surely change over time, but right now the set choices include Star Wars, Frozen, Duplo and others.
LAS airport has some other fun vending machines scattered about, including a Kylie Jenner cosmetics machine (in the D & E Gates), Sprinkles cupcake machines (in the C, D and E Gates) and a SouveNear machine filled with art and gifts made by local artists (in the C Gate area).
Here are some more new shops to look for at the airports in Sacaremento and Las Vegas.
The folks at SouveNEAR, who place vending machines filled with work made by local artists at airports, are expanding their network.
Created to be “an indie craft fair in a box,” SouveNEAR fills these vending machines with an eclectic collection of art prints and originals, T-shirts and apparel, handmade jewelry, gourmet food items and other travel-sized mementos. Prices range from $5.00-$50.00.
Right now they’ve got their art-filled machines in multiple locations at Kansas City International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport, Oakland International Airport and Cincinatti-Northern Kentucky International Airport.
Sacramento International Airport also has a new shop called The Well in Terminal A selling locally-sourced gifts in a “hydration-focused” environment.
In addition to selling gifts and gourmet foods from Northern Califorinia, the shop has a self-serve water bar and stocks a variety of reusable drinking bottles.
A new store called “Prince” is selling merchandise related to the late musician known as Prince in the south end of the mall at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP).
The concessionaire (Airport Retail Group) says it worked closely with Prince’s estate to make sure all products are the proper shade of purple.
What’s for sale in the Prince store? Apparel, souvenirs, CDs, LPs, and photography books. Also: tickets to Paisley Park, Prince’s private estate in production complex in Chanhassen, southwest of Minneapolis.
MSP’s Prince store also displays Prince memorabilia, plays Prince music and has a large bank of screens showcasing Prince’s music videos.
Snakes at the Airport
Courtesy TSA
TSA reports that this harmless 15-inch ring-necked snake was left behind at the security checkpoint at Newark Liberty International Airport on Monday, August 19.
“It’s common for travelers to accidentally leave items at the checkpoint,” said TSA’s New Jersey Federal Security Director Tom Carter. “Typically people leave items such as their keys, sunglasses, ID, hats and gloves, but this is the first time someone has left a snake behind. We have a fairly robust lost and found program that reunites passengers with their lost items, but this passenger doesn’t need to call us about his snake.”
Watch the water at SFO
And the ban on single use plastic water bottles has gone into effect at San Francisco International Airport (SFO). A good solution? Bring your own refillable bottle and use the airport’s free water bottle refill stations.
On average about 9,000 water bottles are purchased at #SFO every single day and we want to do everything we can to reduce that impact. Starting today, SFO is moving away from the sale of single-use plastic water bottles. Learn more at https://t.co/LI0j1jFseW. #ZeroWastepic.twitter.com/xc8hM9FjTd
— San Francisco International Airport (SFO) ✈️ (@flySFO) August 20, 2019
It’s Souvenir Sunday, a day to take a look at some of the fun, inexpensive and locally-themed items you can buy at airports.
You can’t go wrong with one of these colorful souvenirs from Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport. Flowers – fresh, wooden, plastic or ‘future’ (as in bags of bulbs) – all look appealing.
And none of these souvenirs is anywhere near expensive.
And then of course, there’s cheese, stroopwafels and chocolate.
Have you spotted a great souvenir at an airport? If you do see something that’s fun, locally-themed and low cost, please snap a photo and send it along to StuckatTheAirport.com.
If your souvenir is featured on Souvenir Sunday, we’ll send you a travel-themed gift.
