Calendar of Events

The Discovery will be open 10:00am to 5:00pm on Monday, March 17 and Monday, March 24, 2025 during Washoe County School District’s spring break. Be sure to check out the calendar of events to see all of the exciting things happening at the museum.

Join us here at The Discovery every Wednesday for a special morning just for young learners ages 5 and under. Hear stories, climb the clouds, create art, and enjoy the entire museum for a full hour before it opens to everyone! Please note: Admission during Small Wonder Wednesday is limited to families with children ages 5 and under only. Visitors with children age 6 and older can visit the museum beginning at 10:00am. Presented with support from:  

Every Wednesday, beginning at 4:00pm, museum admission is just $5 per person! And best of all, the museum stays open until 8:00pm so there’s plenty of time to explore! Members and children under age 1 are always free.

The Discovery will be open 10:00am to 5:00pm on Monday, March 17 and Monday, March 24, 2025 during Washoe County School District’s spring break. Be sure to check out the calendar of events to see all of the exciting things happening at the museum.

Hands-on gets serious in The Shop! In this material-specific session of Open Build, you’ll use real tools to build nearly anything you can imagine out of wood. Best of all, what you create is yours to keep! Please note: The Shop offers access to real tools and materials that can cause injury if used improperly. Parents are encouraged to help young tinkerers use the tools and materials safely in this space.

Hands-on gets serious in The Shop! In this material-specific session of Open Build, you’ll use real tools to build nearly anything you can imagine out of wood. Best of all, what you create is yours to keep! Please note: The Shop offers access to real tools and materials that can cause injury if used improperly. Parents are encouraged to help young tinkerers use the tools and materials safely in this space.

Join us here at The Discovery every Wednesday for a special morning just for young learners ages 5 and under. Hear stories, climb the clouds, create art, and enjoy the entire museum for a full hour before it opens to everyone! Please note: Admission during Small Wonder Wednesday is limited to families with children ages 5 and under only. Visitors with children age 6 and older can visit the museum beginning at 10:00am. Presented with support from:  

Hands-on gets serious in The Shop! In this material-specific session of Open Build, you’ll use real tools to build nearly anything you can imagine out of wood. Best of all, what you create is yours to keep! Please note: The Shop offers access to real tools and materials that can cause injury if used improperly. Parents are encouraged to help young tinkerers use the tools and materials safely in this space.

Every Wednesday, beginning at 4:00pm, museum admission is just $5 per person! And best of all, the museum stays open until 8:00pm so there’s plenty of time to explore! Members and children under age 1 are always free.

Work with fellow museum visitors in Spark!Lab Smithsonian to create an expansive cardboard city. Build homes, skyscrapers, churches, parks, stores… whatever you can imagine. This is an ongoing collaborative project that will grow and change throughout the day. Please note: This activity includes access to tools and materials that can be dangerous if used improperly. Parents are encouraged to help young inventors use the tools and materials safely in this space.

Register for a LEGO® Robot Rumble session and you’ll learn how to build and code the ultimate autonomous, fighting robot using using LEGO® Mindstorms. Then, test your bot’s capabilities when you pit it against your fellow participants in a head-to-head battle. Your objective? Push your competitor’s bot out of the ring to declare victory!

Register for a LEGO® Robot Rumble session and you’ll learn how to build and code the ultimate autonomous, fighting robot using using LEGO® Mindstorms. Then, test your bot’s capabilities when you pit it against your fellow participants in a head-to-head battle. Your objective? Push your competitor’s bot out of the ring to declare victory!

Drive in, sit back, and enjoy a science blockbuster on the BIG screen. At this Science Distilled event, you’ll follow NASA astronaut Scott Kelly as he embarks on a 12-month mission on the International Space Station. The mission goal: chart the effects of long-duration spaceflight by comparing him to his identical twin, astronaut Mark Kelly who remains on earth. Location: West Wind El Rancho Drive-In Theater, 555 El Rancho Drive, Sparks Times: Gate opens at 7:30pm, film begins at 8:00pm

Register for a LEGO® Robot Rumble session and you’ll learn how to build and code the ultimate autonomous, fighting robot using using LEGO® Mindstorms. Then, test your bot’s capabilities when you pit it against your fellow participants in a head-to-head battle. Your objective? Push your competitor’s bot out of the ring to declare victory!

Celebrate the power of femininity at Social Science. Take a self defense class, design a mini terrarium, experience a psychic reading with Ms. Vivian, gain a renewed vision of the cosmos with Dr. Solange Masse, and more! This event is open to everyone, regardless of their gender or gender identity. Labs, lectures and experiences at this event are still being finalized. Please check back. Due to the popularity of the Social Science event series, we strongly recommend that you purchase…

Enjoy delicious fare from any of Local Food Group’s seven restaurants in Reno, Sparks, Carson City and Gardnerville on Thursday, May 22, 2025 and support The Discovery at the same time. On this special day, Local Food Group is donating a portion of the proceeds from all food and drink sales to The Discovery in support of the museum’s mission to inspire by being the place to experience science. Click the logos below to learn more about Local Food Group’s collection…

Save this date for Science Distilled, The Discovery’s informal lectures series that makes cutting-edge science approachable through presentations on current and curious topics, held at hip locations in a social atmosphere. Started in 2016, speakers at Science Distilled events have covered topics ranging from genetics, to climate, to personal energy independence. Speakers for this Science Distilled event will be announced soon. Please check back.