Calendar of Events

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.

The Discovery will be open 10:00am to 4:00pm on New Year’s Eve, Wednesday, December 31, 2025. The museum will resume normal hours on Thursday, January 1, 2026. Please check our calendar of events for additional holiday hours and activities.

Ring in the new year and visit The Shop to put your automotive design skills to the test. Using a variety of materials, you can design and build your very own race car. Best of all, what you make is yours to keep! Please note: The Shop offers access to real tools and materials that can be dangerous if used improperly. Parents/caregivers are encouraged to help young tinkerers use the tools and materials safely in this space.

Let the performance begin! Visit The Discovery’s Spark!Lab Smithsonian to invent your own version of a hand puppet. Using a variety of materials, you can design and create a hand puppet and then conduct a performance for friends, family and fellow museum visitors on the Spark!Lab puppet stage. 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.

Ring in the new year and visit The Shop to put your automotive design skills to the test. Using a variety of materials, you can design and build your very own race car. Best of all, what you make is yours to keep! Please note: The Shop offers access to real tools and materials that can be dangerous if used improperly. Parents/caregivers are encouraged to help young tinkerers use the tools and materials safely in this space.

Let the performance begin! Visit The Discovery’s Spark!Lab Smithsonian to invent your own version of a hand puppet. Using a variety of materials, you can design and create a hand puppet and then conduct a performance for friends, family and fellow museum visitors on the Spark!Lab puppet stage. 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.

Ring in the new year and visit The Shop to put your automotive design skills to the test. Using a variety of materials, you can design and build your very own race car. Best of all, what you make is yours to keep! Please note: The Shop offers access to real tools and materials that can be dangerous if used improperly. Parents/caregivers are encouraged to help young tinkerers use the tools and materials safely in this space.

The Discovery will be open 10:00am to 5:00pm on Mondays (12/22, 12/29, 1/5) during Washoe County School District’s winter break. Be sure to check out the museum’s calendar of events to find out everything that’s happening at the museum during winter break.

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.

Let the performance begin! Visit The Discovery’s Spark!Lab Smithsonian to invent your own version of a hand puppet. Using a variety of materials, you can design and create a hand puppet and then conduct a performance for friends, family and fellow museum visitors on the Spark!Lab puppet stage. 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.

Let the performance begin! Visit The Discovery’s Spark!Lab Smithsonian to invent your own version of a hand puppet. Using a variety of materials, you can design and create a hand puppet and then conduct a performance for friends, family and fellow museum visitors on the Spark!Lab puppet stage. 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.

Let the performance begin! Visit The Discovery’s Spark!Lab Smithsonian to invent your own version of a hand puppet. Using a variety of materials, you can design and create a hand puppet and then conduct a performance for friends, family and fellow museum visitors on the Spark!Lab puppet stage. 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.

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.

Work with fellow museum visitors in Spark!Lab Smithsonian to design a stadium considering what activities it will host and the best way to accommodate all guests. 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!

Work with fellow museum visitors in Spark!Lab Smithsonian to design a stadium considering what activities it will host and the best way to accommodate all guests. 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.

Work with fellow museum visitors in Spark!Lab Smithsonian to design a stadium considering what activities it will host and the best way to accommodate all guests. 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.

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.

Work with fellow museum visitors in Spark!Lab Smithsonian to design a stadium considering what activities it will host and the best way to accommodate all guests. 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.

Work with fellow museum visitors in Spark!Lab Smithsonian to design a stadium considering what activities it will host and the best way to accommodate all guests. 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.

Work with fellow museum visitors in Spark!Lab Smithsonian to design a stadium considering what activities it will host and the best way to accommodate all guests. 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.

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.

The future of robotics is promising. But what can robots do to help humans in our daily lives? Visit Spark!Lab Smithsonian to invent a robot using a variety of craft supplies and recycled materials that can aid in daily tasks. 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!