Calendar of Events

Bank of America cardholders enjoy one free general admission to The Discovery on the first full weekend of every month with credit or debit card and photo ID. Find out more here. To qualify, simply present your active Bank of America®, Merrill Lynch® or U.S. Trust® credit or debit card along with a photo ID to gain one free general admission to The Discovery. Cardholders only; guests are not eligible for free admission. Excludes special exhibitions, ticketed shows or events,…

Prepare to take to the road when you visit The Shop to design and build your very own automotive creation. Using available tools and materials, and a variety of wheels, you’ll have the chance to design and build the next great automotive innovation. Please note: The Shop offers access to real tools and materials that can be dangerous if used improperly. Parents are encouraged to help young tinkerers use the tools and materials safely in this space.

Join us as we honor the participants and winners of this year’s Scratch Code Challenge. First prize winners in each of four categories will be awarded $300 cash. Scratch Code Challenge entrants, their families and the general public are all invited to attend. Museum admission is not required to attend the awards ceremony. Please RSVP

Visit Spark!Lab Smithsonian and use the process of invention to build a car that’ll protect its precious cargo. Using available materials and the invention process, you can create a vehicle that will protect a raw egg in the event of a crash. Even if your egg breaks, you can tweak your design and test it again, and again, and again! Please note: Activity available while egg supply lasts. Spark!Lab Smithsonian offers access to tools and materials that can be dangerous if…

The Discovery would not be Northern Nevada’s most exciting educational resource if it weren’t for the tremendous support of the museum’s amazing group of volunteers. To thank you for your support of the museum’s mission, we invite you, your friends, and your family to The Discovery’s annual Volunteer Appreciation Celebration. Please join us for a Candy Land-themed event that includes snacks, refreshments and an awards presentation for the museum’s most dedicated volunteers! Let us know you’re planning to attend!

The Discovery is excited to unveil the “Super Service Center,” an exciting new exhibit located in the museum’s Little Discoveries exhibition. Little mechanics can step into a pretend auto repair shop equipped with all the tools and equipment they’ll need to perform maintenance on a kid-sized car. The exhibit will provide young museum visitors with the opportunity to explore the field of car care while also encouraging cooperative, hands-on play. Important note: The Super Service Center is located inside the…

Visit Spark!Lab Smithsonian and use the process of invention to build a car that’ll protect its precious cargo. Using available materials and the invention process, you can create a vehicle that will protect a raw egg in the event of a crash. Even if your egg breaks, you can tweak your design and test it again, and again, and again! Please note: Activity available while egg supply lasts. Spark!Lab Smithsonian offers access to tools and materials that can be dangerous if…

Drivers, start your engines! Celebrate the grand opening of the new Super Service Center with a visit to The Shop. Using available materials and a little ingenuity, you can design and build a catapult that will propel your favorite toy car to record speed! Please note: The Shop offers access to real tools and materials that can be dangerous if used improperly. Parents are encouraged to help young tinkerers use the tools and materials safely in this space.

Drivers, start your engines! Celebrate the grand opening of the new Super Service Center with a visit to The Shop. Using available materials and a little ingenuity, you can design and build a catapult that will propel your favorite toy car to record speed! Please note: The Shop offers access to real tools and materials that can be dangerous if used improperly. Parents are encouraged to help young tinkerers use the tools and materials safely in this space.

The challenge of building self-driving cars is not purely a question of engineering; it’s also a social one. Unwritten rules, social cues, and even unexpected friendly gestures dictate how traffic flows, and without them, it’s not clear how we’d navigate even the simplest intersection. How robots sense the social fabric that makes our communities function is a central question for researchers studying AI (artificial intelligence). In the same way, our social dynamics deeply affect how we perceive robots and integrate…

Celebrate Earth Day by making beautiful flowers from recycled material. Using repurposed and recycled materials such as plastic bottle caps, food containers, newspaper and cereal boxes, we will create a artistic interpretation of the flowers of spring time. About Katie Steenberg Katie Steenberg is a Reno native and local artist. She has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Nevada, Reno. Since graduating, she has been teaching art in many Washoe Country School District schools through Arts for All Nevada. She…

As part of the annual Spellbinders Festival of Magic, The Discovery is excited to present Emmy nominated performer and 2017 Comedy Magician of the Year, Larry Wilson, and his science-meets-magic presentation entitled “Top Secrets for Wizards In Training.” Wizards of all ages will learn mind-bending magic and the science that makes it possible. Note: Seating for this special performance is limited and available on a first come, first served basis.

Get ready to race toward the checked flag when you design and construct your very own race track in The Shop. Using cardboard and other available materials, you can create a twisting, turning, undulating race track for your favorite toy cars. Connect your track to a friend’s for even more fun! Please note: The Shop offers access to real tools and materials that can be dangerous if used improperly. Parents are encouraged to help young tinkerers use the tools and materials safely…