Calendar of Events

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!

3D printing technology is changing the fields of design and manufacturing at a rapid rate. Visit Spark!Lab Smithsonian to witness the layer-by-layer creation of various objects, learn about the materials and technologies involved, and understand the applications and implications of 3D printing across industries like healthcare, engineering, and art.

Visit The Shop to take part in this acknowledgement of Women’s History Month where visitors can design, assemble, and sew their own miniature pair of pants! Using a variety of fabrics and decorations, you can assemble your pants using fabric glue or a sewing machine. This activity celebrates the 100th anniversary of the Attorney General’s declaration that it was acceptable for women to wear pants in public in the United States! Please note: The Shop offers access to real tools and materials…

3D printing technology is changing the fields of design and manufacturing at a rapid rate. Visit Spark!Lab Smithsonian to witness the layer-by-layer creation of various objects, learn about the materials and technologies involved, and understand the applications and implications of 3D printing across industries like healthcare, engineering, and art.

Visit The Shop to take part in this acknowledgement of Women’s History Month where visitors can design, assemble, and sew their own miniature pair of pants! Using a variety of fabrics and decorations, you can assemble your pants using fabric glue or a sewing machine. This activity celebrates the 100th anniversary of the Attorney General’s declaration that it was acceptable for women to wear pants in public in the United States! Please note: The Shop offers access to real tools and materials…

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 cardboard. 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 for a profound evening as Science Distilled delves into the intricacies of the human mind. Our esteemed researchers and experts will navigate topics ranging from genetics and trauma, to the essential tools and resources for safeguarding oneself and how to support your community. This event will address challenging subjects including depression, suicide, and violence, with a focus on providing the audience with research-based insights and actionable strategies to address these pervasive societal issues. During intermission, attendees are welcome…

Get under the hood at The Discovery! Motor on down to The Discovery for a day filled with hands-on automotive themed activities for car enthusiasts of every age. Join experts from NAPA AutoCare Centers to explore the inner workings of automobiles and the systems that make them go, turn and stop. Here are some of the exciting things happening on this special day:

Can you outrun a leprechaun? Find out at the 12th Annual Leprechaun Race on Sunday, March 17, 2024. This family-friendly 5K run/walk starts and finishes at The Discovery and will take you on a tour through the streets of the Midtown and Wells Avenue neighborhoods. Don’t despair if the leprechaun beats you to the finish. For every runner, jogger or walker the leprechaun passes, the pot of gold grows in size. Who will benefit from the increased pot of gold?……

Just in time for Saint Patrick’s Day, visit The Shop to design and build your own leprechaun-trapping mechanism. Who knows, with creativity and ingenuity you might just catch him! And, best of all, what you build is yours to take home. 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.

3D printing technology is changing the fields of design and manufacturing at a rapid rate. Visit Spark!Lab Smithsonian to witness the layer-by-layer creation of various objects, learn about the materials and technologies involved, and understand the applications and implications of 3D printing across industries like healthcare, engineering, and art.

Prepare for the summer growing season with a garden box you design and build in The Shop. Using wood and a variety of tools, you can create a garden box to grow your favorite flowers or veggies. Best of all, what you make 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.

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.

Prepare for the summer growing season with a garden box you design and build in The Shop. Using wood and a variety of tools, you can create a garden box to grow your favorite flowers or veggies. Best of all, what you make 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.

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.

Tour the stars in The Discovery’s portable planetarium! Join a member of the museum’s education team for guided shows featuring solar exploration, a journey to Mars, and a trip to our moon. Shows are first come, first served. Showtimes: 11:00am, 11:30am, 12:00pm, 12:30pm, 1:00pm, 4:30pm, 5:00pm, 5:30pm, 6:00pm and 6:30pm. Tickets: Sign up upon arrival at the museum. Capacity is limited to 35 people per show.

Join our partners from SPCA of Northern Nevada to learn how pets can help support your mental health, and meet a selection of adorable dogs and cats available for adoption. This program is offered in conjunction with Mental Health: Mind Matters, The Discovery’s current featured exhibition. SPCA of Northern Nevada believes in an open, conversation-based adoption process that carefully matches the lifestyle and expectations of adopters with the personalities and needs of our homeless pets. This approach gives adopted pets…

Prepare for the summer growing season with a garden box you design and build in The Shop. Using wood and a variety of tools, you can create a garden box to grow your favorite flowers or veggies. Best of all, what you make 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.

Visit The Shop to put your creativity and your crafting skills to the test when you design your very own stuffed dinosaur. With the help of the museum’s educators, you’ll use available materials to design and fill your own plush dino. Best of all, what you make 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 practice the safe use…

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.

Visit The Shop to put your creativity and your crafting skills to the test when you design your very own stuffed dinosaur. With the help of the museum’s educators, you’ll use available materials to design and fill your own plush dino. Best of all, what you make 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 practice the safe use…

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.

Visit The Shop to put your creativity and your crafting skills to the test when you design your very own stuffed dinosaur. With the help of the museum’s educators, you’ll use available materials to design and fill your own plush dino. Best of all, what you make 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 practice the safe use…

Visit The Shop to create a robot friend using a variety of materials including cardboard. Use real tools and combine a variety of materials to create your version of a robot that can help you accomplish daily tasks. Best of all, what you make is your 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…