Cool Places: Nevada Discovery Museum

Last year the Nevada Discovery Museum opened in Reno, NV and gave the Biggest Little City an awesome place for resident and visiting families to explore, play and learn. If you’re in Reno from out of town with your kids on vacation or at a convention, you now have a better family entertainment option than the arcade at the caino you’re probably staying in.

• Admission: $8.00 (1 and under free)
• 490 S. Center Street · Reno, NV 89501
• Phone: 775-786-1000
• Memberships from $85

Here’s a video of what you can expect at the Nevada Discovery Museum:

Cool Places: Nevada Discovery Museum from Gizzard Stone on Vimeo.

Visiting the Nevada Discovery Museum

The facility is top notch, there’s a coffee cart up stairs operated by local fancy coffee roaster and brewer The Hub Coffee Company, and a picnic cafe downstairs. There are tables and chairs, high chairs, vending machines and microwaves. Pretty much everything you need to refuel your family mid-visit. Here are some tips for making the most of your visit to the Nevada Discovery Museum:

Plan your visit for Saturday

If you’re in town just for the weekend. They open at 10 on saturday, but 12 on Sunday. For families with kids that still take a nap, this makes it hard to visit on Sunday, especially if you have to drive or fly home in the afternoon.

Bring a change of clothes

The Truckee Connects exhibit will DRENCH your kid. But they love it so much, it’s great to just let them play, then put on dry clothes.

Keep an eye on your kid

Kids get super excited and overwhelmed with things to look at and play with. This can lead to them behaving badly and trampling other kids. It can make for a hectic visit to be wrangling your little dude and/or dudette, but it’s even more hectic when you have to wrangle someone else’s kid as well.

Pee early and OFTEN

Have your kid use the bathroom BEFORE climbing to the top of the Cloud Climber. JUST SAYING…

Cloud Climber

The coolest thing in the museum has got to be the Cloud Climber. At least that’s what I would have thought when I was a kid. It’s a cloud themed 3D maze that hangs from the 3 story ceiling all the way to the floor above a the model of the Truckee River. The cool thing is that parents are allowed in the Cloud Climber. So there is always one guy (me) who drags a reluctant kid up to the top.

One part integral phase in the water cycle, two parts jungle gym, the Cloud Climber stretches to the highest reaches of the museum with its many levels, challenging visitors to reach and climb, take risks, create their own adventures, blaze a trail, be brave, feel competent, have fun, and learn about the environment. Learn More

Truckee Connects

This is a favorite of my son and his pals. It’s a model of the Truckee River which flows from Lake Tahoe to Pyramid lake. The model teaches them about the river, the lakes and the human interface with the watershed. It also teaches kids how to horde little foam boats in wire baskets.

Gently flowing beneath Cloud Climber, Truckee Connects meanders through as a working representation of the Truckee River watershed from the chilly depths of Lake Tahoe to the shimmering shores of Pyramid Lake. A fun and interactive opportunity to learn about the many uses of water such as recreation, irrigation, hydroelectric power, and wildlife; Truckee Connects provides opportunities to experiment with water and explore many of its properties. Learn More

Little Discoveries

This is a play room for toddlers and younger kids. It can get kind of hectic, but it’s definitely a hit for the small kids. If your kids are not small, they’ll still enjoy kicking things.

The museum’s youngest children are sometimes the most vulnerable, but they also have the fastest growing minds. Little Discoveries is a special place for these visitors, where they can roll and creep, sit and stand, look and feel, pile and build, experience and pretend, and explore and discover. Luscious with textures, with light filtering through an overhead canopy in surprising ways, the environment inspires infants and toddlers to learn and explore while providing caregivers peace of mind and a quiet place to relax. Learn More

Under The Stars

Another cool spot. This one is dark and features a campsite with a tent, a fishing pool, a cave and a night star exhibit. My one criticism of this room is the rattlesnake model. Kids can get up close to the taxidermied snake and touch it. I see this as a problem in a region where kids stand a good chance of encountering a live snake. I don’t let my kid near it. I tell him it’s dangerous and could bite him. That way if he sees a live one, he’ll know to stay away.

Nevada’s tradition of outdoor adventure is available all year long in Under the Stars. When guests enter this gallery they feel like they’ve stepped outdoors. They’re greeted by the sounds of nature and changing light treatment that takes them from day to night and back again. A tent and a vast cave set the stage for exploration of the natural history of the state and how to enjoy it. There’s also fishing for Cui-Ui and Lahontan Cut Throat Trout. Learn More

Build It

The Build It room features foam construction blocks, a model home building project and an exhibit on renewable energy. Also, there’s a model Reno Arch! Also a bike that powers a generator and some lights that you can crank away on while your kid yells at you not to stop.

From roads and homes to schools and businesses, building and construction are a constant part of everyone’s life. Build It! puts children in the heart of it all as they explore the entire process from drafting plans to choosing building materials and working toward energy conservation. Build It! also brings Nevada’s vast solar and geothermal energy resources indoors and puts their power into the hands of young people. Learn More

Nevada Stories

The Nevada Stories gallery features exhibits and learning stations that teach about the history, industry and people of Nevada. The coolest thing in here is the GIANT dump truck tire you can play in and the remote control mine excavator. This is mostly interesting for older kids and parents who are not currently on dude patrol.

Nevada history is rich, diverse and fascinating. Nevada Stories brings the fascinating lifestyles of early Washoe/Shoshone/Paiute Indians, the legend of wagon trains, accounts of the Basque herders, and the legacy of the railroad out of the desert and into the hands of children. Visitors will uncover buried artifacts on an archeological dig, stock goods on a Prairie Schooner, discover Native American culture, create postcards to e-mail home, discover the minerals hidden under Nevada’s landscape and work on the transcontinental railroad. Learn More

Have you been to the Discovery Museum?

What are your favorite things to do there? What do your kids love? What are your tips for having an awesome time? Scroll down and leave a comment.

-Mike