With its high desert climate, Reno is a land of extremes — hot summers under a radiant sun followed by mostly dry and cold winters with the occasional snowfall. In these conditions, everyone needs some indoor activities to get through both the high and low temperatures. And with this year’s winter coming on quick and early, now’s a good time to talk about Reno’s most popular museum and exhibit, The Discovery.
The Discovery (or, if you prefer its full name, the Terry Lee Wells Nevada Discovery Museum) has become almost an international destination in recent years. As tourists flock to Tahoe during the height of summer and depth of winter, they often find themselves spending a day or two in Reno where they explore the kid-friendly Discovery, making it a place where you will hear languages from the far reaches of the globe. That’s not to say that it is any more difficult for locals to enjoy — on the contrary, with the family membership options being reasonable, one-time annual charges — it’s a great place for residents to pop in for a few hours to get out of the house.
What’s The Discovery all about? It sells itself as the everything STEM interactive museum, and there is no shortage of science, technology, engineering and mathmatics exhibits. One exhibit discusses human organs, with a model of a human eardrum that you can crawl inside. There’s a full-size Allosaurus skeleton on display. Another exhibit teaches about clean energy and shows how solar and wind generate electricity. Every day there is a science experiment given around 11 a.m. in the main room, where a lab-coated teenager demonstrates phenomena such as air pressure using props like ping pong balls, toilet paper and electric leaf blowers.
Photo: Children are rapt by a science demonstration on static electricity.
But to say The Discovery is exclusively STEM would be inaccurate. It’s really just a lot of fun. One of my children’s favorite rooms is the little kids’ playroom, where a decent-sized wooden car can be partly disassembled. On the other side of the room are the elements of a coal mine — a cart, foam coal balls and a conveyer belt up high that you can wheel the coal balls along to fall into the cart.
Photo: Kids discover what coal mines are like at The Discovery.
Another great area of The Discovery is the temporary science exhibits. Most recently, the museum had displays on artificial intelligence and biotechnology. You can hook up your brainwaves to a machine to see if you can lift a ball in a tube by focusing (it works somehow). There are experimental technologies such as video games and wind tunnels discussing the potential for human flight. Not long ago, there was a display exclusively on brain twisters, like trying to unhook two intertwined metal hooks or blocks of wood that have to go together in a particular shape. And there was another conveyor belt of plastic food items that needed to be arranged in a particular order to keep the conveyor belt moving (kids love conveyor belts).
Various rooms contain crafts and games, but downstairs is where the experience always ends with the best part — space, climbing and water. A dark space room sits at the end of the hall that's full of LEGOs and displays on space travel. Up above is the climbing gym — a netted array of paths that lead to the top of the building. It’s always nerve-wracking the first time to watch your kids work their way up, but after a few times you let them go for it.
Caption: The climbing Area in The Discovery is always a favorite part with the kids.
Underneath the climbing gym is a series of waterways meant to represent the Truckee Meadows Watershed, starting at Lake Tahoe and ending in Pyramid Lake. Toy boats crowd the water, dams can be raised and lifted, signs discuss the water’s power generation and fish stocks, and no shortage of water gets splashed, making this the perfect place to end the daytrip.
Photo: The experience with a splashy Truckee Meadows Waterway simulation.
The Discovery is a Reno treasure, fitting for a city of a much larger size, and we are lucky to have it. If you’re a local, don’t hesitate to get a membership, and if you’re visiting, stop in for a day — it will be an unforgettable experience!
Want to go?
The Discovery
490 S. Center Street, Reno
(775) 786-1000
Monday - Closed
$14 – Youth (ages 6-17)
$16 – Adult
$15 – Senior (ages 65+)
Free – Under age 1
Free – UNR & TMCC students
Free – Discovery Members
About the Author Dan Bablinskas
Dan Bablinskas is a relentlessly curious person with a passion for travel, foreign languages, affordable food and lodgings, well-fashioned cappuccinos and refreshing craft brews. After receiving his bachelor’s degree in creative writing, he traveled through Europe and South America while working as an English teacher and travel blogger. After trying a number of different careers, he settled into technical and content writing for his day job. In his spare time, he enjoys exploring the Reno-Tahoe area by foot, car, bike and ski. He lives in Reno with his wife and two kids. 
