The Discovery
Hands On Science Museum For Children And Families In Downtown Reno · Reno, Nevada
The Discovery, formally the Terry Lee Wells Nevada Discovery Museum, is a hands-on science museum for children and families on South Center Street in downtown Reno, opened in 2011 and named for a local donor. It is a place to touch, build, splash and climb rather than to read labels: the galleries typically include a large water-play area, a tall multi-level climbing structure known as the Cloud, a puzzle-filled mansion of brain teasers, a maker and invention space, and exhibits drawn from Nevada itself - mining, the Truckee River, weather and the high desert - though names and exhibits rotate, so check what is open. It suits children from roughly two to twelve best, with a separate area for toddlers, and it is one of Reno's most dependable options on a snowy, smoky or scorching day. It is a local family museum, not a destination in its own right; combine it with the National Automobile Museum, the Nevada Museum of Art and the Truckee River Walk, all a few minutes away on foot, and budget two to three hours inside.
490 South Center Street, Reno, Nevada, 89501, United States
NO OPENING TIME HERE WAS CHECKED. The typical pattern: open most days from about 10 am to 5 pm, sometimes opening later on Sundays, with one weekday - often Monday - closed, plus closures on major holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas and occasional early closures for private events or adult evenings. Hours may be extended during school holidays. The traps that ruin a day are driving in on the closed weekday, arriving at midday on a snowy Saturday into a packed building, planning an adults-only evening that is not running that month, and forgetting that downtown parking during big Reno events fills early. Confirm current times before relying on them.