The Discovery - Reno's Children Museum

Something totally awesome is about to adorn the downtown streets of Reno this fall and I am stoked.  On September 10, Reno will be opening a large, luscious children's museum.  I was fortunate enough to get a sneak peek with my husband. We went with Kevin and his wife Kelli, on an invitation from one of Kevin's clients, Mr. Lee. Kevin works with Rinar and Kelli is my good friend up here.  Mr. Lee is an integral part of getting this visionary building opened and he is very excited about it.  Now I can see why.  The place is going to be amazing.

I have become a big fan of children's museums.  Ever since we spent some quality time at the children's museum in Boston, I love going to them in cities we visit around the country.  I have a feeling that Reno's "The Discovery" is going to be high up on my list...and the best part is that it will be in my backyard.

I took some pictures and I thought I would share them with everyone.

This is the main hallway entryway that leads to the top floor of the museum.

Rinar, Kevin, Mr. Lee and Kelli

When you enter the main hall, there is a large atrium.  This used to be Reno's city hall, and the atrium was a lot of wasted space. Not anymore. It is absolutely perfect for a large play structure and other fun things.


Here is a plane that kind of overhangs into the atrium below. Kids will be able to play in the plane and "fly" it.  If you notice behind the plane is the super-play structure. It has to be about 40 feet high, at least. There is a similar one in Boston, but this one is much bigger.

This is one of the galleries. There are a lot of galleries. But this one is going to have a really cool feature.  It is the DaVinci gallery where it combines art, science, and engineering. There will be lots of gadgets the kids can use. This window will actually be a place where kids can paint!  Cool, huh?  When they are done, they can wash it off.  I have never seen that before at a children's museum. Sweet!

This is a picture from the ground floor. You can see the wing from the airplane overhead, but notice the large cloud play structure in the background.  You see? It is huge!!!


Underneath it is a waterway that is modeled after the Truckee River.  Kids will be able to play in the water.  I wonder if they will provide aprons so they don't get too wet. Hmmm....

This gallery is meant for younger kids. There will be lots of things to play with in here as well.  In the background is a mining operation set-up where they can load ore onto a conveyor belt above them. I am sure we will spend many hours in this room.

The Nevada gallery has all things peculiar to our state. You see the mining cart?  They are building a mining shaft behind it for exploration. There is also an indian dwelling, train station, and other pioneer/mining type stuff. We are the Silver State after all.

I am really looking forward to enjoying this new gem of Reno. The best part is you can get a family membership for only $85.  That is such a bargain.  It was a treat to be able to see the construction of this facility.  I hope it has much success.  The people who have imagined this thing from the ground up have put their hearts into this place. It is really a gift of love and I am so grateful.  It will be such a blessing for our community.