Discovery Children's Museum in Las Vegas is an Absolute Must Visit
Whether it is a business trip or a short vacation, we are always looking for new and exciting opportunities to enrich our very active children. Recently, my wife and I had the pleasure of visiting the world famous Las Vegas, Nevada. In tow were our two very energetic and curious kids, ages 1 and 2.
Having been to Las Vegas before, I know that there is little along the strip for kids, especially as young as this to see and do. Plus, I wanted to find a place that is away from the hustle and bustle of the strip for us to have a more relaxing and laid back time.
I was fortunate enough to stumble upon the Discovery Children’s Museum which is located only a few minutes away from the main Las Vegas strip. We stayed at the Delano by Mandalay Bay and it was only a 12 minute drive. Don’t let the word “museum” fool you as it is nothing like your typical museums. Las Vegas does many things BIG, including shows and buffets. The Discovery Children’s Museum is no exception!
This three story building is any kids’ dream play place. Our kids loved it so much that out of the two days we were in Las Vegas, we had to go both days.
Location and Parking
The Discovery Children’s Museum is located at 360 Promenade Place Las Vegas, NV 89106 which is about 10-15 minutes away from the Las Vegas strip. Upon arriving, you’ll find a parking lot in the same building as the Discovery Children’s Museum. There are multiple levels and plenty of space near the elevator which you’ll need to take down to the ground floor to enter the Discovery Children’s Museum.
Parking is located off Robin Leach Lane at 388 Promenade Place. Parking is completely free as long as you take the ticket inside with you and validate the parking. You can find additional information and a map here.
Hours of Operations and Holidays
As of the writing of this review, the Discovery Children’s Museum hours are:
Tuesday to Saturday from 10am to 5pm
Sunday from 12pm to 5pm
They are closed on the following holidays:
Easter
Thanksgiving
Christmas Eve
Christmas Day
New Year’s Day
Click here for the most up to date and official hours
Cost and Admissions
The Discovery Children’s Museum offers a variety of admissions as they serve both local and non-local patrons. General Admissions is $15.50 per person ages 1 and up. They do offer private events and venue rentals as well.
In addition to General Admissions, Discovery Children’s Museum offers many discounted admissions programs. This includes but is not limited to Members, Military, Museums for All, Non-profit, and more. You can see their discounted or free admissions programs here.
You can purchase tickets in person or online. Purchasing a ticket online allows you to have a guaranteed admission as there is a maximum capacity. When purchasing your ticket online, your ticket will be good starting at 10am but you can come anytime during regular business hours. This was great for us as having a set schedule can be hard with kids.
If you love the Discovery Children’s Museum as much as we do, you can purchase an Annual Membership which has different tiers that come with their own individual perks and benefits. I know if I lived locally, we would have a family Annual Membership for many years.
Exhibits
There are three floors at the Discovery Children’s Museum that hold a wide variety of activities, themed interactive rooms for kids of all ages to learn and play, as well as an impressive 70ft climbing tower, called The Summit, that spans all three floors. This children’s museum really puts thought into imaginative play and enriching activities for all age groups. To get between floors, you can take the stairs, elevator, or climb through The Summit.
The First Floor - “Your Adventure Begins Here”
On the first floor you will find four main areas. Next to the entrance is the Discovery Store which is their gift shop. Activity wise, you’ll find The Summit, Water World, Toddler Town, and Fantasy Festival.
The Summit
The Summit is a huge, and very safe, climbing structure that spans all three floors. There are a total of 12 levels with interactive stations which focus on different things such as light, music, electricity, and more. In addition to these interactive stations, there are various slides, places to climb, and so much to see and explore. You can use The Summit to navigate to all three floors if you don’t feel like taking the stairs or elevator.
Water World
This was our first stop on both days. Here you’ll find a room with a few large water tables with different types of interactive stations. You can see how different objects travel along a watery path, see a huge water jet shoot a ball into a basket (super impressive), and more.
Worried about getting wet? Worry not! The Discovery Children’s Museum provides some child sized rain coats that are hung along the walls as well as a few drying stations.
What impressed me the most was that Water World is closed down twice a day for sanitation as they add chlorine to the water to ensure that it stays safe and sanitary for everyone.
Toddler Town
This quiet corner was great for our 1 and 2 year old. The room is split in half here. One side you can do arts and crafts, which include but is not limited to drawing and some arts and crafts. The other half of the room houses a train where you and your kids can interact. Built into the train is a small climbing area with a very fun slide. Along the ceiling, you’ll find little mine carts that the kids can fill with very soft “coal” rocks as they move around the room.
Have kids that are too small for this? No problem. In the middle of the room is a padded space with a knee high wall where smaller tots can crawl and play safely. It is dotted with a few toys as well. A thing to note here is that all shoes must be removed if you choose to play in this padded area.
Fantasy Festival
Across from Toddler Town, you’ll find Fantasy Festival. This open space is broken into three sections. In the middle of the room is a huge stage called The Riseman Family Theater. You will find various costumes and props for your children to let their imagination go wild as they put on a show for you. In front of the theater are a few rows of seats for you to watch the show (and rest your legs).
To the right of the stage, you’ll find the Discovery Ship. This is an amazing two story ship where kids can climb and play to their heart's content. Here, you’ll find interactive stations such as a flag, port holes, climbing net, and a steering wheel.
To the left of the stage, you’ll find a climbing structure decorated to look like a medieval castle. If your children love props and imaginative play, this castle will really transport them into another realm.
Fantasy Festival is a great place for your kids to run around, interact with others, and play while you take a small break.
The Second Floor - Onward and Upward
Up to the second floor, you have Eco City and the Discovery Lab.
At Eco City, you have really cute miniature set ups of a grocery store, airport with an airplane cockpit, car repair shop, football stadium, and more. All of these miniature exhibits are fully interactive and allow children to be fully immersed in imaginative play alone or with others. Per Discover Children’s Museum, it’s “Where kids learn what it takes to earn a paycheck and become contributing members of a community”.
Over at the Discovery Lab, children will have the opportunity to hand craft various things in the STEAM-themed workshops. It’s a great place for kids to sit down and partake in a wide variety of hands-on crafts and skills.
The Third Floor - The Sky’s the Limit
Situated on the third floor, you’ll find Young at Art, Solve It!, and Patents Pending.
If you have kids that love to paint, draw, and craft, Young at Art will be a spot they’ll love. With multiple stations, your kids will be able to let their creativity run. From paints, crayons, a projector, to chalk, there are plenty of mediums for your children to create on.
For the STEM focused kids, Patents Pending is a really cool space. Here, kids can put their critical thinking skills, creativity, and hands on crafting skills to use. There are multiple stations here where kids can create unique structures to interact with the environment. In addition to this, you can watch some cool science experiments here as well.
If you and your kids like to use clues to solve a mystery, Solve It is for you. Here, you will help a team of archaeologists solve some mysteries using some clues. There is also treasure to find and a small cave to explore!
Tips For Your Visit:
The first tip is to bring a reusable water bottle. There are water refill stations on every floor which are located by the bathrooms. However, there are no cups or bottles for you to use (as far as I was aware), so if you get thirsty, a reusable bottle is a must.
Second, bring your own food and snacks! There is no food for sale at the Discovery Children’s Museum aside from some small snacks and drinks in the gift shop by the front. However, if you plan to stay for a while, a lunch or snacks would be highly recommended. You must eat at the tables by the entrance.
I think that if the Discovery Children’s Museum started selling food, it would be highly beneficial to both visitors and the museum itself.
Final Thoughts
I can not recommend this place enough for anyone up to preteen. The Discovery Children’s Museum is really well thought out, has so many different things to see/do, is priced well, and best of all, you can really spend a whole day or two here! I would absolutely come back for a visit if I was in town again. This is currently my number one recommendation for anyone with young kids visiting Las Vegas, Nevada.