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| - My wife and I have brought our son here a half a dozen times or more between the two of us. What a great place! My son loves it and it hasn't gotten old for us as parents yet either.
The museum is very easy to get to. It's centrally located in Las Vegas right next to the Smith Center. When you arrive, be sure to park in the museum's garage on the south side of the building. It's free, and there's ample room. Keep in mind, the lot directly in front of the museum is paid parking marked for the Smith Center, but you can park there if you prefer. But why pay when the garage is free, and shaded!
The museum is three floors of awesomeness, with something for kids of every age. Quite a few of the exhibits/displays stay the same, but many of them change too. Covering the arts and sciences, most everything is designed to be interactive.
Here are four things things that seem to be consistently cool: First, there's a large tower in the middle of the museum with a spiral staircase up the middle and 10 or so levels. Each level has several interactive displays that teach about dozens of things. My son loves the air cannon that moves small plates of metal when you fire it; the wind generator that lets you see how sand drifts as a result of wind; the air tubes that suck in a scarf on one end, run it through twisty tubes that remind me of a crazy straw, then spits the scarf out overhead; and the looking glasses on the top level. Since there many more levels in this tower than there are in the building, there are tunnels and rope bridges to exit to the main museum on the appropriate level. There are also slides and climbing tunnels that transit between various levels (with signs to tell you where they exit, so you know where your child will pop out).
Second, there's a theater area where kids can dress in a variety of styles and put on a presentation. The stage is accompanied by a castle on one side (complete with a place to pour foam balls out on an attacking enemy), and a ship (merchant, pirate...your child gets to decide) on the other.
Third, there's a fantastic water area where the kids can learn how water flows, how locks work, how water pressure can carry an object into the air, etc. Totally fun. Have your young scientist dressed in clothes that'll dry easily and bring a towel. It's possible to get completely soaked. There are dryers and even drying booths available, but not changing rooms. Might not hurt to bring a towel too.
Fourth, there's a construction area where your young ones can build lego vehicles and try them on a variety of tracks, or design and make paper airplanes and then test them in a vertical wind tunnel.
There are so many more great, permanent (or long term) displays too. And don't forget there are a number of displays that appear to rotate often, to keep things interesting.
If you think you'll be there over lunch (or snack) time, bring food. There's a small snack/break room area with several tables. Note that they only have vending machines in there, so don't plan on buying anything other than drinks or light snacks on site. When you pay to enter, they stamp your hand, so you also have the option to leave to grab a bite, and return later.
In spite of all the awesomeness, oddly the gift shop seems to have been an afterthought. It's very small. The first time I visited I expected a larger gift shop with a solid assortment of books, projects, and toys for the kids as well as the adults who brought them to the museum. Instead, most of the things in there are very cheap and overpriced trinkets, and not the kinds of things you'd expect to walk away with after visiting a museum of this quality. It's probably a lost opportunity for the museum to help a great educational experience endure long after the child has left. Even if they're expensive, an assortment of quality educational books and projects are a glaring omission from your last stop in the museum. If the gift shop was better, this would have been a five-star review.
Overall though, the Discovery Children's Museum is a great place year round, and it's especially great in the summer. You'll find it's relatively easy to spend quite a few hours there as a parent. What an awesome way to escape the mid-summer heat, keep your little one(s) entertained, and they'll learn something while they play. Go for a visit: with your own kids, or when you have friends visiting who have kids. Very cool place!
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