Discovery Children's Museum facts for kids
DISCOVERY Children's Museum & The Smith Center for the Performing Arts
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| Established | 1984 |
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| Location | Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Type | Children's museum |
| Public transit access | Yes |
The DISCOVERY Children's Museum is a special place in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is a nonprofit museum designed just for kids and families. This museum used to be called the Lied Discovery Children's Museum.
Today, it is a huge, three-story building. It covers about 58,000 square feet (5,388 square meters). You can find it right next to The Smith Center for the Performing Arts in Downtown Las Vegas. Around 250,000 people visit the museum every year to explore and learn.
History of the Museum
The DISCOVERY Children's Museum started thanks to two people, Robin Greenspun and Mark Tratos. They founded the museum in 1984. They wanted to create a fun, educational place for kids in the Las Vegas area.
They worked with the Junior League of Las Vegas and the Allied Arts Council. Together, they helped raise money for this important project. In 1985, a special plan was approved to build the museum. It opened its doors on September 9, 1990.
Moving to a New Home
In 2010, the museum announced exciting news. They planned to build a brand new, even bigger home. This new location would be in an area called Symphony Park. The whole project, named the Donald W. Reynolds Discovery Center, cost $50 million.
In August 2010, the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation gave a large gift to The Smith Center. This gift helped pay for the completion of its block in Symphony Park. A big part of that gift, $43 million, was used to build the new Donald W. Reynolds Discovery Center. The museum also raised the remaining $7 million needed. The new and improved museum officially opened on March 9, 2013.
