Prior to opening its doors in a new location at Symphony Park and with a new name, the DISCOVERY Children's Museum, Lied Discovery Children's Museum was located in the historic Cultural Corridor in Downtown Las Vegas. The museum's co-founders, Robin Greenspun and Mark Tratos, arranged a partnership between the Junior League of Las Vegas and the Allied Arts Council founding a private, nonprofit educational institution in 1984. A bond issue authorizing the building of the Las Vegas-Clark County Library and Discovery Museum in 1985 gave the museum a permanent home, which opened its doors to the public on September 9, 1990.
Over the years, the museum developed into a critical community asset that complemented and enhanced the educational experience of the children living in Southern Nevada and was regularly recognized for award-winning exhibits and programs. More than 2.1 million children and adults visited the Lied Discovery Children's Museum.
Realizing a years-long relocation plan, the new museum opened March 9, 2013 in the Donald W. Reynolds Discovery Center adjacent to The Smith Center in Symphony Park. Much more than just the relocation of the current museum, the new museum helps redefine Las Vegas as a city that values culture and the arts, an urban lifestyle and, most importantly, its children. Three-stories tall in stature, the DISCOVERY Children's Museum 58,000-square-foot building is home to nine-themed exhibition halls totaling 26,000 square feet of interactive hands-on core exhibits. The 5,000 square foot Featured Exhibitions Gallery is large enough to accommodate major exhibits from the nation's leading museums. The new location is a safe, easily accessible, family-oriented and energetic educational destination that offers visitors extraordinary learning experiences and enhanced school, public and extended programs.
Mission Statement
The mission of DISCOVERY Children's Museum is to provide a vibrant and engaging experience, through exhibits and programs, where children from economically and culturally diverse backgrounds actively participate in playful learning experiences that ignite a love of lifelong learning.
