My son really likes here, so I became a member of this museum. I can bring him back anytime. He…read moreespecially loves Truckee Connects area, he spend time for an hour easily. Also, we can bring a lunch and eat there, because there has microwave. It's so helpful. The staff are so kind. If you have some questions, you can ask them, and they'll teach you kindly!

This is a really well done children's museum. The water exhibit featuring sensory play and…read moreeducation about the water cycle of the Sierra Nevadas, lakes, river and system of dams was awesome. My boys loved the space exhibit and the builder workshop, the project that day was building flower boxes out of wood. Kids could use real tools and fill them with soil to take home.

This museum is a hidden gem. They're constantly bringing new and exciting exhibitions to our…read morecommunity, specifically those that are geared towards our elementary aged kiddos, which I sincerely appreciate. Most recently we visited Toytopia. This exhibit offers the chance to explore a hands-on history of toys from the past and into the future. My kids loved the oversized robotic claw, reminiscent of an amped up arcade machine. It was a blast trying to get the individually articulating fingers to close around the ball in order to lift it into the basket for the big reward. We also enjoyed the oversized battleship game. So fun to play and we spent 20-30 min there. Mr Potato Head was old school fun too. We made a competition out of it to see who could make the wackiest example. I think I won... or maybe my kids let me win. But the favorite had to be the mini arcade they had setup with some of the best old school cabinets. Donkey Kong, DK Jr., Dig Dug and so many more are all here as part of the exhibit and you could spend a long time here without realizing it! Oh and there's even a Zoltar fortune teller too! When you're done at toytopia you can go learn the history of Wilbur D May on the other side of the museum. I personally love exploring the artifacts and treasures he collected from his travels, especially the hunting and fishing trophies! All in all, a great little place to spend a

Wonderful experience for my family. Roaming around the gardens and taking a tour of the museum…read more Plenty of places for a picnic on the grounds. Just understand that May was a "big game" hunter when that was not frowned upon as it is now. Many of his "trophies" are found throughout the museum.

Great displays throughout...I visited for GHOSTBUSTERS DAY…read more Classic vehicles on display from every era of the Automobile!

A definite stop if you're in Reno. The collection is enormous. There are some great examples of…read moreour automotive history in this museum. One minor complaint is that the signs that describe the vehicles are on the ground and printed in what seems to be micro print. So difficult to read. I've been here twice now and went on the docent tour the second time. I highly recommend this the. Just exploring on your own.

Really loved this museum. Great variety of art across different mediums and artists, and the staff…read morewas super friendly and helpful throughout. The museum itself is manageable in size, I got through the whole thing in a couple of hours which I actually appreciated. Not overwhelming, just right. My only gripe was that there were a lot of loud people while I was there. Conversations echoing through the rooms made it hard to really concentrate and take everything in. Wish the etiquette had been better enforced but that's more of a crowd thing than a museum thing. The gift shops though? Loved them. There's a bookstore, a library, a gift shop, and a cute little shop in the lobby and I could have spent way too much time and money in all of them. Would absolutely go back next time I'm in Reno.

I love First Thursdays with the girls! I love how they have different breweries around the city…read morehost the beer choices! Tonite it was Parlay 6 and Battle Born! Sometimes, I wish they change the music up with other local artists in our town. It's always great seeing friends there especially if you haven't seen them in along time! Tonite I got my friends to go look at some of the art exhibits and we went to my favorite one! See photos!

One of my favorite free things to do! Well maintained grounds, tranquil areas and it's so peaceful…read moreon weekends when there are no events! Such a beautiful place to simply unwind.

Went to Dragon Lights and this event is perfect for all ages! From first dates, young families, and…read moreso on! Spend all day here or kill a couple hours. Every scenery was designed with intention and there were a couple food trucks in case you wanted to grab a snack. Two sections for parking and we went on a Thursday so parking wasn't that bad! Definitely worth going!

I love this place. Been going since I was a kid. Its a fun different date night. Spend an evening…read morelearning about our skies.

Had a great time at the Fleischmann Planetarium. The planetarium part itself was not necessarily…read morethe biggest or most comfortable one we've been in, but the show we saw, narrated by Diego Luna, about the elemental makeup of the universe, was eye-opening. The real highlight of the place, though, was the museum-quality sci-fi movie and TV show displays they had throughout the building. It was like geek heaven. You could tell it was assembled with a combination of passion for the subject matter and a desire to share as much as possible with visitors. There were tons of obscure and iconic Star Wars-and Star Trek-related items in display cabinets everywhere, as well as a lot of interesting information about science-related human accomplishments through time. It's too much to describe . . . I highly recommend a visit if you're at all interested in anything sci-fi-related. It was fascinating for me; I had a really good time taking in as much as I could learning about meteorites, learning about the T.A.R.D.I.S. from Dr. Who, posing next to the R2-D2, etc. etc. It was great. Parking in the West Stadium Parking Complex was super easy; you just park on the third floor (which is the garage-entrance floor off the main street) and the Planetarium is practically connected right to the garage via a very small walkway/bridge right off the third floor.

What a gem of a place! Sorry, I couldn't resist. :) This…read moremuseum with free admission is a great place to go spend an hour or so browsing through the countless cases filled with rocks, minerals, gems, fossils, photographs, and other artifacts. The natural lighting adds to the beauty of the room. There is a basement with silver collection that is beautiful. I saw one docent while I was there and he gave me a bit of information about the location and displays.

In terms of minerals, the Keck rivals the best museums in the world, including the Smithsonian. So…read moremany specimens. Beyond that, their collection of Nevada-specific rocks, minerals and artifacts is outstanding, particularly as relating to the Comstock Lode.

I used to think plants are boring, well I was wrong. Plants are awesome. Really they are. And this…read morelibrary really shows how amazing plants can be! The wife was looking at libraries to bring our kids to while on our little vacation to Reno this summer. Well, she found out that the downtown library in Reno is somewhat famous! Yup, that's right, a cool library that's even well known. Apparently this library has always been filled with wonderful indoor plants of all kinds. As I walked in I was quite impressed by how green the space and relaxing the environment was because of all the beautiful plants. Oh yeah: - so so so many plants all over, hanging, standing, growing sideways, coming down towards you, they are all around. - all kinds of from pothos, monsteras, fiddle leaf figs, and succulents to spider plants and snake plants. If you can think of it, and it's an indoor plant, it's probably here! - Multiple floors with so many book stacks and more - several of the floors are kind of half floors, interesting right? - friendly staff who helped my kids and provided a fun scavenger hunt for them (keep them young longer). They said it was fun even without prizes. - basement floor is actually like an indoor atrium of sorts, you can eat there, it's paved like a backyard with the pebbles embedded in concrete so you don't have to worry about getting the floor dirty. Lots of seating and the coolest spot too being lower level. Ehh: - no free parking. It's a bummer but understandable being this is downtown in a bigger city like Reno where everyone's office is located so if they had a lot or a structure for the public library it'd be expensive to maintain AND many people would likely illegally park there AND they would have to charge the patrons anyways.

OK every so often Reno does this thing where it reveals yet another wonderful side to itself…read more So I'm downtown running errands and business. Then I'm like... Oh! Heeeere's the downtown public library. I was not even prepared for the overwhelming sight before my eyes. I don't know if you folks are familiar with the 70s science fiction film "Silent Running". It was like walking onto the valley forge set of the movie. And it's still a wonderful library too! Are you kidding me?! And BTW everyone there( you know, the librarians) are so kind and informative. I grew up with libraries from coast to coast including the New York public library. But I'm hard pressed to say this is a wee bit more impressive. Wow! Go get yourself a book!

I saw a flyer for an art town festival at the discovery museum and I had to check it out with my…read morekids because 1, I had to get a bite of history and check out the 1877 Victorian/Itanliante mansion and 2, the kids would have 8 stations of art enrichment. This event turned out to be a huge hit with the whole family as the workers also invited me and my husband for some art. Some art included shaping clay, art with pastels, assembling paper birds, making stick bumble bees, paper butterflies and more. They even gave out a free book per child and had free face paint. It was priceless for the kids to have engaged in all of the art projects. Only one knows the endless influence it will have on their future selves. Upon arrival, I immediately felt the positivity of the environment-all the workers were happy to be there and happy to teach. I love that they kept track of which schools kids were coming in from so that they can have a better picture and make arrangements for funding. They hold kids' birthday parties(you can bring in food and decorations), special events, legit tea parties (tea and food included), and weddings. I've seen pictures of all their events on their website and they looked amazing. I'm definitely going to do tea and throw a birthday party here one day, especially knowing that the funds will go towards maintaining the beautiful property. Check out their website for events, details for rentals, tours, lessons, camps and volunteer opportunities (they're always looking for art people to teach). Thanks Lake Mansion for having a passionate artistic heart and Reno for hosting art town for the betterment and enjoyment of the whole community.

This was such a fun event. I wish I had taken more pictures. Everybody was dressed up and looked…read moreamazing! The mansion was beyond beautiful and each room featured a cocktail from four different bars. They were all delicious and perfectly crafted, it was so hard to choose a favorite. Our night ended with a little crafting where we got to decorate our own candle holder. I hope there's another event like this one. 10/10!!

Student Research Museum. Free admission but check ahead for hours. Great stop during UNRs Day at…read morethe Museum Event. The museum is located on the 5th floor of the Ansari Business Building on the UNR Campus and features rotating exhibits created and curated by students. The artifacts are uaully Nevada oriented and partnof the UNR collection. No nearby parking so be prepared to walk. The museum features about 20 exhibits in a small L-shaped room. Strollers can fit but might be a challenge during busy events.

From the owner: The University of Nevada, Reno Museum of People, Place, and Time explores what it means to be human…read morethrough the lens of anthropology. Founded in 1980 and reimagined in 2025, the museum serves as a dynamic teaching and research center dedicated to the study of Nevada’s diverse communities and cultural heritage. Visitors can explore exhibitions featuring archaeological and ethnographic objects, as well as student-led research projects that illuminate the stories of the Great Basin and beyond. Through its collections, public programs, and the University’s Museum Studies minor, the museum fosters learning, dialogue, and discovery about the people, places, and histories that shape our shared world. Admission is free for everyone.