DISCOVERY Children's Museum in downtown Las Vegas is reimagining its signature 70-foot climbing tower, turning the 12-level structure into a 3,500-square-foot immersive exhibit called Desert to the Stars. The new attraction will guide young visitors through the desert, forest, mountains and sky, all inspired by the landscapes of the Mojave Desert.
The museum describes Desert to the Stars as a multisensory journey through Southern Nevada's natural world, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The exhibit will weave in immersive technology, hands-on experiences, storytelling and physical challenges, and it draws its theme directly from the region's desert ecosystem, per DISCOVERY Children's Museum.
Visitors will encounter Joshua trees and Mojave yucca alongside desert bighorn sheep, kit foxes and Mojave Desert tortoises as they climb through the tower's levels. The museum's own materials specifically name those species as part of the new design.
A Tribute to Southern Nevada's Wild Places
Beyond its plant and animal life, Desert to the Stars will spotlight three protected landscapes that define the region: Valley of Fire State Park, Lake Mead National Recreation Area and Avi Kwa Ame National Monument. The museum says the goal is to help children see Las Vegas as something more than an urban landscape, with young visitors encouraged to discover, appreciate and help protect the places that surround them, according to museum representative Laura Christian, cited by the Review-Journal.
The exhibit is built around nature-based learning and literacy meant to help children understand ecosystems and environmental stewardship, the museum notes. It's also designed to promote curiosity, exploration and conservation, while strengthening gross-motor skills and physical activity for visitors of all ages and abilities as they navigate the tower's climbs and challenges.
Federal Grant Funds the Transformation
The project is getting a financial boost from a $250,000 Museums for America grant awarded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services — the third consecutive year DISCOVERY Children's Museum has received the funding, according to the museum's announcement. The grant-supported project was chosen from 347 applications, with 115 recipients receiving recognition overall.
That funding will help the museum weave new content about water conservation and sustainable practices into the exhibit, and the project is intended to serve families, children from birth to age 12, caregivers and educators alike. Immersive technology using interactive LED panels will bring the desert, forest, mountains, clouds and space into virtual reality inside the tower, the museum says.
Timing and What's Open During Construction
DISCOVERY Children's Museum is targeting a Spring 2028 opening for Desert to the Stars, according to its own announcement, while a separate report from BroadwayWorld lists a more specific target of April 2028. The exact opening date has not been settled between the two accounts.
In the meantime, families don't have to skip the tower entirely. The museum says explorers may still enjoy second- and third-floor level play during the transition, even though the full top-to-bottom climb won't be available until the new exhibit is complete. DISCOVERY Children's Museum also plans to announce complementary programming once Desert to the Stars officially opens.
