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.

It's alive! Monster mini golf returned to the generator this October with some of the most exciting…read moreand elaborate mini golf creations ever witnessed. Some of the most creative people in the world called the generator and we get to have all of this right here in our backyard. If you're not familiar, the generator is a maker space that house is numerous independent artists that create works of all shape sizes and mediums . It's also a community of artistic folks who come together to learn and enhance each other creativity and teach each other how to become better and more accomplished artists as well. The resource sharing in the space is magical and the work that comes out of it has put our community on the map in a major way. We are so fortunate to have This organization in our community and if you got to check it out, I urge you to hit their website, find an opportunity and get in there. Even if you don't know what you wanna do you can still just drop in and check it out and see everything that's going on so you can be inspired to dive in a little deeper. Back to the mini golf, though this is an annual event where teams come together to showcase their creativity and encourage others to just come and have a little fun interacting with it. The mini golf course has 18 holes a very themes, all tied back to the Halloween holiday my favorites this year had to be the massive Mount Rose Ski lift and Mountain, which was fully operational. I also loved the haunted house that was a full long walk-through or should I say put through and of course, the cow casino, or CowSino, complete with working slot machine that accepted Candy as coins and paid out a massive sugary jackpot when the bell tolled. The cost to attend is super affordable and it's a great outing for a date night family or just friends hanging out . The generator does a ton of other events throughout the year, so definitely hit their website scope out the calendar and get involved .

I write this review with mixed emotions. My daughter has attended summer camp here the last two…read moreyears and loved it. The space is amazing, there is a beautiful park across the street, and the teachers were energetic and had plans for each day. Kids used a different medium each day and did sculpting, 3D printing, etc. They went to the park almost every day and made creative projects where they learned a lot, my daughter loved it. This summer has been completely different. From the moment I brought my daughter in on Monday and asked where she should put her stuff and was told, "I don't know, I guess we can try over there?" I could tell there was no coherent plan. I was also told right away it was going to be tough because there are "a lot more students this year" when it seems like the camp is the same size or even smaller than I have observed in years past. Most of the day is spent in "free time" where there are legos and arts and crafts in a room, there is a yellow piece of tape the students are supposed to stay behind and they are kind of left to their own devices. They have gone to the park once. I asked today if they would be going, and I was told by the teacher they didn't want to get left out if it starts pouring, even though it's an unseasonably beautiful day with a high in the low to mid 70s. There is an 8% chance of rain, in the afternoon, and when I said I don't think it's supposed to rain the teacher told me that her phone said "blaring thunderstorms." The only medium the kids have used is plaster and hot glue, and there is no exploring of the space and activities in other parts of the beautiful space like there used to be. The kids are safe, and it's not like anything is horribly wrong, but there is no creativity or coherent plan, and my daughter, who never complains, said it's boring this year and she doesn't want to go back. I brought this up with the teacher and she informed me it's her first time there, and she's "still trying to figure out the camp and what is and isn't allowed." I'm not sure completely what that means, but for the students who signed up for this week, that doesn't do them much good. She also mentioned "Well, we'll be doing a lot more stuff today," which I guess is great, but also an admission they haven't done much, and it's already the last day of the camp for this session. It is a CLEAR case of making things easier for the teachers over prioritizing the experience of the students. Kids need to be safe, but teachers also need to be proactive and creative, and if there are too many kids for this to happen, there needs to be more staff added.

My daughter and I bought tickets online the last minute to The Notebook…read more The seats were about 80$ each. The process to book online was fairly simple and it's convenient to choose the seats too. The Pioneer inside is clean and everyone is friendly. They showed us to our seats and even offered to take our picture in front of the sign! It's nice that they offer a concession stand before and at intermission. This play and performance was magical! We look forward to returning.

We recently saw Paw Patrol live at the Pioneer Center. I had not been here in many, many years so…read morethis was a great opportunity to reacquaint myself with the venue. What a great place for live shows! Given the age of this building, they have done a spectacular job with the upkeep. The building still seems new and the interior is clean and updated. The seats are very comfortable and the traffic patterns are well thought out, even on a busy show day. They have concession stands available on both floors- spreading out traffic and easing the lines/crowds. Prices are reasonable for a live events venue. The show itself was great, and the venue is clearly well designed with great acoustics and great views from every seat in mind. The technical features available at the venue also seem to be pretty high tech and modern- at least they were for the Paw Patrol show. I was especially impressed with the restrooms. Sparkling clean with so many restrooms available. I can't imagine lines for the restroom ever being an issue here. I regret not having been here for any shows in so long. I am already looking forward to my next visit and have found myself already scouring the website for which shows are coming soon that I'd like to see. Would recommend!

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!

Visited on a Saturday afternoon at approx. 3pm. The cafe has closed by then, and the museum wasn't…read morebusy. We managed to visit two floors of exhibits in about an hour. There were many thought-provoking and educational pieces. I love that the fruit and vegetables planted on site is accessible to everyone. I also love the floral mural and curtains in the lounge. The retail items in the gift shops are gorgeous as well. Would have been awesome if there were NMA merchandise to purchase for souvenirs!

We have now been to this majestic spot x2 now. The first a couple of weeks ago, and quite honestly…read morewe just kind of stumbled upon it. We were in the area and saw the big black widow spider and thought what a large Halloween store. But we were pleasantly mistaken - What used to be a bowling alley has now been repurposed into an absolute wonderland of an experience. It's a full blown kid friendly adult friendly haunted warehouse. My 4 year old son had an absolute blast, it starts of with a bit of trick or treating as your making your way through the adventure, then turns into a full on experience as each and every room has a theme from Jurassic park, aliens, robots, clowns, skeletons, a mirror room that I conveniently banged my head into, all the way to the super psychedelic tunnel. Which leads you to the Macabre mansion - for adults and children too. THEY ARE EXTREMELY ACCOMMODATING- asking how scary you'd like the experience to be. Seeing as my Little guy is 4 we asked for no jump scares. And made it through enjoying every bit of the way. My little guy hugged the zombie, high fives leather face and complimented his chainsaw, noting it looked like it could use some oil, but the blood would do. We had an absolute blast. They are doing a Christmas themed experience as well. The owner has a dream, retired and sunk all of her savings into an experience we can all appreciate. I hope to see them sound for many many more years to come. Do yourself a favor and check them out! You won't be disappointed.

This was such a great experience. The kids had a great time…read morein their family friendly area with trick or treating and so many different areas to see. The dinosaurs were amazing and the pirate room made you feel like you were in the ocean water. The vortex was such a neat addition to the adventure. The scary side did not disappoint. I'm not going to spoil it for you but be prepared to scream! Well worth the admission price.

Back in February 2013, when I first visited Reno, seeing the Lear Theater downtown helped solidify…read moremy sense that Reno had a good arts and culture scene and thus could be a very decent place to live. I didn't know then that the Lear Theater had been closed since 2002. Nevertheless, the building was attractive and prominently located on Riverside Dr. and seemed to bode good things. The theater remains closed, but I have had the pleasure of seeing the Merry War Theater Group perform outdoor Shakespeare on the steps and front lawn of the Lear for two summers now, and damn do they do an excellent job of making the space work for them. Big trees provide nice shade for the Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening performances. The set construction uses well the front porch and side lawn. And alleyway: a character always needs to make an entrance on a motorcycle! The tickets are $5 suggested donation and one can picnic in the audience area before the show. Chase McKenna is a genius at making classic Shakespeare fun: in 2014 "A Midsummer Night's Dream" had Burners as fairies and in 2015 "Much Ado About Nothing" was set in Texas. So much fun! The cast always does a great job including music and physical comedy in the performance, too. I understand that TEDxReno took place in the Lear in 2014. Maybe in the future more good things besides Merry War's summer productions will happen! But I hear there is also an unfortunate history of failed attempts to restore the Lear. So... yeah. Nevertheless: four stars for an aesthetically pleasing exterior and for being a great site for outdoor Shakespeare.

Beyond the shadow of a doubt, the Sparks Heritage Museum is one of the most amazing places to learn…read moreabout Nevada history. Within its walls stories of the cities, founding life in the old West, the people officers and firefighters who protect us are all shared here. It is at this museum where you can feel like a kid again and learn about the amazing history of Sparks Nevada. It is here where you find traces of Giants that once called downtown Sparks home( PS if you're wondering what I mean by giant I mean Bertha, Tina and Angel, the elephants that ones lived at the Nugget Casino) Even the very building itself is history with it being built as a library and courthouse in 1931 and functioning as the first official public library for the city of Sparks. If you are a resident of the Truckee Meadows or any kind of history enthusiast, I highly recommend visiting this museum, as well as checking out Last Chance Joe the 30 foot prospector next-door to the museum as well as the two parks that surrounded ( Sparks Memorial Park and Lillard Park) combined all three of these locations. Tell the story of Sparks, Nevada, and how it was started as a small railroad town that was literally transported to where it is now by rail to the growing city that it has become since it's founding in 1904. Additionally Details; The museum is going through some changes currently, but it still has some truly amazing displays and it will be celebrating its 40th anniversary on April 1 of next year and they have told me that there is gonna be some truly amazing surprises in the near future . Again, if you are a lover of history or just a local resident with some time to kill, I highly suggest checking out the sparks heritage museum. It is a hidden gem in the Truckee Meadows.

Family friendly attraction. Amazing volunteers work here who are full of knowledge! The lady at the…read moreschoolhouse is so sweet; she lets you ring the old bell and teaches you all sorts of things about schools and teachers back then. Also, the conductor for the train tour has been volunteering for 10 years and gave an amazing tour. We learned a lot about old Sparks, the railroad and train station, & many other fun facts about the local history.