Las Vegas is full of fantastic educational destinations that can teach you about nature, science, and history. Whether you are an adult who loves learning new things or a parent who wants to take their little ones somewhere new, there is plenty to do for all ages. Here are just a few of the many educational destinations you will find in Las Vegas, courtesy of Crème de la Crème. 

Discovery Children’s Museum

The Discovery Children’s Museum has exhibits for children of all ages. For children who love hands-on learning, the Discovery Lab lets kids take chances and try new things without worrying about failure. Your kids can develop critical thinking skills as they go through the trial-and-error process to figure out what works best as they work through different interactive experiences. Whether you try the open-making area, which lets you use materials that stimulate inquiry, or the guided area, which offers fun technology, there are lots of fun projects you can try. 

Other exhibits that you can explore in the museum include The Summit, a 70-foot play structure that includes interactive science exhibits; Discover Castle, which explores the medieval era; and Eco City, which explores people and buildings in the community. Water World, Toddler Town, Solve It, Young at Art, and Patents Pending are even more exhibits. Be sure to check out the website for more information about these exciting exhibits. 

Shark Reef Aquarium

Both adults and kids will love the Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay. The aquarium is home to over 2,000 different animals, including fish, sharks, giant rays, a Komodo dragon, and endangered green sea turtles. You can walk through the aquarium and learn about all the creatures as you watch them within their habitats. 

Included in your aquarium experience is the chance to enjoy the undersea explorer VR theater, which takes you on a 360-degree, 3-D virtual reality adventure. There are different adventures that you can watch, including swimming with humpback whales or diving with tiger sharks and hammerheads. The VR Theater is included with the price of admission and is a great educational experience that places you in the middle of the ocean with these incredible sea creatures. 

Image via Flickr by jdnx

Las Vegas Natural History Museum

At the Las Vegas Natural History Museum, you can explore the world by taking a look at exhibits that range from prehistoric times to the present. There are plenty of different galleries you can explore. Treasures of Egypt lets you learn about Tutankhamen and his tomb, while the Prehistoric Life Gallery has life-size dinosaurs, including a 35-foot Tyrannosaurus Rex that moves. You can also try the Dinosaur Mummy CSI: Cretaceous Science Investigation, which showcases the Dinosaur Mummy, Leonardo, who was naturally mummified before being fossilized. 

Other available exhibits include Galleries of Marine Life, the African Savannah, International Wildlife, Prehistoric Mammals, Wild Nevada, and Geology. There is also a Young Scientist Center that gives children a chance to become paleontologists and look for fossils or explore the ocean inside a submarine as a marine biologist and a variety of other interactive activities. 

The Mob Museum

For anyone interested in gaining a better understanding of the history of organized crime within American society, you can visit the Mob Museum. The museum has four floors and includes some fun and exciting exhibits. You can find the Underground in the building’s basement. It takes you back to Prohibition times, complete with a distillery, speakeasy, and artifacts from the 1920s. Other exhibits cover different mobsters and a lesson on organized crime today. 

For an exciting interactive experience, you can check out the Crime Lab, which lets you find and analyze forensic evidence as crime scene investigators. Children 11 years and older can do this fun experience, although you do need to purchase a special ticket for it. 

Another interactive activity available is the Firearm Training Simulator, which places guests in the place of law enforcement officers and gives them the chance to go through training exercises. This experience is available to children who are 13 years and older, although parental consent is required for minors, and children 13-16 must be accompanied by an adult. This activity also requires a special ticket.

Springs Preserve

Springs Preserve is a 180-acre institution that features museums, galleries, gardens, and trail systems that showcase Las Vegas’ history and help look to the future as we try to build a more sustainable world. The preserve has served as the original source of water for thousands of years to the Native Americans in the area and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1978. 

There are lots of things to do at Springs Preserve, including the Origen Museum, which has 75 permanent exhibits and an indoor theater. The Botanical Gardens are an oasis that showcases the Mojave Desert and desert-adapted plants. Springs Preserve is also home to the Nevada State Museum, which includes exhibits such as Nevada’s state fossil, a stalactite cave, and holographic miners. 

Other things you might want to check out are the Butterfly Habitat or Boomtown 1905, which is a recreated streetscape of Las Vegas from 1905 to 1920. WaterWorks offers visitors a unique experience, giving you a hands-on look at the inner workings of a water-pumping facility. If you are interested in sustainability, you can check out the Sustainability Gallery, which teaches you how to live in a more eco-friendly manner, or DesertSol, a solar-powered home. The preserve also includes live animal exhibits, such as frogs, lizards, Gila monsters, a gray fox, and cottontails. There are also over 250 species of wildlife that you can look for on their trails and pathways. 

There are so many cool educational destinations in Las Vegas that it’s hard to name them all. Whether you have young children in preschool, older children, or are a child at heart and love to learn, there is no shortage of places to visit in Las Vegas. Do you have a favorite place that you love to go? Share your favorite educational destination in Las Vegas with us at Crème de la Crème! We can’t wait to hear from you.