The Rock River Discovery Park is closed for the season.
Explore the first community-built outdoor science park in the nation.
Outside Discovery Center Museum, our award-winning Rock River Discovery Park provides even more hands-on learning experiences for your family. Whisper across the park, explore a cave, dig for dinosaur bones, examine a waterway with locks and dams, test friction by sliding on slides, and investigate many more exhibits. This outdoor playground combines fun and learning!
Measuring 40 feet in length with an 8-foot water wheel, Waterworks invites you to manipulate water wheels or use the Boat Blaster to give vessels a boost through one of four racing lanes. Experiment with the whitewater makers, dams and water wheels to control the water's speed and path, or simply go wild and get wet in the Wacky Plumbing and Water Jets areas.
Since childhood obesity has become a focus in our country, we wanted to add a “healthy” element to our park. Guiding you through the Healthy Choices Maze are a series of colorful panels promoting healthy food and lifestyle choices you can make.
The Secret Garden is filled with gardens, pathways, native plants and natural materials. The entry to the Secret Garden is through an arched trellis with vines creating a “secret” feel to the space. Around the perimeter is a lattice to soften the hard architecture of the buildings bordering the space on two sides and further the secret garden feel. Within the space are planting beds for a butterfly garden, sensory garden, fountain, and native plantings.
