Denis Sullivan

2022 Update:

Due to the pandemic, the S/V Denis Sullivan has remained docked at Discovery World under the diligent care of our dedicated staff and volunteers who have ensured that the S/V Denis Sullivan is in excellent condition.

Until further notice, the ship will remain docked at Discovery World as staff and board have determined that the S/V Denis Sullivan will not sail in 2022. Discovery World will continue to perform the maintenance and restoration work required of a 22-year-old sailing vessel. While foregoing the sailing season was not an easy choice, it is necessary as we continue to pursue further options and opportunities for the S/V Denis Sullivan.

Design It! Lab (Open Saturdays & Sundays)

Join in the fun!

The Kohl’s Design It! Lab is open to the public on Saturdays and Sundays from 9:00am-3:30pm with last seating for project creation at 3:15pm.

FREE with general admission or Discovery World Membership! The Kohl’s Design It ! Lab is located on the 2nd Floor of the Technology Building.

Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. One (1) family per table. Discovery World encourages all guests, regardless of vaccination status, to wear a mask or face covering while inside the building.

Wind Leaves

Created in 2006 by nature artist, Ned Kahn, Wind Leaves is a series of soaring aluminum columns that rotate with the wind. Located right outside Discovery World, the Leaves are covered with thousands of stainless steel disks that swirl and ripple with the wind, creating a kaleidoscope of reflections from the lake, the sky, and the city.

The Wind Leaves are surrounded by musical benches that can be played like xylophones and a musical sculpture that you can play by dropping pebbles into it.

Milwaukee Muscle

Explore motors, gears, engines, and power. Investigate ingenious engineering. Pilot a virtual plane at the Flight Simulator, sponsored in partnership with Southwest Airlines. Learn how machines move! And so much more!

Fluid Power presented by HUSCO International

Explore the science of hydraulics at these fun, interactive stations.

A Real, Working Mini-Excavator

Able to lift thousands of pounds, this hydraulic mini-excavator is easily as powerful as the old cable and gear steam shovels that were used to dig the Panama Canal. Work with your family and friends to operate the boom, bucket, swing arm, and tracks. You can also investigate Pascal’s law and lift an impressively large object, explore power density and lift your friends, and discover what makes fluid power so flexible.

Multiply your might and amplify your ingenuity with Fluid Power!

Bernoulli Table 

Investigate the foundations of fluid dynamics at this amazingly fun table. Suspend colorful spheres in the air as you discover how flight works.

Sponsored in partnership with Southwest Airlines.

Simple Machine Shipyard

There are six classical simple machines, the elementary “building blocks” of all the complicated machines today. You can put them to work at Discovery World.

Can you lift a log? A boulder? A giant block of ice? A house? Can you lift yourself? Of course you can! Harness the power of mechanical advantage with simple machines.

Challenge

Make waves on The Challenge!

The Challenge is a replica of a Great Lakes Schooner that sailed 1852-1889.

The original vessel was built by a 25 year-old shipwright named William Wallace Bates, who had only an 8th grade education and influenced shipbuilding by including the use of a retractable centerboard. The Challenge was the semi-truck of the Great Lakes.

The replica was built in the fall of 2005 by master builder Rob Stevens. Experience the living and working conditions aboard a 19th Century sailing vessel, and learn more about the physics, science, and technology of sailing.

Aquarium

Experience the Wonder of Wild Places

Explore the astounding underwater worlds of the Reiman Aquarium. Discover strange, beautiful, and fascinating creatures from around the world, including the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, the rivers of the Amazon Basin, African Rift Lakes, and right here in the Great Lakes. Pet stingrays and sturgeon. Meet adorable turtles, a ball python, poison dart frogs, and so much more.

When we explore the natural world, we can learn to observe, understand, and protect wild underwater places and the creatures that live there.

Aquarium Search

Looking for a challenge? We’ve created this scavenger hunt to help you explore Discovery World’s Reiman Aquarium.

Aquarium Search