Parties and Rentals

Parties can be scheduled up to 6 months in advance. We suggest asking about available dates 4-6 months in advance, but last-minute requests also will be considered. 

Parties can be scheduled on both weekend and weekday afternoons; if you are interested to host an evening party, please see the Rentals section.

On Saturdays and Sundays, the party timeslots are 12:30-2:15pm and 2:30-4:15pm. On weekdays, the party timeslot is 3:00-4:45pm.

A party is one hour and 45 minutes in total, split between your time in the Community Building and the rest of the Museum campus. 

You and your guests will have up to 45 minutes in our Community Building, where food can be served, and one hour for exploring in Discovery Museum and Discovery Woods. You can also have additional time in the Museum if you spend less than 45 minutes in the Community Building: for example, if you spend only 30 minutes in the Community Building, that leaves one hour and 15 minutes for playing before you and your guests leave. 

As party host, you will also have 15 minutes each for setup and cleanup in the Community Building.

Weekend parties are $640 for Discovery Museum members and $800 for non-members. Weekday parties are $540 for both members and non-members. 

Parties include:

• 45 minutes of private party time in our newly renovated Community Building
• 1 hour of play, exploration, and learning in Discovery Museum and Discovery Woods
• Party Assistant to help with setup, cleanup, and basic tasks
• Use of our reusable plates, cups, and utensils
• Compostable napkins and "draw on me" placemats with crayons
• Admission to Discovery Museum and Discovery Woods for up to 45 guests, with a maximum of 26 children

A 50% non-refundable deposit is needed to hold a specific date and time. The balance is due two weeks before the party date. We can accept mailed checks or credit card payments over the phone. 

There is space for up to 26 children, with a maximum of 45 people total including the birthday child and family. It is not possible to use memberships, library passes, coupons, or other discounts to pay for party guests. 

Babies are people too and should be included in your party guest headcount. Your youngest party guests will enjoy our Brain Building Together gallery, designed for children ages 0-3 and their caregivers. 

Larger groups cannot be accommodated during a daytime party, but you may be able to celebrate with a private evening rental. See information about rentals at the bottom of this webpage.

Weekend parties

12:30 party – begins in the Community Building  

12:15 – 12:30 | Host setup time in Community Building
12:30 | Guests arrive at Community Building for private party time for up to 45 minutes
1:15 (or earlier) to 2:15 | Guests play in Museum and outside in Discovery Woods
1:15 – 1:30 | Host cleanup time in the Community Building
2:15 | Host and guests leave campus or pay admission to stay longer

2:30 party – begins in the Community Building

2:15 – 2:30 | Host setup time in Community Building
2:30 | Guests arrive at Community Building for private party time for up to 45 minutes
3:15 (or earlier) to 4:15 | Guests play in Museum and outside in Discovery Woods
3:15 – 3:30 | Host cleanup time in the Community Building
4:15 | Host and guests leave campus (Museum is closing)

Weekday parties 

3:00 party – begins in the Museum

3:00 | Host and guests arrive in the Museum lobby for one hour of play in the Museum and outside in Discovery Woods
3:45 – 4:00 | Host setup time in the Community Building
4:00 – 4:45 | Private party time in the Community Building for up to 45 minutes
4:45 | Guests leave
4:45 – 5:00 | Host cleanup time in the Community Building

For weekend parties: Guests should meet you at the Community Building, not in the main Museum building. Before heading up to the Museum to play, your Party Assistant will hand out admission stickers to your guests. The party will end in the Museum lobby.  

For weekday parties: Guests should meet you in the Museum lobby. Your Party Assistant will meet you and your guests there and hand out admission stickers. The party will end in the Community Building. 

We ask that your guests leave our campus at the end of your scheduled party timeslot:

Weekend parties

12:30 party: Museum play ends at 2:15, guests leave the campus or pay admission to extend their stay
2:30 party: Museum play ends at 4:15, guests leave the campus (Museum is closing)

Weekday parties

3:00 party: Museum play ends at 4:00, guests move to Community Building and leave the campus at 4:45

You are responsible for managing your guests and your time both during your private party time in the Community Building and while playing in Discovery Museum and Discovery Woods. 

You will have a Party Assistant to assist you in the Community Building with: set-up for 15 minutes before your private party time; clean-up for 15 minutes afterwards; and as requested with tasks such as handing out cupcakes or juice boxes, wiping up spills, and tying shoelaces. Your Party Assistant is someone who knows the Museum well—be sure to ask about their recommendations and favorite gallery! 

Tips for Museum staff will not be accepted. If you are pleased with your event, please consider making a donation to the Discovery Museum to support our mission. 

You are welcome to bring your own decorations, but Piñatas, glitter, and confetti are not allowed anywhere on campus and tape cannot be used on the walls of the Community Building. Balloons are allowed in the Community Building, but they cannot be moved to the Museum or taken outside to Discovery Woods.  

We ask that you not tape things up on our walls.

You will have 15 minutes prior to the start of your private party time in the Community Building to set up, and 15 minutes after your private party time ends to clean up, with the help of your Party Assistant. Because set-up and clean-up times are brief, decorations should be simple. 

No, you may not leave personal items in the Community Building while you and your guests play in the Museum. There are several sets of cubbies in the Museum where personal items can be stored. The cubbies are open, so items of value should not be left there.

For weekend parties, you and your guests must take all your belongings when your private party time in the Community Building ends, so that the staff has time to clean and re-set the space for the next event.  We have a large rolling cart that you may borrow to transfer things out to your car during your 15 minutes of cleanup time, while your group heads up to the Museum to play. 

For weekday parties, you and your guests will meet in the Museum lobby and may not drop off personal items in the Community Building beforehand. Your Party Assistant will meet your group in the lobby with a large rolling cart for gifts and any party favors, and will wheel the cart down to the Community Building while your group plays in the Museum. As the party host, you will have 15 minutes of setup time while your group is still playing in the Museum, and can bring your personal items with you at that time. 

We provide paper "draw on me” compostable placemats and small buckets of crayons. You are welcome to bring decorative tablecloths if you prefer. There are three 8' tables for your use.

We also provide reusable plates, cups, utensils, and compostable napkins. You are welcome to bring themed paper products to use instead if you prefer. 

Please bring any food and drink you would like to serve when you arrive for your party. It is permitted to order pizza (or similar) delivered directly to the Community Building. We recommend asking for delivery at the start of your set-up time, rather than risking a late delivery.  

Yes! Our Discovery Kit party favors include a small notebook, mini set of colored pencils, magnifying glass on a lanyard, and Bessie sticker in a recycled cotton zippered bag (approximately 8"x 5.5") that has the Discovery Museum logo stamped on it. The price is $8 each and they must be paid for in advance of your party. Members will receive a 10% discount on their purchase.

The Community Building has tables and chairs to seat up to 26 party-goers. Tables are 8' long and there are three of them. 

There is also counter space, a refrigerator/freezer, a sink, and two private restrooms (one is ADA compliant). Please note that there is no microwave, stove, or ice maker. 

The refrigerator/freezer in the Community Building is for use only during your private party time. You may put items in the refrigerator/freezer when you arrive for your 15-minute setup time, and must take everything out when you depart from the Community Building after your 15-minute cleanup time.   

The Community Building is at the front of our property, close to Route 27 and near Bessie, our dinosaur mascot.  It is down the hill from the main Museum building.  Please be sure to tell this to your guests!

The building is wheelchair accessible, as are the Museum, the Treehouse, and Discovery Woods.  The Community Building has two bathrooms, one of which is ADA-compliant.

Yes, there are handicap accessible parking spots available past the Museum building; follow signs for Accessible Parking and Staff Parking.  An accessible grade path leads from the parking spots down to the Museum building and to the Community Building.

All children under the age of 14 must be supervised by an adult at all times. It is fine for children to be dropped off into your care, but please plan for at least 1 adult chaperone per 4 children while playing in the Museum or anywhere on our campus. Having 1 adult for every 2 to 3 children is recommended. 

If you need to cancel within 48 hours of your party, please call the Museum's main number 978-264-4200 and ask to speak to the Visitor Services manager on duty. If you need to cancel prior to 48 hours before your party, please email rsultan [at] discoveryacton.org (Robin Sultan). 

In the event that you cancel a party that you have paid for in full, we will not issue a refund but you may reschedule your party within one year and apply your payments to the new date.