Why pay for dinner and a night out when you can make it yourself? Check out this great date night experience at Nothing To It Culinary Center.

Last Friday, my wife and I attended a culinary class At the Nothing To It Culinary Center. Our class showed us how to make homemade sushi. We learned about the history of sushi, how to select the freshest of fish in the Reno, Nevada area (yes, there are places to find fresh fish in Reno), how to prepare the rice, and how to ultimately roll the sushi in nori paper (a.k.a. the seaweed). We both had a fantastic time.

If you’ve experienced Reno for any amount of time, you know that Reno is a mecca for all-you-can-eat sushi. For the price of what we would pay for all-you-can-eat, we managed to create 2 to 3 times that amount. Boy, were we stuffed when we left to go home.

The Nothing To It Culinary Center is home to more than cooking classes. It also has a shop dedicated to kitchen utensils and other culinary items that may be hard to find elsewhere. It has a fully functional deli and a catering business for events large and infinitesimally small. It is more of a four-in-one shop. You might recognize it from the Delicious by DaVita segments on KRNV, channel 4. Nothing To It is now celebrating its 14th year as a business. You can see the building from the freeway on I-580/I-395 near Best Buy and Barnes and Noble at 225 Crummer Lane, Reno, NV 89502.

Our class was taught by Lara Ritchie, the owner of Nothing To It. I must say, she was delightful and very down to earth. She infused humor and education into a delicious meal and made it even more memorable. She was really fun to watch as she showed us the techniques of how to slice fish, pack the rice and roll a delicious and exquisite sushi roll. Sushi is definitely a fine art. However, anyone can do it really. Lara Ritchie made the class very inviting. So much so, that we are already contemplating another visit for another class.You can even find deals through LivingSocial and Groupon from time to time. You should sign up for those deals because there is always something good on those deals sites that pops up regularly.

Nothing To It hosts classes well beyond sushi. You can take a class for anything from grilling to Italian, Mexican to basic techniques. There is even a class for shopping at a local farmer’s market and preparing what you find that same day for a meal. It’s really an all-around culinary center. They definitely know what they’re doing and you’d be in good hands to try it yourself.

There are even classes for kids. There is a mom and daughter class and even while we attended the sushi class, a child around the age of 8 or 10 was present. So don’t think this is only an experience for adults. Feel free to bring your kid with you if they are old enough to understand kitchen safety and basic knife handling skills.

This experience is well worth the money. In fact, I would highly encourage it. With Mother’s Day and Father’s Day coming up, it would make an excellent gift for that special someone from the little ones you may have that may not be able to figure out what mom or dad wants just yet. Or even just for a date night. It’s a great idea worth pursuing.

So what are you waiting for? Give it a try. You’ll be glad you did. I know my wife and I are glad we did. We had a terrific time.

Arts and crafts, pottery, paint brushes and family fun at The Clay Canvas in Reno, N‌evada.

Looking for a fun activity to unleash your creative side, try painting pottery at The Clay Canvas in Reno, Nevada. It’s a great activity to get the creative juices flowing and a great chance to make memories with your kids, not to mention a chance to get messy.

The Clay Canvas in Reno offers a fantastic little studio with plenty of options for painting everything from a teapot to a figurine or just something fun like what my daughter chose, a ladybug. The Clay Canvas is perfect for a fun activity with your children (age 3 and older), a date night or even ladies night out. I had the chance recently, to take my daughter out for some mommy-daughter time and we chose The Clay Canvas. We are glad we did and we had the best time. This is the perfect solution for getting your hands dirty and to bring out the smiles. Take a chance and stop by. You’ll be glad you did.

When: Open painting sessions are offered throughout the week, an extended schedule on the weekend (check out their website for an updated schedule). This location is also available for birthday parties.

Where: The Clay Canvas is located on West Plumb Lane near Great Harvest Bread Company.

What: Create your own masterpiece with your child, on a date night or go for mom’s night out.

How to dress and what to bring: Bring yourself and clothes you don’t mind getting paint on (the paint is washable and soap is available in mass quantities).

Need to know: This is a hands-on class; getting messy is likely but they do provide aprons and plenty of soap.

Extra Extra: Don’t forget to check out their coupon page http://theclaycanvasreno.com/coupons.htm/.

Website/Contact Information: TheClayCanvasReno.com.

Discovering Nevada through a child’s eyes

Not too long ago a common lament about the Reno/Tahoe area was that there were not enough educational activities to do with your children. Well, thanks to the arrival of the Terry Lee Wells Nevada Discovery Museum, that old whine can finally be put to rest.

At 10:00 am on a bright (and hot) Saturday morning, Christine and I caravan’d three excited kids to downtown Reno for C and my first trip to the Nevada Discovery Museum. I wasn’t sure what to expect. I had heard nothing but rave reviews from fellow moms but wasn’t sure if it lived up to the hype. Well, it did, in spades.

Upon entering through the glass-clad exterior (very modern, I must say) we somehow managed to get the kids to bypass the impressive gift-shop near the entrance and made it to the information desk. Tickets for everyone over the age of one are $8, but after some discussion with the attendant, I decided to get the family annual pass. This, my friends, is a steal. For $85 you get a year pass for two adults and up to a crazy six children, plus discounts on classes, events, and birthday parties should you choose the museum as your venue for such an occasion. There are multiple membership levels. This page will provide you with a better idea of which level might be good for you and your family. Finally, our business complete and fees paid, we ushered the kids into the museum.

Now Christine’s brood are old champs at the museum, so they were not standing in wide-eyed amazement like C and myself, beholding at the scene in front of us and considering what to do first.

On the top level, we were immediately greeted by an airplane. Little A jumped into it and began manipulating the controls for the wing and tail flaps like she was about to take off. C and N were more interested in the tree slide in a room for younger children off to the left. Crawlers and toddlers all took turns sliding done the tree and playing with the the foaming area. Christine, in her infinite wisdom, suggested we head downstairs to the Truckee River display; an 80-foot-long mock river that began in the mountainous Tahoe region (complete with wind generators you can position) that traveled through rapids to meander slowly through Reno towards the hydraulic power of the Derby Dam. The river finally comes to rest in Pyramid Lake. The model is really well done. You can float a boat from the top to bottom (and coincidentally sink it multiple times like C found out), operate the dam to control water pressure, and get really wet. Next comes the main feature of the downstairs area.

Right in the middle of the downstairs area is the Cloud Climber, a huge netted jungle gym that let you climb a potential three stories on equipment shaped like clouds. Sadly, this gem was closed for cleaning on the day we visited.

Note of warning to parents: little ones, unsure of their climbing abilities, can get scared in the Cloud Climber and require an attendant to escort them down. So, before you allow your kids to romp through the clouds, employ a serious dose of parental judgement.

Officially soaked, the kids decided to head to the camping room with a ceiling created to look like the night sky in Northern Nevada, twinkling stars and all. Children can crawl through caves, fish for local trout, camp in the wilderness, and mimic the melodies of the local fauna. C and A did an especially impressive coyote.

Done with nature, we went upstairs to work on our construction prowess. C and N worked on building a house. A kind-hearted volunteer built a fabulous foam block Reno Arch before immediately inviting the kids to knock into the over-sized blowing balls. I worked on an interactive home building site to build my most eco-friendly retreat. I did pretty well but didn’t make the best choice with choosing grass over natural landscaping. What can I say? I like grass.

There was so much else to do, such as learn how to make and earthquake-safe building and discover wind power, but the kiddos were itching to go to the next room to work on an art project in Da Vinci’s Corner.

We spent some time in this science-filled niche and assisted the kids in making little Popsicle-stick light catchers. N seemed more fascinated with the magnet wall while C was a regular one-man army working a miniature trebuchet to knock down buildings. Unfortunately, nap time was fast approaching, which meant we did not get to take full advantage of the Nevada Stories room, which upon first glance is my favorite.

Our quick walk through showed Nevada throughout the ages, from the prehistoric range of the Ichthyosaur to Native American settlements, mining town settlements and finally to the modern era. This room was the largest and most historically interesting and definitely on my list of first to visit upon our next trip.

Even though we were only there for a short time, C still was able to dig for buried treasures, make a fossil imprint, and paint water on soapstone.

By far, my favorite element of the museum was its complete inclusion of Nevada into all of its activities. Each part of the museum can be tied to something happening right outside your home, making it that much more tangible to our children. The Discovery Museum is so successful because it is Nevada.

Want more? Here is Christine’s take on the Nevada Discovery Museum:

Explore, play and learn all in the same air conditioned building, sounds like a teacher’s dream and a parents dream, right? Well this mommy (who also happens to be a teacher) had her dreams come true with the Discovery Museum in Downtown Reno. The old City Hall building was recently converted into space to learn, play and explore. Your artist can create their own masterpiece, while your little engineer can build a green home or experiment with wind energy. Children can discover more about the place we call home, by “camping under the stars” or cooking over the fire near their covered wagon.

When: Daily, the museum is open 7 days a week, check their website for seasonal hours. Week day afternoons are a great time to go when the school/camp crowds have gone and just before they close. Kids can roam with very little foot traffic.

Where: Downtown Reno, just behind the Federal Courthouse.

What: Various rooms of activities meant to teach children about Art, Science, History, Engineering and many more. Many of the rooms/areas have a Nevada theme as well. The Discovery Museum also has a little explorer’s room for soft play.

How to dress and what to bring: Wear comfortable shoes as your children will want to run from exhibit to exhibit .The Discovery Museum also offers a family friendly cafeteria style area that you can eat your own sack lunch.

Need to know: The Discovery Museum offers several rooms and packages for birthday parties as well as classes for kids nearly every weekend and a special class on Wednesday mornings for the stroller crowd. They have several week-long Summer camps as well.

Extra Extra: If you are local, a membership for a family of four will be paid for in less than 3 visits. Also offered are reciprocal memberships that allow you to visit nearly 200 Children’s Museums across the US.

Still want more? Here is Will’s dad take on the Nevada Discovery Museum:

This museum has everything that many of the Smithsonian museums in Washington have from interactivity, to engaging and historically accurate exhibits.

My favorite two places of the museum are the water feature of the Truckee River downstairs and the magnetic tube wall where you can drop a ping pong ball down a series of tubes of your own design. As a dad, I can play at these two exhibits with the kids the entire visit. I think they are more fun for parents that for the kids.

This is definitely a museum you can get lost in for a very long time (well, at least until it’s time for the little ones to take a nap) and the kids are kept busy the entire time as well. If you’re looking for something to do on a day where heading into the outdoors is something that doesn’t look promising, head over to the Nevada Discovery Museum. You won’t regret the experience.

Website/Contact Information: http://www.nvdm.org