Prolific writer and prohibitionist, Bernie Babcock, established the Arkansas Museum of Natural History and Antiquities in 1927 in response to criticism from H.L.

Her museum had several sensational exhibits, such as the supposed head of a Chicago criminal and the King Crowley, now considered the greatest archaeological fake in Arkansas history.

The museum was one of three state organizations to receive a mold of the Arkansaurus fridayi fossil - "The Arkansas Dinosaur" - and also had a statue of it.

In 2008 the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation awarded a $9.2 million grant to the Museum of Discovery in Little Rock for expansion and renovations.

[citation needed] Following renovations, the Museum of Discovery reopened in January 2012 with a new focus of STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) education.

[3] On July 4, 2015, the Museum of Discovery debuted a Guinness World Record musical bi-polar tesla coil.

[citation needed] In April 2019, the Museum of Discovery partnered with a local silicone manufacturer to create a brightly colored hands-on display to benefit children in Arkansas on the autism spectrum.