Admission for Two Adults or Two Children to the Western Science Center in Hemet
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230,000 years of history explored through interactive displays, artifacts, research lab & educational films shown on 270-degree movie screen
Without archeology, the only reason for humans to collect rocks would be to defend themselves against enemies with scissors. Ogle some storied stones with today's Groupon to the Western Science Center in Hemet. The center offers discounts for seniors and students, while children younger than 4 and those with a military ID are admitted for free. Choose between the following options:
- For $6, you get admission for two children (a $12 value). For $8, you get admission for two adults (up to a $16 value).
The Western Science Center illuminates the last 230,000 years of the Diamond Valley Lake region's history in a 43,000-square-foot facility packed with interactive displays of artifacts and fossils. Adults and children alike will marvel at the museum's exhibits, gaping in disbelief at a nearly 7-foot-tall giant ground sloth, a 10-foot-tall mastodon named Max, and an average-height staff. Engaging exhibits also show guests what life was like for indigenous people and early western settlers. The museum and on-site research lab share nearly one million archeological artifacts and paleontological specimens, the bulk of which were unearthed during the building of the Diamond Valley Lake reservoir in the early 1990s. Visit the simulated dig site on the museum grounds for a look at hands-on archaeology and paleontology, or for a tutorial on how to build the world's largest dirt castle.
Two short films make the circular movie theater shake and rattle as giants from the Ice Age stampede and step dance across the 270-degree screen. A LEED Platinum–certified museum complex, the center is known for its green design, which features a rooftop bedecked with a 3,000-panel photovoltaic array and a generator powered by the curiosity of children. The science center also hosts special exhibits. The current display examines the history of robots and humans (closing September 11, 2011), with an interactive dinosaur exhibit opening October 1, 2011.
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About Western Science Center
More than one million fossils and artifacts were unearthed during the construction the Diamond Valley Lake reservoir in Hemet. These time-swept relics make their home in the Western Science Center's museum complex, creating a bridge between ancient eras and the scientific advances of the future. The campus itself is steeped in advanced design tactics, making it the first museum in California to earn a Platinum LEED Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. A rooftop covered with 3,000 solar panels provides more than half of the museum's power needs, and a combination of heat-resistant windows and forced-air circulation keeps the interior cool while spending less energy on air conditioning and ice sculpture maintenance.
A journey through the ages begins from the moment visitors step from the parking lot and under the Life on Earth Timelime, a 156-foot corridor of geologic time rings from Pre-Cambrian to Holocene that leads to the museum lobby. Inside, they explore permanent and temporary exhibits, including "Max," the largest mastodon skeleton found in the Western United States and the Discovery lab highlighting the tool contemporary architects use every day. Crowds can take a seat in the immersion theater with a 270-degree screen to watch a pair of short films about the time when giant creatures roamed California and how the region was excavated and preserved.