This is going to be a negative review, so I will start off on a positive note. I liked the trilobites. I was also impressed by the variety of crystals and the mine shaft. It was nice that there was no entrance fee. However...that does not mean your visit is free. They charge for parking.That being said; I started the day stressed out and decided to spend a nice relaxing day at a museum I had not visited before. Unfortunately I ended my visit to the museum far more stressed out and disappointed than I was when I started. So, lets list the problems....1) This is not an actual museum.If you randomly google museums, see this, briefly scan the website and think you are going to a museum (as per the traditional sense of the word). You are not. This is not a normal museum. It is a series of hallways inside a random university building that contain displays interspersed between a University coffee shop and class rooms. It took me 20 minutes to look at everything I could find.2) Parking: Some parking lots charge $15. Some $5. Some will apparently get you towed. I only know this from talking to someone with the 'parking' department on the telephone, because there are otherwise ZERO signs telling you which lots charge what, which are for faculty and which are for anyone. There are also NO signs whatsoever identifying the lots. The website tells you to park in lots HV or C. Unless you have a map of the campus with you, you can't tell which lots are HV and which are C as there are no signs identifying them. 3) Building signage: The signs on the buildings are so small they might as well not be there. Not kidding. I was given directions to the 'museum' using landmarks and building shape ("the library is the big cube. Its near that") as there are no visible signs until you're right at the front door.3a) Speaking of signs; you cannot be faulted for thinking the Earth Sciences Museum would be in the Earth Sciences building. It is not. For some reason it is instead located in the Environmental Information Technology building.4) DisplaysThe signage at the museum itself is also terrible on some displays. I have 20/20 vision and even I could not see well enough to read the descriptions of some displays that are in tiny font and located in weird places, such as on the floor, or below waist level. I have included photos below as examples of the poor and absent signage. If they were to improve signage on the campus, improve the displays and make it very clear on their website that this isn't a traditional museum so you do not go there expecting something completely different...I will provide more stars.
This is the best place on campus. It is a wonderful museum with free entrance. My favorite is the walkthrough mine with the simulated explosions. The cafe upstairs has the best espresso on campus. The chocolate croissants are also the best.
What a neat little place. Kids loved it. Thank you for putting this on!
A really nice place to get some work done.
How did I not know this existed!!! I stumbled upon it while playing PokemonGo and had the chance to explore a bit. Some of the exhibits were closed since it was after hours but a lot of the display cases are accessible. This place is COOL. Lots of pretty and interesting rocks, fossils, and exhibits to read about and see. Next time I'm there I need to check and see if there is a donation box because I wont hesitate to donate next time I'm there!
Earth Sciences Museum is a Canadian Museum based in Waterloo, Ontario. Earth Sciences Museum is located at 200 University Ave W, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada.
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