Western Science Center
The Western Center is home to a fascinating array of Native American artifacts and Ice Age fossils that were unearthed at Diamond Valley Lake. You’ll be moved by “Max”, the largest mastodon found in the Western United States, as well as “Xena”, a Columbian mammoth. Let your imagination run wild as you walk on tempered glass which houses “Little Stevie”, a large mastodon installed beneath the museum floor to re-create the actual dig site.
The museum has been designed to provide world-class facilities for the research, curation, and presentation of the nearly 1,000,000 specimens discovered during the development of the Diamond Valley Lake in Hemet, California.
Scientists, researchers, students and the general public have an unparalleled opportunity to interact with and to understand the magnificent creatures and resourceful people who inhabited the Diamond and Domenigoni Valleys from the distant Ice Age past through today.
An interactive learning/conference center for scholars, researchers, students of all levels, and the general public, is available. Flexible and innovative meeting areas and appropriate media technology will facilitate the sharing of information generated by Western Center research. Programs for the community are held regularly at the Western Center to assist all to be life-long learners.
The collections at WSC are the heart of the museum. Currently preserving more than a million specimens in our state-of-the-art facility, the Western Center serves as Riverside County’s primary repository for archaeological and paleontological materials. In addition to the impressive collection from the MWD Diamond Valley Lake project, which forms the core of our gallery exhibits, WSC is home to other collections from Riverside County, and continues to add new and important specimens as they are discovered.
The collections represent one of the largest and most complete records of Pleistocene fauna in Southern California, as well as important artifacts representing the prehistoric and historic records of habitation in Riverside County. These provide a valuable tool for researchers looking for answers about climate change, evolution, cultural history, and many other important questions.
10 am – 5 pm Tuesday through Sunday
(Last ticket sold at 4:30 p.m., Museum Closes at 5:00 p.m.)
Admission
(Western Center accepts cash, checks, Visa, and MasterCard)
FREE - Members
$8.00 - Adults (13 and over)
$6.50 - Seniors (62+)
$6.00 - Youth (5 to 12)
$6.50 - Students (13-22 with current I.D.)
FREE - Youth 4 and under
FREE - Active Military (with current I.D.)*
Audio Tour - $2.00 (free to members)
Groups of 20 or more – $5.00 per person (paid with one payment)