Murrieta Public Library Scores Western Science Center Pass

MURRIETA, CA — Looking for something fun and educational to do with the kids that won't take you far from home?

Residents who hold a Murrieta Public Library card can now borrow a week-long pass to the Western Science Center. The pass allows up to four family members and friends to visit the museum located near Diamond Valley Lake in Hemet.

Founded in 2006, the Western Science Center was born out of the Metropolitan Water District's excavation of the manmade Diamond Valley Lake resevoir in the early 1990s. At the time, it was the largest earthworks project in North America.

Several of the museum's permanent exhibits feature fossil discoveries made during the excavation, which put visitors face to face with the Inland Empire's natural history. Although dinosaurs were never discovered in the Diamond Valley Lake area, there are plenty of prehistoric displays at the museum.

Two short films are shown every half hour in the museum's circular, immersion theater with its 270-degree screen. The animated "Echoes of the Past" transports viewers to a time when giant creatures roamed the area. The documentary "Discovery and Recovery" provides an eyewitness view of the excavation at Diamond Valley Lake.

The Western Science Center is located at 2345 Searl Parkway in Hemet. Hours of operation are 10 a.m. through 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.

For more information, visit westernsciencecenter.org.

Less than 2 miles from the museum is Diamond Valley Lake. Click here for more information about the lake's hours of operation, rates, and amenities.