Sherbrooke Nature And Science Museum

The Sherbrooke Museum of Nature and Science, often shortened to MNS, is the natural history museum of Sherbrooke, the main city of the Estrie region, or Eastern Townships, of Quebec. It stands in the city’s Quartier des musées, a cluster of cultural institutions on and around rue Frontenac, near the confluence of the Magog and Saint-François rivers, and it opened in 2002. The museum was created to bring the natural sciences to the public, and it combines a strong collection with exhibitions in both French and English, which suits a region with both French-speaking and English-speaking communities.

The collection is substantial, with tens of thousands of objects and specimens covering zoology, geology, palaeontology and other fields. Mounted animals, skeletons, fossils, rocks and minerals give a wide view of the diversity of life on Earth and of the geological history of southern Quebec. One of the museum’s striking sights is the skeleton of a minke whale, which hangs in a large space and gives visitors a sense of the scale of the animals that live in the St. Lawrence and the oceans. Exhibitions about the African savannah, including a display called Giraffe, present the animals through specimens, models and interpretive panels, and rotating shows bring in new themes, such as exhibitions that look at the relationship between humans and animals.

The museum is designed for families and schools. Interactive displays, hands-on activities and workshops encourage children to touch, look closely and ask questions. Activities during school holidays, scientific demonstrations and guided visits offered in French and English make the content accessible to a wide public. Guides and educators often tailor their visits to the age of the group, and many programs are linked to the school curriculum.

Visitors will find the Quartier des musées gives the museum a useful context. The Musée des beaux-arts de Sherbrooke and the Musée d’histoire de Sherbrooke are nearby, and the three institutions have offered a joint passport that allows visitors to see all of them at a lower price, so it is worth asking about it at the entrance. The streets around are pleasant for a walk, with parks, cafes and murals, and the riverside paths are a short distance away.

Sherbrooke is a university city and a regional capital, and it is easy to reach by road from Montreal in about an hour and a half. The museum suits families, students and anyone with an interest in natural history. A visit takes one to two hours. Check the museum’s website for opening days, hours and current exhibitions, since they change through the year.