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8 reviews for Centre des Sciences de Montréal
7 reviews in English
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Review from Mike B.
7/17/2011
I don't give a crap how old I get, going to science/technology museums with interactive exhibits is always a blast.
got to make a short video about the space program being a hoax, then submitted it to the museum. international trolling, yes.
some hands-on exhibits about electricity, physics, magnetism, mechanics, and such. see what you look like in 50 years, pull yourself up with a system of pulleys, direct the electrical needs of a city, and so on
played a game about ecological and social issues where you have to try to progress and extend the life of the planet Earth. Keith and I opted for our usual M.O. of being cruel businessmen, so we were able to throw things back as far as 2001, possibly a new low. keep trollin' trollin' trollin'...
we all had a blast. everything is well-maintained and very new-looking. I think there were one or two busted exhibits, but overall everything was in good shape.
lots of children running around, but this place is huge, so you do get a chance to play with every exhibit. or should I say, "learn".
if you're an AAA member, you save a few bucks (I think it comes to about 11 bucks after). I was glad to do so. my AA membership, however, yielded no further rewards.Listed in: Bonjour, Montreal
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Review from GirlintheCity A.
Montréal, QC
4/4/2012
This place is tiny and it sucks.
From the outside it looks like a plane grey and glass building, not cool at all.
I went with a friend and we were able to get through the exhibits in 2 hours.
The exhibits are old and not very fun.
I would say this place is geared towards elementary aged kids.
Seriously the science centres in Vancouver and toronto are Wayyyy better. This place really only has 3 rooms where you see stuff and none of them very good. -
Review from Johnson C.
Vancouver, BC
1/18/2012 2 photos
It's becoming an unofficial tradition of mine that I must visit at least once dinosaur exhibit in every city I visit. And I didn't find any 'true' dinosaur exhibits at any history museum, so we were off to the Montreal Science Centre. Sorry Montreal - as much as I enjoyed my time with you, you're not a real city until you get some legit fossils.
We had a AAA membership - so it came to about ~$12/person after discount for general admission (no special exhibits/movies). I would recommend pre-buying tickets online to skip the ticketing lineup. I think coat check was like $2/jacket.
Okay - it's more of a kid's science centre than an actual science/history museum - but these are damned fun regardless. I particularly enjoyed the cybernetic implants, display, reaction timer and the parabolic sound amplifier. And my friend got to jump on the counterbalanced pendulum ride. Lots of exhibits good for kids of all ages.
The dinosaur display was small but pretty fun and educational. There's a small fake paleontology dig display so I got to temporarily fantasize about the possibilities if I followed my true childhood dream. With all the younglings running around in their pure, unfiltered joy and wonder, I was tempted to grab one by the cheeks and say slowly and intently "Stay here... stay as long as you can... CHERISH IT!" a la Billy Madison.
The dinosaur exhibit was full of animatronic dinosaurs - many represented with the current theory of feathered dinosaurs. Of course, there's 'mainstream' dinosaurs are well-represented (i.e. T-Rex, velociraptors, etc.) - but holy shit, they had an animatronic Allosaurus... ALLOSAURUS! My favourite dinosaur of all time. It's like the T-Rex... but smaller, faster, functional foreclaws, more badass, more obscure, more alt and captures the heart of dinosaur hipsters like me. [Watch 'The Ballad of Big Al' from the 'Walking With Dinosaurs' series if you don't know what I'm on about.]
The biggest tease though was that they have posters up for their upcoming Star Wars exhibit. If I got my Stars Wars fix and dinosaur fix at one place - I would have nerdgasmed.
Overall, I think general admission was worth it as long as you have have a base appreciation of science and technology. I mean, I'm sure I'm not the only dude that wakes up on an airplane everynow and then and thinks, "Wow - I was sleeping in a CHAIR... IN THE SKY... under JET PROPULSION... THE MIRACLE OF HUMAN FLIGHT! WHAT IS THIS SORCERY?!?!" And then spend the rest of the flight fighting the urge to run down the aisle, extolling the wonders of human progress. Luddites need not apply - go live in a cave in fear of the sun.Listed in: Un garçon de Vancouver à…
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Review from Matt T.
12/4/2011
Science and Technology museums are amazing places. They give you the same feeling that Disney World gives, the feeling of absolute amazement. And the Centre des Sciences de Montreal is the perfect example of that.
The museum is full of interactive exhibits. Both for the kid and the adult. Though it does appear their main demographic is the age group full of wonder (e.g. Kids). But that does mean adults can not enjoy it. And there s a sweet pedulum ride for those under 250lbs. Plus when I went there were dinosaurs. Who does not like dinosaurs?!
But there are some cons to this place. The first has to be the price. While it is definitely worth paying for. It is not worth 13 bucks. The exhibits are nice. But not that nice. It appears that they want to watch the IMAX movies. Which is nice. But I don't want to spend my whole day in the museum. When it is located in the Old Town. Which is just fun to walk around.
But even with all those perks and problems. It is still worth a visit. -
Review from Brian T.
9/7/2011
This science museum is a waste of time and money -- it's ALL about the IMAX movies, and even then, be prepared to wait on line, a LOT.
The permanent exhibitions are not at all worth the price of admission (nor the more than 40 min wait to buy a ticket). -
Review from Kathleen H.
5/2/2011
Totally awesome.
I spent 2 hours in a room full of Big Toys!!!!
Ok, they were interactive exhibits. Whatever. Best Science Museum I've ever been in for the interactive angle.
I made a huge bubble around my whole body.
I made a little model airplane propeller go around, and 2 other people made theirs go around, and we made the whole big mobile they were attached to go around. . . .by aiming light with our big mirrors onto the solar panels on the bottom of the planes.
I found mini-land mines with a magnetic sensing device in a sand box.
I talked to a little kid at a whisper 200 yards away. . . with a parabolic sound amplifier.
I moved a ball with my BRAIN!!!
I tested my reflex time differences when reacting to a tactile, visual or auditory stimulus. I was faster than most people *strut strut*. I also was fastest with the auditory stimulus. Which I suppose is why stepping up behind someone and unexpectedly yelling is such a great way to make them jump and look silly. :)
I learned all kinds of cool stuff. Some of which i kind already knew, but it was super awesome to learn again.
OK, actually, I just played. The mass vs. size exhibit was fun. . .it's a hoot to have lead and balsa wood together. Who knew?
Then, myself and the whole class of kids I was with went down to a multimedia room, where we were set in front of monitors, given headphones, and got to put together our own science report a la the news, on one of a variety of available topics. We got to listen to experts, listen to street opinions, pick from images, music and video clips, and make our own conclusions. We were asked to decide on an Angle. What were we going to try to convince people of, given what we had to work with?
Highly impressive - basic education in not only production and post-production video journalism, but also in critical thinking. Oh what? That science report didn't come directly from God? oh right. People are there, picking and choosing what facts and footage they include and don't include, WHICH "experts" they are going to quote and why, and deciding what they want to attempt to make us get out of it. . .
My 11 year old daughter totally got it. That right there was worth the trip.
Think think think think. . . .why is it so, and not otherwise? hmmm. Science. . .
Bless that Centre de Sciences de Montreal. . . . they've got it goin' on.
Good Job. -
Review from Karen D.
7/4/2011
DO IT!
I love museums. I usually go to them alone so I can really read and contemplate whatever exhibit is being represented. I have a special place in my heart for Science Museums, mainly because I sucked at science in highschool but always looked forward to the day when the teacher did demonstrations (they were usually things that were too dangerous for the kids to perform but showed some important science principle). Going to a Science Museum is like having back to back cool science experiments where you get to do things and you are not being graded.
Yes, it is in the touriste section (I usually avoid these areas since they most often have the least amout of authenticity) but you just can't go to Montreal (especially if it is your first time) without going into the Old Section - but its on the water AND close to Cirque du Soleil so this is where the fun is.
To preface, we came here specifically for the Indiana Jones Archeological exhibit which was the coolest thing ever. After reading Kathleen H's review, I can't wait to go back there. This is by far one of the more interactive Science Museums and not just for kids (most of them seemed to be skewed that way).
Now let's talk about Indy!
Cost was about $23 (special exhibition). Exhibit is only there until Sept. 18, 2011 and then it goes on an International tour. Although this is colaboration between Lucasfilms, National Geographic, the Penn Museum in Pennsylvania so far this exhibit is not expected to tour the United States (thus widening the gap in US education versus the rest of the world, sigh, but I digress). You will receive a video box (included in the admission) that you will use to provide you with additional videos, information, historic contact and fun facts about various items in the exhibit. All Indiana Jones movies are well represented, but the most interesting thing is how they are related to real archeological sites. You will see the fact versus fiction for each site (movie vs. realitiy) and then you get to also see actual items that were discovered at various digs (plus extensive information about some famous archeologists and how they were able to understand what they have found in the context of the environment it is in. You also can engage in a treasure hunt (using the video box) which is great fun, although I do think that some foks might have been annoyed while they were reading or listening to information whilst others were moving about the rooms eagerly looking for clues.
Beautiful cosutmes, cool set pieces and easily identifiable props intermingled with real artifacts, and movie clips. Kids loved it, Adults loved it, NO ONE LOOKED BORED (you know what I am talking about - usually one person really wants to be in the museum and everyone else is just anxious to get out and do something else...)
This exhibit and the museum itself are both highly recommended.
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