Staff Writer
Lindsay Campbell

East Avenue is known to be the home of many well known and exciting museums; however, the Rochester Museum and Science Center could not be classified as one of them.

The property holds many different buildings, a garden, and one of the world’s largest planetariums. Although these different buildings look appealing and exciting on a map, employees did nothing to promote what each building contained.

Upon entering, I was greeted by an unenthusiastic employee who seemed pained from being distracted from his computer. I should have known at this moment that this was going to foreshadow the next hour and a half wandering around museum.

The three level museum offered little variety of exhibits and hands on experiments. At first sight, there seemed to be a lot to look at but in reality, it was a quick and mind-numbing experience.

The first display found is Expedition Earth. While exploring this section of the museum, you can trek through a replica glacier cave to fully understand the formation process of glaciers. Another highlight in this portion of the museum is designed for aspiring archeologists. With just goggles, a brush, and a pick, anyone can dig up for bones of an ancient Mastodon, a relative of the wooly mammoth.

The second floor showcases different fashions, tools and living conditions throughout time. Walking through this section could be done in a matter of minutes. It was very repetitive and bland.

Once you get travel through the dusty showcases, you can find room dedicated to hands-on learning. Buried throughout this scientific playground are features such as a homemade tornado, a hover ball challenge, and a bubble swing. I enjoyed meandering through this section of the museum.

The third floor claimed to be a dinosaur exhibit; however, there were no prehistoric creatures to be found. Instead, what I found was a confusing maze of old shops replicated to create a feeling you were living as some of the first settlers of America. As you walked around, you could look through windows of shops and homes. This part of the museum took about ten minutes to walk through and another ten minutes just to find your way out.

On the way out I was lucky to glimpse into another hands-on room. This room had a climbing course for kids, a miniature rock wall, sand pit and a controlled submarine.

The Rochester Museum and Science Center was a confusing maze that featured very little. If you check out this museum, go when the Planetarium has a show; but good luck because the shows are at specific and limited times in the morning. Saturday is the day to do the planetarium because that is when the most shows occur. With your Fisher ID you can get in at the price of $7 but wait until your parents visit, maybe they’ll pay. If you never get a chance to explore this museum, don’t worry, you aren’t missing much.