Musée de la nature et des sciences de Sherbrooke

The history of the Sherbrooke Museum of Nature and Sciences dates back to 1879, when the Séminaire de Sherbrooke Museum opened its doors within the educational institution on Marquette Street, dedicated to a growing collection of natural science objects and specimens. In the fall of 2002, after more than 120 years devoted to this educational mission in a school setting, the institution underwent a major transformation: it relocated to the Julius-Kayser building, a 5,000-square-meter former silk stocking manufacturing plant in the heart of the historic downtown, and adopted its current name. The museum now preserves a collection of over 65,000 objects and specimens representative of the fauna and flora of Quebec, the rest of North America, and beyond. Its flagship permanent exhibition, AlterAnima, offers a unique encounter with hundreds of taxidermied animals arranged to create an immersive and sometimes playful experience for visitors of all ages, while the Terra Mutantès exhibition presents a multisensory showcase dedicated to the planet's transformations. The museum also offers, by reservation, behind-the-scenes tours and access to its collection reserves—an offering greatly appreciated by school groups and natural science enthusiasts seeking to deepen their understanding of how a museum institution operates.