Museum FAQ

Our posted hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10am to 5pm, from Memorial Day to Labor Day, and Saturdays only through the winter.

Holiday closures are posted as they come up on the Akron Fossils & Science Center Facebook page, which is the place to check before you set off around a holiday. You can also see the full hours and admission.

As long as you want it to. The museum is self-guided, so there is no set route length and nothing to keep pace with. Take as little or as much time as you like.

There is a great deal to take in if you want it: video screens, laminated booklets, touchscreen kiosks, and signage throughout, on top of the audio tour narrated by the museum’s founder. Some people read everything and some walk it and let the exhibits speak for themselves.

Everything is within a short drive. Head north on South Cleveland-Massillon Road and you reach State Route 18 within a few minutes.

That stretch, running through Montrose and Fairlawn, is a dense commercial corridor with restaurants and shops the whole way along it, including Summit Mall on West Market Street.

We are at the corner of South Cleveland-Massillon Road and Minor Road in Copley, about eight miles west of downtown Akron.

• Coming up Route 21 from the south, turn right onto Minor Road and follow it to the corner. It is about a mile.
• Heading south on Route 21, you cannot reach us from Minor Road. A median runs between the lanes with no crossing for vehicles, so there is no left turn to make. Let your GPS bring you round instead.

Whichever way you are coming from, the surest route is to point your GPS straight at 2080 S Cleveland Massillon Rd.

Parking is free, and there is no wrong lot to arrive in. The building sits on a split-level site, so the parking runs across two levels with a way in off each of the two roads.

• Lower level, off Minor Road. This is the one for the museum entrance. There are a few spaces to the left of the building, including the handicapped spaces.
• Upper level, off South Cleveland-Massillon Road. More spaces at the top of the steps, and a long run of parking to the right of the building alongside the fenced outdoor play park. There are accessible spaces at the end of this lot nearest the main entrance.

Whichever level you land on, look for the clock tower. The door underneath it is marked ENTRANCE. There is more on finding the front door, with photographs.

Yes. The museum is all on one floor, and it is accessible for wheelchairs, strollers and walkers from end to end.

• Getting in. Both levels of the Science Center are wheelchair accessible from the road. The lower level, off Minor Road, is the main entrance, and the door is wide enough to take a wheelchair.
• Inside. That lower level is the first floor, and the whole museum is on it. Once you are through the door there are no steps to manage.
• Outside. The outdoor play park has a working ramp that leads out into the grassy field.
• Between the two floors. This is the one part that is not step-free. Moving from one floor to the other means either a set of stairs or going back outside and around by the two roads. The upper floor is offices and a classroom used by homeschool groups, so it is not part of a museum visit and you should not need it.

Yes. There are two inside the center on the first floor, one for men and one for women. They are on the same floor as the museum, so there are no steps to manage to reach them.

Yes. Photography and video recording are permitted throughout the entire museum, so bring a camera and take what you like.