There are opportunities all over the country to visit mines and mining museums and learn more about U.S. mining. The following lists information on mining tours and museums in the United States and Canada.
If you have information on a mining tour, museum or other educational resource that you would like to share contact: Ashley Burke, (202) 463-2642, aburke@nma.org
Alaska
Usibelli Coal Mine
Healy, Alaska
Tours are available during summer months by appointment. For tour information, call 907-683-2226.
This giant mine along the Nenana River feeds six power plants in Interior Alaska and ships 750,000 tons of coal down the Alaska Railroad to Seward.
Information on Mining Tours in Alaska
This page lists many of the exciting tours offered in Alaska. It also includes phone numbers for more information and admission costs.
Arizona
Arizona Mining and Mineral Museum
1502 W. Washington St. Phoenix, AZ
602-255-3791
Mon-Fri, 8am-5pm., Sat, 11am-4pm.
Free Admission Extensive collection of mineral specimens. Historic headframe and mine train.
Asarco Mineral Discovery Center
1421 W Pima Mine Road Sahuarita, AZ 85629
(520) 625-7513
Tues-Sat, 9am-5pm
Open Pit Mine & mill tour rates: Adults $6; Children $4
No charge to the Mineral Discovery Center exhibits & theater. Open-pit mine & mill tours available, exhibits on geology, mining & uses of minerals; historic & present-day mining equipment, view videos, gift shop.
Copper Queen Mine Underground Tour
118 Arizona Street Bisbee, AZ 85603
(520) 432-2071 1-866-432-2071
Daily tours: 9:00, 10:30, 12:00, 2:00, 3:30, Adults: $8.00 Youth (7-11): $3.50 Children (3-6) : $2.00 Children under 3 : free
Explore one of the oldest copper mines in Arizona. Former miners show how turn-of-the-century mines were operated. Avg. temperature in mine 47 degrees.
Copper Queen Mine Tours B (Historic District and Surface Mine Tours)
118 Arizona Street Bisbee, AZ 85603
(520) 432-2071 1-866-432-2071
Daily tours: 10:30am, noon, 2pm, 3:30 pm Tour Price: $7.00, children under 3 are free.
This is a narrated van tour that takes you to the leaching plant, mine shafts, atop dumps, around the perimeter of the pit, and through the city as turn-of-the-century architecture.
Phelps Dodge Bagdad
Contact: Bob Delgado at 928-633-3490
Phelps Dodge arranges tours for individuals and groups.
California
U.S. Borax
14486 Borax Road
Boron, CA 93516
(760) 762-7588
U.S. Borax has a Visitor Center that overlooks its active boron mine, the largest open pit mine in California. The visitor center is free and open seven days a week (excluding major holidays) from 9-5. Parking is also free and accessible to RVs.
Canada
Estevan Mine
For more information contact: Estevan Tourism (306) 634-6044
Free tour, please call 306-643-6044 for more information. The Shand Power Plant provides a free guided mine / power plant tour. The mine runs two tours daily, in the morning and the afternoon. The tours can accommodate groups of twelve.
The #2 Mine Tour and Museum
Bell Island #2 Mine and Community Museum,
13 Compressor Hill,
Bell Island, NL A0A 4H0
10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, June 1 to September 30
Tel: 709-488-2880
Toll Free: 1-888-338-2880
Colorado
Lebanon Mine
1106 Rost St. Georgetown, CO
1-800-691-4FUN 303-569-2403 (Accessible only aboard the Georgetown Loop Railroad)
9:20-4pm Daily Adults $6 for mine tour plus $14.40 for train. Children 3-15 are $4 plus $9.50 for train. The mine tour is available via the Georgetown Loop Railroad except the last departure of the day.
National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum
120 W. 9th St. Leadville, CO
719-486-1229
Summer (May-October): 9-5, daily Winter (November-April): 9-5pm, Tuesday to Sunday. Adults: $10 Seniors (65+): $9 Students (6+, college students included): $8 Children under six: Free.
Converted school offers 12 rooms of displays, models, mine replicas, historic photographs and other mining treasures. Spectacular mineral collection.
Old Hundred Mine
PO Box 430 Silverton, CO 81433
1-800-872-3009
Daily tours: 10am-4pm. Adults: $13.95 Children (5-12): $6.95 Under 5 (held on lap): Free Seniors (60+): $12.95
Children on tour can pan free for silver and gold in Old Hundred sluice box. Tours run about 55 minutes. Picnic area, snacks and gift shop.
Western Museum of Mining & Industry
225 North Gate Blvd., Colorado Springs, CO 80921
(719) 488-0880
Mon-Sat: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Adults: $9 Military/AAA: $8 Students: $7 Children (4-12): $5 3 and under: free with paid adult Museum Members: free
Museum collects, restores and display mining artifacts. Actual operation of steam engines, drills, pumps and other mining equipment. Four museum buildings and outdoor displays.
Georgia
Dahlonega Gold Museum
1 Public Square, Dahlonega, GA
(706) 864-2257
Mon-Sat: 9 a.m.-4:45 p.m., Sun: 10 a.m.-4:45 p.m. Adults: $8.50 Seniors:$8 Youth (7-17): $6 Children (6 & under): Free
See the collection of artifacts from the U.S.’s first gold rush, twenty years prior to the California gold rush.
Pine Mountain Gold Museum
1881 Stockmar Road, Villa Rica, GA
(678) 840-1445
Tues-Sat: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Adult: $5 Senior: $4 Children (3-12): $4 Military/First-Responders: $4 Student $4, Children (2 & under): Free
Sitting on an actual gold mine with gold panning on site, this museum houses gold mining and regional artifacts dating as far back as 12,000 BC.
Consolidated Gold Mine Tour
185 Consolidated Gold Mine Road, Dahlonega, GA
(706) 864-8473
Offers a tour of a gold mine and gold panning on site.
Georgia Marble Museum
1985 Kennesaw Ave., Nelson, GA
(770) 735-2211
Mon-Fri: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Open Pit Mining Tours available only in early October.
Once a year during the Georgia Marble Festival, the museum offers a tour of the world’s largest open pit marble quarry at Polycor Georgia Marble Company’s Tate operation.
Idaho
Crystal Gold Mine
51931 Silver Valley Road Kellog, ID
(208) 783-GOLD
9-6pm daily. Seniors: $8.50 Adults: $10
Tour an authentic 1880s underground gold mine. See crystal and stalactite formations; mining artifacts.
Sierra Silver Mine Underground Tour
420 5th St. Wallace, ID
(208) 752-5151
Daily every 30 minutes, 9-4. (July & August until 6 p.m.) (No Children Under 4) 1 hour 15 minutes Adults,$8; Seniors,$7; Children, 4-16, $6.50. Children (6-11): $2 Children under six: Free
Trolley takes you to the minesite. An experienced miner guides you as you witness exhibits, methods & techniques for hard-rock silver mining.
Western Wallace District Mining Museum
509 Bank St. Wallace, ID
(208) 556-1592
(July-August) 8-8, daily. Adults, $2; Seniors $1.50; Children $.50 See artifacts from historic silver and mining era.
Illinois
Museum of Science and Industry
57th and Lake Shore Dr Chicago, IL
(773) 684-1414
May 30-Sept 4- 9:30-5:50 daily. Adults: $9 Seniors: $7.50 Children (3-11): $5
Visit the Old Ben #17 Coal mine shaft and learn about the development, and history of coal and coal mining.
Kansas
Kansas Underground Salt Museum
Hutchinson, Kansas
(620) 662-1425, Toll Free: 866-755-3450
Email: info@undergroundmuseum.org
Winter Hours: Tuesday-Friday Open 9-5 Tours for General Public at 10:00, 11:40, 1:00, 3:00 Additional times offered as demand requires. Please check the web site for Summer hours $13.50 – Regular Ticket $8.50 – Children 4 – 12 Children under the age of 4 are not permitted in the mine.
Visitors who bring a Cosmosphere ticket stub from the past 30 days receive a discount to the Kansas Underground Salt Musuem. Visitors can also redeem their ticket from the Salt Museum at the Cosmosphere for a discounted admission.
Kentucky
Kentucky Coal Mining Museum
Benham, KY and Lynch, KY
(606) 848-1530
Mon-Sat: 10-5 Sun: 1-4pm Adults: $5 Children: $2.50 Seniors: $4
Guided or self-guided tours available; you’ll get a feel for what it was like to live, work, and play at these unique camps in Benham and Lynch.
Michigan
A.E. Seaman Mineral Museum
Michigan Tech 1400 Townsend Dr.
5th Floor EERC Bldg. Houghton, MI
Mon – Fri: 9-4:30 Sat: noon-4
Free admission, donations accepted. Famous for world-class collection of Lake Superior copper and iron district minerals. 60,000 specimens from around the world.
Michigan Iron Industry Museum
73 Forge Road
Negaunee, MI 49866
The Michigan Iron Industry Museum highlights the state’s iron mining industry, which has flourished for more than 125 years. The museum tells the story of the industry and the people who worked in it.
Minnesota
Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area
PO Box 404 Ironton, MN 56455
(218) 546-5926
Daily 8am-4pm Check website for further details.
Tour the Croft Mine historical park, with its historic buildings, underground iron mine tour, museum and gift shop, as well as other recreational activities such as fishing, and canoeing.
Hill Annex Mine State Park
PO Box 376 Calumet, MN 55716
(218) 247-7215
Daily 9am-5pm Check website for further details.
Tour of iron ore mine and facilities (museum, historic site, picnic area, scenic overlook, fossil hunt, and gift shop).
Iron World Discovery Center
Highway 169 West Chisolm, MN
Daily 9:30-5pm Adults: $8 Seniors: $7 Students: $6 Family Pass: $30 Children under 7: Free
Dramatic glass and steel museum perched on open pit iron mine. Relates iron mining history through lifelike displays and audio, including living history tapes.
Minnesota Museum of Mining
900 Lake Street West Chisolm, MN 55719
(218) 254-5543
Memorial Day-Labor Day: 9am-6pm Adults: $3 Family: $8.00 Students: $2 Special requests and tours available Group reservations call: 218-254-7158
View the museum’s historic mining equipment, simulated underground mine, gift shop and event grounds.
Soudan Underground Mine State Park
P.O. Box 335 Soudan, MN 55782
Phone (218) 753-2245 Fax (218) 753-2246
Please see website for more information. We offer an underground tour of the mine, which takes visitors 2341 feet below the surface, and then 3/4 of a mile to the stope area.
Taconite Mine Tours
Hibbing, Taconite is located near Chisolm on Minnesota’s Mesabi Iron Range.
Wed. & Thur: noon. Advance reservations are encouraged. Contact Ironworld Discovery Center. Children must be 10 years or older and accompanied by an adult. Admission: $6 per person. Please see website for more information.
You’ll visit the mine, the concentrator & the agglomerator. Slacks & comfortable shoes are recommended. Hard hats, safety glasses and earplugs will be furnished.
Missouri
Missouri Mines State Historic Site
St. Joe State Park in Old Lead Belt, Southeast Missouri
(573) 431-6226
Mon-Sat: 10-4 Sun: 12-7pm Adults: $2 Children 6-12: $1.25 Under 6: Free Groups of 15+: Adults: $1; Children: $.50. Check website for more information.
On weekends, a miner–retired from the property–is present for tours. 12-minute film from St. Joe Lead Co., which had operated the site.
Tri-State Mineral Museum
Schifferdecker Park corner of 7th and Chifferdecker Ave. Joplin, MI
(417) 623-2341
Open year round Mon-Sat: 10-5 Sun: 2-5pm Adults: $2 Family rate: $5 Group rates available Free admission on Tuesdays For more information or to schedule a group tour, please contact the Museum at 417-623-2341.
Mineral specimens and memorabilia focusing on mining and minerals in Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma.
Montana
World Museum of Mining
155 Museum Way
P.O. Box 33
Butte, MT 59703
406-723-7211 (April 1 – October 31)
9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. (last ticket sold at 4:30)
$8.50 adults, $5 children 5-17 years old, $7.50 Seniors over 65
Please call for school groups.
Guides for tours of the museum can be arranged at $25 plus admission. One-day mining history and geology trips, escorted by a geologist, available summer 2004.
One of very few mining museums on the site of an underground metal mine. Extensive collection of artifacts in outdoor mine yard, including original 100-foot-high headframe of Orphan Girl mine; museum in Orphan Girl hoist room. Lecture Series in summer and fall. Thousands of period artifacts in Hellroaring Gulch, 1890’s mining town with 50 buildings; Garrett mineral collection. Special Events, educational programs, and outreach available.
Bannack State Park
4200 Bannack Rd
Dillon, MT 59725
(406) 834-3413
The best preserved ghost town west of the Mississippi, Bannack State Park is the site of the first major gold rush in Montana. Over 60 Historic structures still stand and are open for you to explore. During the summer months they offer free town tours every day, and gold panning. On the weekends, they offer the same free tours and a tour of our mill for $4 a person. Just stop by the visitors center for more information, or give them a call at (406) 834-3413.
North Dakota
Beulah Mine
Beulah, ND
Tours available by appointment. Call Dakota Westmoreland Corporation in Beulah at (701) 873-4333
Owned and operated by the Dakota Westmoreland Corporation, Beulah, ND. Supplies lignite to the Coyote Station and Heskett Station. Domestic lignite also available.
Center Mine
Center, ND
Tours available by appointment Monday through Friday. Contact the mine at (701) 794-8734.
Owned and operated by BNI Coal, Ltd., Center, ND (a subsidiary of Minnesota Power, Duluth, MN). Supplies lignite to the Milton R. Young Station, Center, ND.
Falkirk Mine
Underwood, ND
Tours available by appointment Monday through Friday (24-hour notice required). Contact Falkirk at (701) 442-5751.
Operated by The Falkirk Mining Company (a subsidiary of The North American Coal Corporation, Dallas, TX), Underwood, ND. Supplies lignite to the Coal Creek Station.
Freedom Mine
Beulah, ND
Tours available Monday-Friday by appointment (24-hour notice required).
Call Coteau at (701) 873-2281.
Supplies lignite to the Great Plains Synfuels Plant, Antelope Valley Station, Leland Olds Station and Stanton Station. The largest lignite mine in the United States, operating two 120-cubic-yard draglines and a fleet of 200-ton overburden trucks.
Nevada
W.M. Keck Museum
Mackay School of Mines
University of Nevada, Reno
(775) 784-4528
Open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, closed weekends and university holidays. Group tours available – please call for appointments. Admission is free.
Founded in 1908, this museum hosts a spectacular collection of minerals, rocks, fossils and mining artifacts. Exhibits span three floors.
Barrick Gold of North America
Community Relations
community@barrick.com
(775) 748-1000
Group tour requests are accommodated when possible.
Reservations are required; please give 6-8 weeks advance notice. Inquire via email or phone.
Tours are arranged by inquiry and site visited and areas toured will be determined by the topic(s) of interest for the inquiring group.
McCaw School of Mines
Henderson, NV
703-779-8930
Call 702-779-8930 for further information, or visit their website.
4,500 sq. ft. structure portrays the history & importance of mining in Nevada. Includes a simulated tunnel connecting 4 interior alcoves that depict: historical mining, mining in Nevada, geology & minerals and modern day mining. The McCaw School of Mines is an introduction to mining for elementary school students.
Newmont Mining Corporation
Elko, Nevada
702-635-4302
Second Tuesday of the month throughout the season
Depart 9 a.m. from museum; returns to museum at noon. 12 & up only.
Call 702-635-4302 for information. Reservations required 24 hours in advance.
Tour the Newmont Mining Corporation, the largest gold producer in North America and second largest in the world.
Newmont Mining Corporation
Winnemucca, Nevada
(775) 635-4302
Tours offered on the third Thursday of each month. Tours depart from the Lone Tree mine at 9:00 a.m. and return at noon. 12 & up only.
Reservations required at least 48 hours in advance. Long pants and closed-toe shoes required. Call (775) 635-4302 for reservations or more information.
Newmont Mining Corporation
Elko, Nevada
(775) 778-4068
Tours offered on the second Tuesday of the month, April through October. Tours depart from the Northeastern Nevada Museum at 9:00 a.m. and return at noon. 12 & up only.
Reservations required at least 48 hours in advance. Closed-toe shoes required. Call (775) 778-4068 for reservations or more information.
Tonopah Historic Mining Park
Located on a hillside above Tonopah, NV
(775) 482-9274
Walking tours conducted on weekends and by appointment. Call 1-775-482-9274 for information and reservations.
Visit 80 acres of century-old mining works; many of the buildings house original equipment. Tour the Visitors Center which is filled with mining info. Gold and silver deposit started the first great mining camp of 20th century.
New Jersey
Sterling Hill Mine and Mining Museum
20 Plant St.
Ogdensburg, NJ
973-209-7212
Apr-Now: Daily tours, 11am
July-Aug: Daily tours at 1 pm & 3pm.
Adults: $9, Seniors: $8, Children: $6
Extensive and interesting mining memorabilia in museum; mine displays beautiful fluorescent minerals for which the mine is famous.
New Mexico
Grants Mining Museum
100 N. Iron Ave.
Grants, NM
1-800-748-2142
505-287-4802
Mon-Sat: 9-4, closed Sun
Adults: $3, Children 7-18: $2, Under 7: Free
Groups and tour guides by appointment. Please call 1-800-748-2142 or 505-287-4802, or visit their website for more information. Tour the only uranium mining museum in the world. Underground conditions are recreated and domed in white stone and glass museum. Gems & minerals displayed from around the world.
Pennsylvania
Windber Coal Heritage Center
501 15th Street
Windber, PA 15963-0115
Phone: (814) 467-6680
Toll-free: (877) 826-3933
Email: wchc@adelphia.net
Hours: Tuesday – Saturday, 10am – 5pm. Operating Season: Wednesday, May 1 – Wednesday, October 31 (often extended through Dec. 31st)
The Windber Coal Heritage Center tells the story of a unique kind of community in our country – a community which was created and maintained by industry, devoted to serving that industry and the people it employed.
Pennsylvania State Univ. Earth and Mineral Sciences Museum and Art Gallery
112 Steidle Bldg.
Pollock Rd State College, PA
814-865-6427
Free admission. Mon-Fri: 9-5pm, Sat-Sun: 1-5pm. Tour the museum’s fine display of minerals, fossils & artifacts. A most extensive collection of paintings and sculpture depicting mining and related industries.
South Dakota
Black Hills Mining Museum
323 W. Main St.
Lead, SD 57754
(605) 584-1605
Seasonal Hours-
Summer Schedule: Open mid-May until mid-October, Monday through Saturday from 9:00 am to 5:00. Closed Sunday.
Off-season by appointment only
The museum, gold panning, and tour are fee based.
The Black Hills Mining Museum was designated by the South Dakota State Legislature in 2014 as the official mining museum of South Dakota. The museum offers a gift shop, gold panning, 5,000 sq. ft. museum with a theater, and its signature feature of a guided tour through a recreated underground level of the legendary Homestake gold mine that ran in Lead for 125 years. Allow one hour for the tour. Last tour leaves at 4:00 pm.
Texas
Mining Heritage Exhibit at the Chihuahua Desert Research Institute and Nature Preserve
(432) 364-2499
Open all year; admission is free. Guides can be arranged by calling the CDRI at 505-364-2499.
Constructed by a group of Mining Engineers and Geologists who were classmates at Texas Western College (now UTEP) 1957-1961, the idea is to show how small-scale mining would have been carried out in the Chihuahua Desert, which includes West Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and northern Mexico in the old days.
In addition to an 18-ft. high head frame and 50 ft. of track for small ore cars, a pavilion houses many exhibits like drills, carbide lamps, old mine maps and photos, and relics used with explosives. There are also piles of boulders of several ores which have been mined in the region.
It is a great education exhibit for school children and senior groups, and admission is free.
Washington, D.C.
Janet Annenberg Hooker Hall of Geology Gems and Minerals
Smithonian National Museum of Natural History
Washington DC
202-357-2700
Free Admission. Open 10am-5:30 daily. From the Hope Diamond to the walk-through mine (funded by members of National Mining Association), experience the finest gem and mineral collection and interactive, educational exhibits.
West Virginia
Exhibition Coal Mine
New River Park
Beckley, WV
304-256-1747
Tours 10am-5:30pm. Adults: $8, Seniors: $7, Children 4-12: $5, Children under 4: Free Includes underground mine tour and surface buildings. Shows low-seam coal mine from its earliest manual stages to modern mechanized operation.
West Virginia Mine Wars Museum
336 Mate Street
Matewan, WV 25678
304-546-8473
The West Virginia Mine Wars Museum, in the heart of Historic Matewan, preserves and interprets artifacts and historical records of the local communities affected by the West Virginia Mine Wars, exploring historical events from multiple perspective through the lives of ordinary people.
Scotts Run Museum and Trail
P0 Box 264
Osage, WV 26543
304-599-1931
This Museum and History Trail is a project of the nonprofit Scott’s Run Park and Recreation, Inc, for the purpose of preserving the legacy and oral history of the coal boom in the nine communities that make up Scott’s Run, and to encourage development of the park, gardens, music row, and businesses in the area.
National Coal Heritage Area – Bramwell Depot
100 Simmons St
Bramwell, WV 24715
1-866-858-5959
The Historic Bramwell Depot construction project is a part of the Heritage Park that was developed in Bramwell, WV. The depot is officially known as the Southern Interpretive Center of the Coal Heritage Trail, a National Historic Byway. The original train station was demolished in the 1950s. It was rebuilt by a federal government grant. Groundbreaking for rebuilding the depot was held on August 2,1996. the Depot now houses interpretive exibits that offer insight into the rich heritage of the Poachontas Coalfields. Depot serves as a welcome center for tourist visiting the Home of the Bramwell Millionaires. It was completed in 2003 and is now open seven days a week.
Bituminous Coal Heritage Foundation Museum
347 Main Street
Boone County
Madison, WV 25130
304-369-0316 or 304-369-9118
The Bituminous Coal Heritage Foundation Museum was created by the Boone County Development Corporation and chartered by the State of West Virginia. The growth of the West Virginia Coal Festival and area historic attractions encouraged Foundation members and the Development Authority to develop a museum. The downtown coal museum showcases the history of coal and its people. The museum was and remains an educational place visited by schoolchildren, out of area visitors, and former coal miners and their decedents.
Royce J. and Caroline B. Watts Museum
401 Evansdale Dr
Morgantown, WV 26505
304-293-4609
The Royce J. and Caroline B. Watts Museum is dedicated to preserving and promoting the social, cultural, and technological history of West Virginia’s coal and petroleum industries through the collection, preservation, research and exhibition of historical objects and archival materials.
The Watts Museum is housed in the Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources at West Virginia University.
Wisconsin
The Mining & Rollo Jamison Museums
405 East Main Street
Platteville, WI 53818
608-348-3301
Your underground adventure awaits! Tour the 1845 Bevans Lead-Zinc Mine, ride in a 1931 mine train (weather permitting), and discover the local history of the Upper Mississippi Valley mining district. The Museums trace the development of lead and zinc mining in the Upper Mississippi Valley using models, dioramas, artifacts, and photographs. A guided tour includes a walk down into the 1845 Bevans Lead Mine, a tour of the headframe building and hoist house, and an above-ground outdoor train ride pulled by a 1931 mine locomotive. The Rollo Jamison Collection exhibits include artifacts, stories and music of home, farm and family life and nostalgic local cultural history.
Wyoming
Black Thunder Mine
Call for more information; please call to determine if a group tour can be scheduled in June, July or August 2009.
Near Gillette, WY. Call for tour information: (307) 464-2201
Foundation Coal West, Inc.
For more information, contact:
Gillette Convention and Visitors Bureau
1810 S. Douglas Highway, #A
Gillette, WY 82718
307-686-0040
Call for more information, or visit the website. Learn about the coal mining industry in Campbell County (Gillette, WY) which provides over 30% of the United States coal for electrical power generation.