Museums, Tours, and Places of Interest
Your favorite collecting local not listed? Email Pu Tzu at pustuff@gmail.com
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International Museums
Australia Austria Belgium Brazil Bulgaria Canada Czech Republic Chile China Denmark England Egypt Finland France Germany Hungary Italy Japan Jerusalem Luxembourg Netherlands Norway Romania Russia Spain Sweden Switzerland
Alabama Museum of Natural History Tuscaloosa, Alabama
The University’s Rocks and Minerals Collection was started by Michael Tuomey, the first State Geologist, around 1847. The bulk of the collection is housed in the basement of Smith Hall with some specimens displayed in the Grand Exhibition Hall on the second floor. The collection contains roughly fifteen thousand items, some in powdered form and others, massive specimens weighing hundreds of pounds. Because of the rarity of many of the specimens which have been collected or donated through the years, the collection is of great historical importance. Of special significance are two collections: one is the fine collection donated to the Museum by Hubert W. Goings, Jr., in 1969; the other is the 1949 Ed Leigh McMillan quartz collection, containing more than three thousand specimens from Crystal Mountain, Arkansas.
Portions of Tuomey’s mineral collection survived the burning of the University in 1865 and are included in the present collection started by State Geologist Eugene Allen Smith in1873. The collection is presently undergoing inventory and computerization by museum staff and volunteers so that it may be used by researchers.
Gary W. Hooks, Professor Emeritus of Geological Sciences, is Curator
Arizona Mining and Mineral Museum Pheonix, Arizona
The Arizona Mining and Mineral Museum in Phoenix is no longer open. It was closed in 2011 by then Governor Jan Brewer to make way for the Arizona Centennial Museum which never happened. She turned the building and collection over to the Arizona Historical Society which is legendary in their inability to operate a museum. The Arizona Legislature recently voted and the present Governor, Doug Ducey signed a bill (April 28, 2017) which turned the museum building, funding and collection over to The University of Arizona. It will be operated by the Arizona Geological Survey (AZGS) which recently was transferred to The University of Arizona in Tucson. There are now active plans (with partial funding) to reopen the museum at its old location sometime in 2018.
Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Tucson, Arizona
Specializing in Arizona minerals.
Asarco Mineral Discovery Center Sahuarita, Arizona
Copper Mine Tours: One-hour tours of a modern, working, open-pit copper mine and mill facility.Discovery Center: Hands-on exhibits, video theater, cactus garden and picnic area. Gift Shop: After your mine tour or even before, be sure you visit The Company Store.
Bisbee Mining & Historical Museum Bisbee, Arizona
Put Bisbee’s past in your future. ith a history deserving of National Landmark status, it’s only fitting that Bisbee’s past be captured and reflected in a museum like no other.Once known as The Queen of the Copper Camps, Bisbee is nestled among the Mule Mountains, an area world renowned for the diversity of its minerals and the wealth of its copper. Although its mines closed in the 1970s, this small town’s legacy has been preserved not only in its architecture and its mining landscape, but in a museum that has since welcomed, educated and entertained more than a half-million visitors.
Gold Road Mine Tours Oatman, Arizona
Touring the 1900 mine at the Gold Roads, Arizona Mining Camp from the Old Gold Boom Days! Located 2 miles East of Oatman, Arizona, Old Gold Mining Ghost Town on Historical Route 66! Enjoy a safe and delightful guided tour of a real old time underground gold mine. The one hour experience is exciting for everyone, and “user friendly” for the physically challenged. Tours are scheduled every 30 minutes. You are invited to bring along your camera or camcorder and take as many shots as you please.
Museum of Northern Arizona Flagstaff, Arizona
The Department of Geology at the Museum of Northern Arizona (MNA) houses over 22,000 specimens including rocks, minerals, fossil vertebrates, invertebrates, and plants from across the Southwest, with particular focus on the southern Colorado Plateau. The fossil research collections are well represented by Paleozoic invertebrates from the Grand Canyon area, Triassic vertebrates from the broadly exposed Chinle Formation, a large fossil trackway and footprint collection from both the Permian Coconino Sandstone and the Triassic Moenkopi Formation, Late Cretaceous faunas from marine and terrestrial deposits of southern Utah, and late Cenozoic birds and microvertebrates from the Verde Valley area. Recent field activities have been hugely successful with the acquisition of several new specimens of marine reptiles and dinosaurs.Members of the collections staff recently initiated a program of collection renovation including updating specimen catalogs, loan records, and specimen care and storage, as well as the computerization of specimen, locality, and accession data.
Petrified Forest National Park Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona
Petrified Forest is a surprising land of scenic wonders and fascinating science. The park is located in northeast Arizona and features one of the world’s largest and most colorful concentrations of petrified wood. Also included in the park’s 93,533 acres are the multi-hued badlands of the Chinle Formation known as the Painted Desert, historic structures, archeological sites and displays of 225 million-year-old fossils.
The T-Rex Museum Tucson, Arizona
The T-Rex Museum is no longer open. To quote from the web site: “Dr. Samuel Breidenbach died August 6th 2016, tours are no longer available. However, his legacy lives on through his writing and his research. Those of us who knew him well will miss his humor and his nearly encyclopedic memory as a resource for questions and answers.” The web site is still active and is a resource for Dr. Breidenbach’s research.
The University of Arizona Mineral Museum Tucson, Arizona
The Museum is dedicated to providing public education and the preservation of minerals and meteorites while also serving the research needs of professionals, students and collectors. The collection is world-wide in scope, but with specific emphasis on minerals from Arizona and Mexico.
Funded through Flandrau Science Center & Planetarium, and sponsored in part by Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold, Inc. and the Tucson Gem and Mineral Society
Matilda and Karl Pfeiffer Foundation Museum Piggott, Arkansas
The Matilda and Karl Pfeiffer Foundation provides educational and cultural opportunities featuring a historical home and gardens, native botanical gardens, a world class mineral collection, and a Native American artifact collection.Tours, seminars, classes, and study opportunities will be available for individuals and groups.
Contact Info: pfeifferfnd@centurytel.net
Buena Vista Museum of Natural History Bakersfield, California
The specific purpose of the Buena Vista Museum is to promote the scientific and educational aspects of earth history, particularly paleontology and anthropology. This is done through public education, research, and by serving as a repository for fossils, and other natural history items. High priority is given to documenting and displaying the rich, unique aspects of the natural history of Kern County. The museum is the repository of the Bob and Mary Ernst Collection, the largest private collection of Sharktooth Hill Miocene fossils in the World.
California Academy of Sciences Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, California
Has collections of minerals, meteorites, fossils.
California State Mining and Mineral Museum Mariposa, California
The big news of 1848 was the discovery of gold in California. This event created international interest and soon a mass immigration of fortune seekers and pioneers trekked their way to California.They came from all over the world to pan the streams for gold in the Sierra foothills. More than a century later, gold and legends of Old West mining continue to fascinate us. You are invited to discover for yourself California’s mineral wealth, colorful history and the elusive yellow metal in many of its varied forms: gold leaf, wire gold, gold nuggets and some of the finest specimens of crystallized gold ever found in the Mother lode.
Although this is one of the newest state parks, this museum houses a collection that was started in 1865 in San Francisco. It is the official California State Mineral Collection, with over 13,000 minerals, rocks, gems historic artifacts and fossils. Recently returned in 2000 is the popular crystalline gold Fricot Nugget, weighing 201 ounces, the largest one found during the Gold Rush. Also reflective of days gone is a working scale model of a stamp mill, demonstrating the process of gold extraction.
Re-opening in Spring 2001 is the Mining Tunnel connected to the museum. It is an underground trip through time, allowing visitors to see and experience what a miner’s life was like during the later part of the Gold Rush. The Tunnel is currently being redesigned, with a stronger focus into the lives of miners working in California’s hard rock mines over a century ago.
A visit to the California State Mining and Mineral Museum offers you the chance to explore the wealth of the Mother Lode, view minerals and gems from around the world, and to experience a little bit of California’s mining history adventures. Throughout the year special rotating displays from private collections and other institutions will be exhibited, making return trips to this museum well worth your time.
Educators can call the museum for information on curriculum based educational programs for Grades 1 – 12 and college level.
Fallbrook Gem and Mineral Society Museum 123 W. Alvarado St., Fallbrook, California
The FGMS was founded in 1957 and consists of a group of individuals who share common interests in gems, minerals, jewelry, geology, paleontology, and the related earth sciences and lapidary arts.The Society is based in Fallbrook, San Diego County, California — just a “stone’s throw” from some of the most productive gem mining areas in the United States.
Gaumer’s Mineral & Mining Museum 78 Belle Mill Rd., Red Bluff, California
Gaumer’s Mineral and Mining Museum features fifty years and four generations of collecting. Beautiful, rare gem and minerals specimens from around the world , stone carvings, fossils, Native American artifacts, a fluorescent mineral display, and a detailed replica of an old mine tunnel complete with ore car, tracks and mining equipment. The free museum is open to the public during normal business hours; group tours are available for schools and special interest groups.
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County Los Angeles, California
The mission of the Mineral Sciences Department is:
- to develop and conserve collections of minerals, rocks, and gems and to make these available to the scientific community and to the public.
- to interpret mineralogical and gemological materials and concepts for the public through exhibits and other types of public programming.
- to conduct research in the interests of furthering the science of mineralogy and providing useful new information to the community at large.
Oakland Museum of California Oakland, California
Museum preparators are busy unearthing a mastodon skeleton at the Oakland Museum of California Natural Sciences Gallery in full view of the public, in an experiment they call “turning the museum inside out.” During museum hours visitors can view the project and, most weekdays between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., talk with the preparators and volunteers as they expose the bones in preparation for making molds and casts of the skeleton. Adjoining the work area are specimens and interpretive materials depicting mastodon, mammoth and other Pleistocene (Ice Age) species, including giant ground sloth and saber-tooth cat skeletons.
Page Museum La Brea Tar Pits Los Angeles, California
The Page Museum is located at the Rancho La Brea Tar Pits in the heart of Los Angeles. Rancho La Brea is one of the world’s most famous fossil localities, recognized for having the largest and most diverse assemblage of extinct Ice Age plants and animals in the world. Visitors can learn about Los Angeles as it was between 10,000 and 40,000 years ago, during the last Ice Age, when animals such as saber-toothed cats and mammoths roamed the Los Angeles Basin. Through windows at the Page Museum Laboratory, visitors can watch bones being cleaned and repaired. Outside the Museum, in Hancock Park, life-size replicas of several extinct mammals are featured.
Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology Claremont, California
The Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology is the only paleontology museum in the world located on a high school campus. It is one of three nonprofit institutions that comprise The Webb Schools, the others being Vivian Webb School for girls and Webb School of California for boys.>The mission of the museum is to serve Southern California as an educational resource, to act as a center of paleontological research for the international scientific community, and to provide a unique curricular ingredient to The Webb Schools.
The museum is named after Dr. Raymond M. Alf, a math and science teacher who first took Webb students to the desert in search of fossils in the early 1930’s. In 1937, Alf and student Bill Webb found the skull of a new species of fossil pig, or peccary. The discovery of “The Peccary” sparked in Alf a life-long commitment to the study of paleontology and led to the founding of the museum that bears his name. After the discovery of “The Peccary,” student fossil collecting trips were known as peccary trips. Over 95% of the 70,000 fossils in the museum’s collection were unearthed by students and staff on peccary trips.
In 1998, the Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology gained national accreditation from the American Association of Museums, the highest honor a museum can achieve. Thus, the Alf Museum is now the only accredited museum located on a high school campus in the United States.
San Diego Natural History Museum 1788 El Prado, Balboa Park, San Diego, California
The San Diego Natural History Museum continues to explore the biodiversity and evolutionary history of southern California and Baja California with research, education, exhibits and community involvement.
Santa Cruz City Museum of Natural History 1305 E. Cliff Dr., Santa Cruz, California
The Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History exists to foster relationships between people and nature, and to inspire stewardship of the natural world
Sutter Gold Mine Sutter Creek, California
What could be better in California’s Gold Country than an underground mining exploration in a real gold mine? Well, how about two explorations? A fun 1-hour trip for families, and a 3-1/2 hour Deep Mine Experience for adventure seekers? That’s just what you’ll find when you visit Sutter Gold Mine Tours in Amador County!
Underground Adventures Northern California
Visit Black Chasm, Boyden Cavern, California Cavern, Moaning Cavern and the Sutter Gold Mine.
Denver Museum of Nature & Science Denver, Colorado
Put on your hard hats and step into a mine like no other! With gems and minerals from all over the world on display, the Coors Mineral Hall is filled with rare and beautiful specimens to discoverThe hall showcases silver from Mexico, topaz from Brazil, opals from Australia, and tourmalines from Afghanistan. But some of the most impressive specimens were found right here in Colorado. Admire the eight and a half pound nugget of crystallized gold called “Tom’s Baby,” bask in the red glow of the largest rhodochrosite crystal on Earth, and squint against the glitter of aquamarine. These spectacular gems and minerals will amaze and delight all ages!
The Dinosaur Depot Colorado
Dinosaur Depot is located within an historic fire station, built in the late 1930’s. It contains a visitor center and a working preparatory lab with interpretive displays. Cañon City is the county seat of Fremont County, Colorado. Fremont County has long been known as the home of Garden Park, location of the largest Jurassic graveyard in the world. Fossils from Garden Park are in many of this country’s natural history museums. amaze and delight all ages!
Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument Florissant, Colorado
When the mountains are overthrown and the seas uplifted, the universe at Florissant flings itself against a gnat and preserves it.”– Dr. Arthur C. Peale, Hayden Expedition Geologist, 1873.>A beautiful mountain valley just west of Pikes Peak holds spectacular remnants of the earth’s prehistoric life. Huge petrified redwoods and incredibly detailed fossils of ancient insects and plants reveal a very different Colorado of long ago. Almost 35 million years ago, enormous volcanic eruptions buried the then-lush valley and petrified the redwood trees that grew there. A lake formed in the valley and the fine-grained sediments at its bottom became the final resting-place for thousands of insects and plants. These sediments compacted into layers of shale and preserved the delicate details of these organisms as fossils. The Florissant Fossil Beds are world-renowned, and on August 20, 1969 were set aside as a part of our National Park System as Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument.
Summit County Gold Mine Tour Summit County, Colorado
Travel back in time 2 centuries and see how the West was opened. Explore the original workings of the mine as you feel, hear and smell what it was like to be a Colorado miner back in the1800’s! Examine original buildings, old photographs and even slide down a 35 foot ore chute to revisit the past and marvel at days gone by. You’ll travel over 1000 feet underground in this, the only authentic mine tour in Summit County. At the end of your tour you’ll be instructed on how, and then be allowed to pan for gold in Eureka creek. Hear the cries of GOLD! Best of all you’ll be able to take your riches home with you – a great Colorado souvenir! To complete the mining scene, gentle and friendly burros roam the mine site. Each summer we have a new baby burro. The burros love attention and like to pose for pictures. This is truly an adventure the whole family can enjoy. Tours are available hourly 10 AM to 5 PM. Clothing should be appropriate, the mine can be a little chilly!
Geology Museum Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado
The Geology Museum at the Colorado School of Mines started as a ‘mineral cabinet’ put together by Arthur Lakes, the first curator of collections, in 1874. Today the museum has approximately 50,000 minerals, fossils, gemstones, and artifacts. Each year, thousands of visitors, mineral collectors, and school children enjoy the exhibits and educational opportunities offered by the Geology Museum.
Museum of Western Colorado Grand Junction, Colorado
From fossils to man-made artifacts and photographs, we capture our region’s rich prehistoric past and decades of post-settlement history. The Museum, which has served our area for more than a quarter of a century, provides value-packed programming and learning opportunities for all ages. We offer educational exhibits, supervised dinosaur digs, specialty gift shops, and research opportunities. You are invited to become part of our exciting future!The Museum of Western Colorado is headquartered in Grand Junction and is accredited by the American Association of Museums. We have four major facilities: Cross Orchards Historic Farm, Dinosaur Journey, History Museum/Smith Educational Tower and the Whitman Education Center. The Loyd Files Research Library and the administrative offices are located in the History Museum. Riggs Hill, Dinosaur Hill and the Rabbit Valley Research Natural Area are the Museum’s outdoor sites.
National Mining Hall of Fame & Museum Leadville, Colorado
Welcome to the Internet Home of the National Mining Hall of Fame & Museum. We strongly believe that our museum helps the visitor begin to understand and appreciate the rich heritage and excitement of the American mining industry. We hope that this Website will give you a taste of that excitement.Located in the famous 1880’s silver mining boomtown of Leadville, the National Mining Hall of Fame & Museum is a monument to the memory of the men and women who pioneered the discovery, development and processing of our nation’s natural resources. Mining’s colorful history is showcased throughout the facility. The National Mining Hall of Fame & Museum is the only federally-chartered non-profit national mining museum.
Old Hundred Gold Mine Tour Silverton, Colorado
The fun starts with a ride on the mine trammer – the electric mine train that takes you 1600 feet underground into the heart of Galena Mountain. The car you ride is called the “mantrip” and it came from the famous Campbird Mine – the richest gold mine in the San Juans. At the spacious “main level station” we get off the train and begin our casual walk into a real gold vein! You’ll see colorful minerals and crystals in their natural setting in the tunnel walls and ceiling. The tunnels and shafts we see were all hand built by skilled hard-rock miners between 1907 and 1972 when the mine closed.The highlight of the tour are actual mining demonstrations – the way it was really done with authentic San Juan mining equipment. You’ll see how drilling progressed from the 1900’s “single-jacking”, to 1930’s “drifter” air drills, to the 1960’s “jack-leg” drills. Other equipment shown includes a “tugger hoist”, “air slusher” and the amazing “mucking machine”, all demonstrated and explained by your miner-guide
And how about gold? Will you see any? Well…..we don’t want to spoil all the surprises. Come see for yourself!
Summit County Gold Mine Tour Summit County, Colorado
Travel back in time 2 centuries and see how the West was opened. Explore the original workings of the mine as you feel, hear and smell what it was like to be a Colorado miner back in the1800’s! Examine original buildings, old photographs and even slide down a 35 foot ore chute to revisit the past and marvel at days gone by. You’ll travel over 1000 feet underground in this, the only authentic mine tour in Summit County. At the end of your tour you’ll be instructed on how, and then be allowed to pan for gold in Eureka creek. Hear the cries of GOLD! Best of all you’ll be able to take your riches home with you – a great Colorado souvenir! To complete the mining scene, gentle and friendly burros roam the mine site. Each summer we have a new baby burro. The burros love attention and like to pose for pictures. This is truly an adventure the whole family can enjoy. Tours are available hourly 10 AM to 5 PM. Clothing should be appropriate, the mine can be a little chilly!
Western Museum of Mining & Industry Colorado Springs, Colorado
The emphasis of WMMI’s collections is placed on the technology and technological history of metal mining and metallurgy, as well as the social history of the American Mining West. The museum promotes research in these disciplines by making its artifact and library collections available to scholars and the interested public. little chilly!
Bruce Museum One Museum Drive, Greenwich, CT
Exhibits in the Environmental History Galleries include Changes in Our Land, The Earth’s Minerals, Formation of Our Coast, Natural Resources Human Imprints, Life Between the Tides, Ecological Awareness, and A Place to Live. Exhibits are state-of-the-art, aesthetic presentations with many interactive displays. The Bruce Museum is a place for hands-on exploration for children, adults, and groups of all ages.
Peabody Museum of Natural History New Haven, Connecticut
From Egyptian mummies to saber-toothed cats to the once mighty dinosaurs — you can find it all at the Peabody Museum of Natural History!Between 1870 and 1873 Othniel Charles Marsh, nephew of philanthropist George Peabody, led four Yale expeditions to the American West in search of fossils. Today his most famous finds, the dinosaurs he named—Triceratops, Stegosaurus and “Brontosaurus”—dominate the Peabody’s Great Hall, where you can also see 300 million years of prehistory in the 110-foot mural The Age of Reptiles by Rudolph F. Zallinger.
Step into the world’s cultures at the Peabody. See outstanding exhibits on Ancient Egypt, and the peoples of Mesoamerica, the Andes, the Pacific, the Great Plains and the Northwest Coast.
The Peabody’s eleven dioramas, painted by master artists J. Perry Wilson and Francis Lee Jaques and each a unique blend of art and science, are windows on the natural world. And don’t miss our other exhibits on minerals and meteorites, primates and mammals, and fossil plants. Come explore!
University of Delaware Mineralogical Museum 112 Penny Hall, Newark, DE
The museum is currently closed for renovation. Please continue to check the website for updated information.
Florida Museum of Natural History Gainesville, Florida
The Florida Museum of Natural History, located at the University of Florida, is Florida’s state museum of natural history, dedicated to understanding and preserving biological diversity and cultural heritage..
Gillespie Museum of Minerals Stetson University, Deland, FL
The Gillespie Museum is home to one of the largest gem and mineral collections in the southeast. In addition to educational programs, the museum also offers many exciting exhibits and collections.
University of GA Museum of Natural History East Campus Drive, Athens, GA
The Geology Collections include the Allard Collection for Economic Geology, the Mineralogy Collection and the Paleontology Collection. The Allard Collection for Economic Geology represents a lifetime of collecting by Dr. Gilles Allard in ore deposits and mines on every continent, and contains over 20,000 specimens. The collection is now online. It can be searched by mineralogy, mining district, deposit type, or mine locality.The Mineralogy Collection is comprised of over 1,500 specimens from around the world. The Paleontology Collection consists of over 12,000 fossils and casts, including trace fossils from the Robert W. Frey Collection, modern mollusks from southeastern marine systems, and Paleozoic fossils from southeastern localities. These collections provide important reference materials and identification services to various industries and state agencies.
Weinman Mineral Museum Cartersville, Georgia
The mission of the Weinman Mineral Museum is to educate and inspire a diverse audience of students, enthusiasts and visitors about geology with an emphasis on Georgia, by providing unique experiences through exhibits, programs, special events and outreach in an engaging and fun environment.
Lyman Museum 276 Haili St.,Hilo, HI
The Lyman Museum houses two major exhibit galleries (Earth Heritage for natural history and Island Heritage for cultural history), the Shipman Gallery of Chinese Art, a Special Exhibits Gallery, a gift shop and over 26,000 volumes, documents and historic photos of Hawaii. The Earth Heritage Gallery is the best little introduction anywhere to Hawaii before humans, showcasing its volcanic origins and unique ecosystems. An important part of the Museum is our restored Mission House right next door. The house is shown separately by guided tour.
Idaho
Crystal Gold Mine Tour Kellogg, Idaho
Experience underground fun and adventure in a real gold mine! Guided tour. Educational fun for the entire family. On-site RV and bus parking. Picnic area. Underground gift shop. No reservations needed. Open year around. Tours start every 20 minutes. Mine temperature: 48oF year-around. You may need a coat or sweater.
Video and flash cameras welcome. Underground tour lasts approximately 30 minutes. Fun for all ages. Easy walking – concrete walkways. No climbing. Hand steeling demonstrations. Well lighted. Safe. State Iinspected. Recommended by Horizon Air Magazine. Filmed for a future “A & E” production.
Idaho Museum of Natural History Pocatello, Idaho
The mission of the Idaho Museum of Natural History is to acquire, preserve, study, interpret and display objects relating to the natural history of Idaho and the Northern Intermountain West for research and education. The Museum seeks to enhance in the citizens of Idaho and visitors an understanding of and delight in Idaho’s natural and cultural history. Specific areas of interest encompass the anthropology, botany, geology, paleontology, and zoology of Idaho and the Northern Intermountain West. The audiences served include citizens of Idaho, visitors and the national and international community of students and scholars. Information is disseminated through exhibitions, public and professional presentations, publications, formal and informal education, telecommunications and other interpretive programs.
Idaho Museum of Mining and Geology (IMMG) 2455 Old Penitentiary Road Boise, ID
Located next to the Old Penitentiary in Idaho’s Historical District, the Idaho Museum of Mining and Geology (IMMG) offers exhibits and educational programs about Idaho’s fascinating geologic history and rich mining heritage.
Kellogg’s Staff House Mining & Smelting Museum 820 McKinley Ave., Kellogg, ID
The Shoshone County Mining & Smelting Museum, Inc. has a historic collection from the Bunker Hill Mining and Smelting Company and the surrounding Silver Valley. Bunker Hill was one of the oldest and largest mining companies in the Coeur d’ Alene area of North Idaho. Rock and mineral displays, mining history and equipment displays, and local history exhibits.
American Fluorite Museum Main Street, P.O. Box 755, Rosiclare, IL
The American Fluorite Museum is located in the former office building of the Rosiclare Lead and Fluorspar Mining Company in downtown Rosiclare, Illinois, in the heart of the Southern Illinois – Western Kentucky Fluorite District, once the largest fluorspar mining area in the United States. The Museum features numerous items representing the fluorspar mining industry, which have been donated by interested citizens, including ore specimens, mining paraphernalia and photographs.
Burpee Museum of Natural History 737 North Main St Rockford, IL
Burpee Museum has four floors of modern exhibits. Exhibits are specimen based, with strong interactive and educational components. The first floor is dedicated to paleontology; take a walk through time as your visit exhibits chronicling key times in earth’s history. The Geoscience exhibit is located on the second floor, where rocks and minerals, fluorescent minerals, and the geology of the region can be found. Third floor exhibits include the Windows to Wilderness exhibit on Rock River Valley biology and the First People exhibit which introduces visitors to different Native American cultures. Located in the basement is the Dean Olson Viewing lab where fossil and biological specimens are prepared for exhibit.
The Field Museum Chicago, Illinois
Grainger Hall of Gems Dazzle your eyes with all that glitters … and then some! Marvel at gleaming gems, sparkling diamonds–even a Tiffany stained-glass window.
Fryxell Geology Museum Augustana College, Rock Island, IL
The museum, named after Fritiof Fryxell, has become one of the largest and finest collections of rocks, minerals and fossils in the Midwest. Begun in the late 1880’s with a modest natural history collection, the museum now boasts over 1,500 rock, mineral, and fossil specimens. On display is a complete skeleton of a Tylosaurus “sea serpent”, skulls of Parasaurolophus, Ankylosaurus, Apatosaurus, Allosaurus and Tyrannosaurus rex and a 2 billion year old fossil! Of particular interest is the display of the complete 22-foot long skeleton of Cryolophosaurus, a large crested carnivorous dinosaur discovered in Antarctica in 1991 by Augustana paleontologist Dr. William Hammer.
Illinois State Museum Spring & Edwards Sts., Springfield, IL
The Illinois State Museum maintains collections of art, history, anthropology, and natural history which are critical resources to its education, research, publication, and exhibition programs. The geographical focus is the Midwestern U.S. with an emphasis on Illinois. The significance of the biological and geological collections resulted in the election of the Museum to membership in the Association of Systematics Collections in the mid-l970s.
Lizzardo Museum of Lapidary Art Elmhurst, Illinois
The Lizzadro Museum displays gemstone treasures created by ancient craftsmen as well as by contemporary artists. The building itself is a gem, designed to resemble a jewel box in a park setting.
Falls of the Ohio State Park Clarksville, IN
Located on the banks of the Ohio River in Clarksville, Indiana at I-65 exit 0 is the Falls of the Ohio State Park. The 386-million-year-old fossil beds are among the largest naturally exposed Devonian fossil beds in the world. The park features a spectacular interpretive center overlooking the fossil beds containing an exhibit gallery and video presentation.
Indiana State Museum 650 W. Washington St., Indianapolis, IN
Located in White River State Park in the heart of Indianapolis, the Indiana State Museum is a wonderful place to find everything you never expected. Whether you are a visitor to the state or a life-long Hoosier, this world-class institution will allow you to explore Indiana’s past, present and future through artistic, cultural and scientific exhibits. Starting with the birth of earth and tracing Hoosier history into the 21st century, the museum offers an eclectic and ever-changing adventure.
University of Iowa Museum of Natural History Macbride Hall, U of Iowa Campus, Iowa City, IA
The mission of the University of Iowa Museum of Natural History is to inspire in vistiors of all ages understanding and a sense of wonder, discovery, respect and responsibility for our natural and cultural worlds through exhibits, programs and collections, as well as through links with UI research and activities.
Fick Fossil and History Museum Oakley, Kansas
The Fick Fossil and History Museum in Oakley, Kansas shares a building with the community library. The Fick Museum is free (donations) and has a number of interesting large fossils from the area, many old tools, mineral specimens, and shell & mineral folk art. Most of the exhibits have more info about who contributed them (looks like every one in town), then about the exhibits.
Johnston Geology Museum Emporia State Univerity, Emporia, Kansas
You can see a western Kansas Cretaceous mosasaur, a giant ground sloth, a mastodon tusk plus other displays in the ESU Geology Museum. The museum contains geological specimens predominantly from Kansas. Included among the 45 displays in the museum are the world famous Hamilton Quarry Fossil Assemblage, the Tri-State Mining Display, petrified tree stumps, and the Hawkins and the Calkins Indian Artifact Collections.
Keystone Gallery 401 US Hwy 83, Scott City, KS
Keystone Gallery combines many different venues in one location. Our museum houses a permanent collection of local Kansas Cretaceous fossils. The art page features paintings by Chuck Bonner and scenic photography by Barbara Shelton. We are located between the towns of Oakley and Scott City, Kansas on US 83 overlooking the Smoky Hill valley and the Badlands of Kansas region. Since our inception, we have hosted over 60,000 visitors from fascinating backgrounds, including many states and foreign countries. Our visitors’ interests vary widely; they include the local Monument Rocks formation, Kansas fossils, and the various fossils and minerals for sale in the gallery. Some visitors just stop by out of curiosity about the building’s history or the buffalo herd. We also offer guided fossil hunts for adventurous people who want to unearth prehistoric creatures.
University of Kansas Natural History Museum Dyche Hall 1345 Jayhawk Blvd. Lawrence, KS
The museum has extensive exhibits about the flora and fauna of the Great Plains. Explore Evolution features the work of scientists who are making leading discoveries about the evolution of life. Common patterns and principles in the evolution of all organisms is the central theme of the exhibition.
The Clement Mineral Museum 205 N. Walker St., Marion, KY
The Clement Mineral Museum displays a portion of the lifelong collection of Ben E. Clement, one of the giants of Kentucky mining.
Lafayette Natural History Museum & Planetarium 433 Jefferson Street, Lafayette, La
Louisiana State University Baton Rouge, LA 70803
Several mineral collections are housed in the Department of Geology and Geophysics. These include the Blake collection, Economic Mineral collection… These collections are, in part, on public display throughout the Howe-Russell Complex. These collections are used for teaching, research and display.
Louisville Science Center 727 West Main Street Louisville, KY
Discover the fun of the Louisville Science Center. You’ll find all the major sciences brought to life with exciting, interactive exhibits that engage your hands, your mind and your imagination! Kids, families, adults, grandparents, students … there’s something for everyone. See it all or explore one topic in depth. A full schedule of special events, temporary exhibits and IMAX® films means there’s always something new.
Maine Gems at the Maine State Museum 83 State House Station Augusta ME
Gemstones are a well-known feature of Maine’s natural world. The pegmatites (course-grained granites) of western Maine have yielded an abundance of gem quality minerals including tourmaline, aquamarine, morganite, smoky quartz, rose quartz, and amethyst. A few rich deposits have been mined only for gems. Others were first explored and developed in the late 1800s as sources of industrial feldspar, an essential ingredient in the manufacture of chinaware.
Perham’s Museum 194 Bethel Road, West Paris, ME
Our mineral museum is a tribute to Western Maine’s unique mineralogical diversity. Specimens have been collected by the family since 1919. Minerals, Gems, Artifacts, Quarry model, Tourmaline pocket, etc.
Deer Isle Granite Museum P.O. Box 469, in the Webb Building on Main Street, Stonington, ME
The museum focuses on the history of Maine’s granite quarries and the men who worked in them. The museum includes a 7- by 15-foot model that shows the life of the Crotch Island quarry workers in the early 1900s.
George B. Dorr Museum of Natural History 105 Eden St. Bar Harbor, ME
The George B. Dorr Museum of Natural History investigates, interprets and displays the natural world of Maine. All exhibits are designed and produced by students at College of the Atlantic. The Museum is housed in the original headquarters of Acadia National Park, renovated and expanded to provide a unique site for exhibits, programs, and activities.
Maryland Gold Mine Falls Road and MacArthur Boulevard in C&O Canal National Historical Park
Maryland Science Center 601 Light Street, Baltimore, MD
Museum & Planetarium.
Museum of Science 1 Science Park Boston, MA
Petrified wood from Arizona, Egyptian granite, and our own Roxbury puddingstone are just some of the rock stars that can be found in this outdoor exhibit, where visitors can take a tour of the world just by strolling through. Here, you can find a rock that tumbled in an avalanche from the top of Mount Blanc, or a billion-year-old boulder from the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Get up close and personal with lava from Death Valley, or observe the narrow, black crystals of sillimanite embedded on the surface of gneiss from Mount Washington. Touch a piece of the two-ton chunk of limestone from the Rock of Gibraltar.
Berkshire Museum 39 South Street (Route 7) Pittsfield, MA
At the Berkshire Museum, there’s something for everyone. We offer a unique blend of exhibitions, galleries, and attractions for families of all ages. See exhibitions, fine art, and sculpture from around the world. Explore our touch tank and aquarium. Be amazed at our collection of artifacts from Native American cultures and ancient cultures of Egypt, China, and more. Marvel at the technology that awaits in the new Feigenbaum Hall of Innovation. So much to see, and all under one roof…go ahead, Discover the World Inside.
Harvard Mineralogical Museum 24 Oxford St., Cambridge, MA
The Harvard mineral collection ranks among the world’s finest due to its very broad representation, wealth of rare species, large number of specimens described in the scientific literature, and the quality of its display specimens. A rich systematic mineral collection and displays of gemstones are the principal exhibits in the mineral gallery. We are committed to the development and preservation of world-class collections of minerals, gems, rocks, ores, and meteorites for research, education, and public display. We strive to meet the needs of students and faculty at Harvard University as well the geological community at large by serving as a uniquely rich resource of materials and information.
A. E. Seaman Mineral Museum Houghton, Michigan
We are the official Mineralogical Museum of Michigan. We possess the finest collection of minerals from Michigan’s famous copper and iron mining districts. We have over 60,000 minerals in our possession, and over 20,000 of these minerals are displayed
Cranbrook Institute of Science 1221 N. Woodward Ave., Bloomfield Hills, MI
Visit the Cranbrook Institute of Science, a great place to explore science, technology, and natural history. Join 200,000+ visitors who every year appreciate the value of the Institute’s fascinating exhibits, hands-on activities, and planetarium shows. You can enjoy a picnic on the lovely grounds, or a snack in the café. At the Institute you will discover family-friendly events, up-to-date scientific information, and some pretty outstanding sights. From sparkling diamonds to the towering T. rex, to live animals in the Bat Zone, you will find something of interest.
Detroit Science Center 5020 John R Street Detroit MI
The Detroit Science Center features more than 200 hands-on exhibits that explore space, life and physical science.
Quincy Mine Hoist Association Hancock, Michigan
Welcome To The Quincy Mine Steam Hoist. Experience Our Nation’s First Mineral Boom: Copper Mine Tours, Quincy Number Two Shafthouse, Quincy Steam Hoist, Passenger Cog Rail Tram and Gift Shop. Open Mid-May through Mid-October.
Science Museum of Minnesota Exchange and Wabasha Sts., St Paul, MN
The main areas of focus of the Science Division include archaeology and ethnology; mammalogy, entomology, and ornithology; vertebrate and invertebrate paleontology; and river and stream ecology and watershed biology. Our artifacts and specimens are worldwide in scope and range in size from microscopic spores to dinosaurs.
Soudan Underground Mine State Park Soudan, Minnesota
A century slips by when you visit this park. Visitors wear hard hats and journey down 2,400 feet via a “cage.” On the 27th level, the transportation shifts to a rail car for a ride back into the mine as you listen to the stories of the mining days. Above ground visitors can explore the dry house, drill shop, crusher house and engine house and hike the trails in the park through a northern hardwood conifer forest, past the famous Soudan Iron Formation.
Mississippi Museum of Natural Science 2148 Riverside Drive Jackson MS
The primary mission of the MMNS Paleontology Collection is to both house and document the spatiotemporal spectrum of prehistoric animal and plant diversity within the state and to make this information available for educational and research purposes. The Paleontology Collection at MMNS, and its supportive Comparative Osteology Collection, is thus the principal resource for Mississippi citizens in need of identifying fossils as well as the bones of modern animals. MMNS Paleontology provides a centralized institution for in-state and out-of-state scientists studying Mississippi’s natural history through its fossil diversity and prehistory. The Museum of Natural Science (MMNS) is the official state repository for Mississippi’s fossil resources—both specimens and data. Historically, the U.S. National Museum (USNM) has been the central repository for fossils (and biological specimens) found throughout the United States. As USNM staff and funding has not grown to adequately accommodate the collection and resource needs required by researchers throughout the country, in-state natural history collections are needed to meet the needs of educators and researchers in each state. The MMNS fossil collection increases the accessibility of Mississippi fossil resources to Mississippians—from schoolchildren to research scientists.Collection Facts
— Total Assigned Catalogue Numbers: 8,000
— Total Number Catalogued Specimens: 25,000
— Number Mississippi Counties Represented: 48 of 82
Everett J. Ritchie Tri-State Mineral Joplin, Missouri
The Everett J. Ritchie Tri-State Mineral Museum boasts one of the world’s most exceptional collections of lead and zinc ores as well as other minerals found in the Tri-State District. This museum interprets the geology and geochemistry of the area and illustrates mining processes and methods used from the 1870s through the 1960s.
Missouri Mines State Historic Site Park Hills, Missouri
Hwy. 32, P.O. Box 492, Park Hills, MO 63601
(573) 431-6226
In Park Hills, on south side of Hwy. 32.
St. Louis Science Center 5050 Oakland Avenue St. Louis, MO
The Saint Louis Science Center is a three-building complex (the main building, the Exploradome® and the James S. McDonnell Planetarium) with more than 700 hands-on exhibits
Montana Tech Mineral Museum Butte, Montana
The Mineral Museum, situated on the Montana Tech Campus, overlooks the 100-year Butte Mining District, better known as the Richest Hill on Earth. Classic mineral specimens from Butte’s underground mines which include over 3,000 miles of mine-workings that reach over a mile deep, illustrate the area’s tremendous mineral wealth..
Museum of the Rockies Bozeman, Montana
The Museum of the Rockies inspires visitors to explore the rich natural and cultural history of America’s Northern Rocky Mountains. In partnership with Montana State University, the museum reaches diverse communities with engaging exhibits, educational programs and original research that advances public understanding of the collections.The Museum of the Rockies has developed a series of exhibits that take you from 4.6 billion years ago to the last 200 years of Montana’s history. These exhibits are frequently based on original research by museum curators whose work is briefly explained in a 12-minute slide program in the Hager Auditorium.
University of Nebraska State Museum 14th & U Sts., Lincoln, NE
Is a museum & planetarium.
Gold Point Ghost Town Gold Point, Nevada
Vacation in the Old West. Stay in a real live ghost town!
Las Vegas Natural History Museum 900 North Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas, NV
The Las Vegas Natural History Museum is a private, non-profit institution dedicated to educating children and families in the natural sciences, both past and present. Through its interactive exhibits, educational programs and the preservation of its collections, the Museum strives to instill an understanding and appreciation of the world’s wildlife, ecosystems and cultures.
Marshall Mint 96 N. C Street, Virginia City, NV
Located in the Comstock National Historic District at 96 North C Street, the Marshall Mint features a full line of custom gold and silver medallions, nuggets, collector coins and currency, bullion, jewelry, and a world-class mineral and gem museum. Visitors to the Marshall Mint can see the actual coins minted and jewelry produced in the press and assembly rooms. The museum grade specimens are for sale to collectors and dealers.
W.M. Keck Museum, University of Nevada Reno 1664 N. Virginia Street Reno, NV
Located in the Mackay School of Mines Building at the University of Nevada, Reno, the W.M. Keck Museum houses an outstanding collection of minerals, ores, fossil specimens and photographs, in addition to mining related relics. There is a special emphasis on early Nevada mining history with samples from famous mineral districts such as the Comstock Lode, Tonopah, and Goldfield. The museum is also home to some of the spectacular Mackay Silver Collection, created by Tiffany & Co., for John Mackay and completed in 1878.
Franklin Mineral Museum 32 Evans St., Franklin, NJ
The museum features the world’s largest Fluorescent Display. Here the various ores and minerals are seen under regular light and long and shortwave ultra-violet, producing brilliant, fantastic colors. Other exhibits showcase thousands of specimens in well illuminated cases, with each item properly labeled. Needless to say, a visit to this museum is a must for students of geology.
Liberty Science Center 222 Jersey City Boulevard Jersey City, NJ
Liberty Science Center is an innovative learning resource for lifelong exploration of nature, humanity and technology, strengthening communities and inspiring global stewardship.
Newark Museum 49 Washington Street, Newark, NJ
The Newark Museum, New Jersey’s largest museum, invites you to enjoy unforgettable experiences in the arts and natural sciences. Take an inspirational journey through 80 galleries of world-class collections including American, Asian, African and Classical. Experience another era in the Victorian Ballantine House – a National Historic Landmark. Come face-to-face with live animals from around the world in the Mini Zoo or travel to the stars in our popular planetarium. Stroll through our beautiful sculpture garden, visit our museum shops and enjoy a delicious lunch or snack at our café. Not your ordinary museum.
Rutgers University Geology Museum Geology Hall, Old Queens Section, Queens Campus, New Brunswick, NJ
The Rutgers University Geology Museum, which is open to the public, features exhibits on geology and anthropology, with an emphasis on the natural history of New Jersey. The largest exhibits include a dinosaur trackway from Towaco, NJ; a mastodon from Salem County, NJ; and a Ptolomaic era Egyptian mummy. There are mineral exhibits featuring the zeolite minerals of Paterson, NJ, and the zinc minerals of Franklin, NJ. Also on exhibit is a 30-foot-long geologic cross section of New Jersey from the Delaware Water Gap to the southern NJ coastal plain.
Paterson Museum 2 Market St., Paterson, NJ
One of the finest exhibited mineral collections in the state will also be found here, including a Fluorescent Mineral Display housed in a Simulated Mine. Most of the minerals displayed have been found in New Jersey, but other specimens from around the world can also be seen.
Sterling Hill Mine & Museum 30 Plant St., Ogdensburg, NJ
The Museum was opened to the public in 1990 and today visitors can tour one-fifth of a mile of underground tunnels, viewing a spectacular Fluorescent Display in a natural environment, and learning about metal mining and the machinery and men that made it all work. A 5,000 square foot exhibit hall showcases mining artifacts, minerals, and much more.
The New Mexico Bureau of Geology & Mineral Resources Mineralogical Museum Socorro, New Mexico
On the campus of the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology lies one of the great treasure troves of the southwest. Located in the Workman Addition on the NMIMT campus, modern travelers on the Camino Real can visit seven days a week, 8-5 Monday through Friday and 10 to 3 on Saturday and Sunday. The main exhibit hall highlights minerals from around New Mexico and from around the world. Mining memorabilia, fossils and a comprehensive ultraviolet mineral display are also featured.The Museum also hosts the New Mexico Mineral Symposium every second weekend in November. The symposium provides a forum for both professionals and amateurs interested in mineralogy. The meeting allows all to share their cumulative knowledge of mineral occurrences and provide stimulus for mineralogical studies and new mineral discoveries. In addition, the informal atmosphere allows for intimate discussions among all interested in mineralogy and associated fields.
New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science Albuquerque, New Mexico
The natural treasures preserved in the Museum’s collections define New Mexico’s natural history and heritage, and provide the tangible evidence of a wondrous past. Preservation of our natural heritage is vitally important, yet the Museum is more than a showcase for New Mexico’s natural treasures. The Museum uses these objects to convey a dynamic and exciting view of our past, a history where all things are always changing.
Geology & Meteorite Museums, University of New Mexico Northrop Hall, Albubuquerque, NM
The Meteorite Museum is located in Northrop Hall on the Main Campus of the University of New Mexico. It houses many meteorites from the extensive collection of the Institute of Meteoritics. The highlight of the Museum is a one-ton piece of the stony meteorite, Norton County, that fell in Kansas in 1948. The theme of our exhibit is “Looking at the Solar System through a Microscope.” Our displays show how scientists learn about asteroids, comets, the Moon and Mars by studying samples that have fallen to Earth from space, as well as samples that have been collected by spacecraft missions.
American Museum of Natural History New York, New York
The Harry Frank Guggenheim Morgan Memorial Halls of Minerals and Gems contain exquisite treasures, which can be systematically arranged according to their similarities and differences in the same manner as animals and plants. In the Hall of Minerals the visitor finds minerals composed of a single element, such as gold and copper, and groups that combine several elements, such as the silicates quartz, amethyst, and mica.The Hall of Gems displays groups of stones that showcase an extraordinary range of size, color, and shape. Among these specimens is the 563-carat Star of India, the largest and most famous star sapphire in the world. Formed some two billion years ago, the Star of India was discovered several centuries ago and donated to the Museum by J. P. Morgan in 1900. Also featured in the Hall of Gems is the Patricia Emerald, a 632-carat specimen that is one of the very few large, gem-quality emeralds that have been preserved uncut. The specimen is exceedingly rare not only because of its size and color, but also because of its dihexagonal, or twelve-sided, shape.
Buffalo Museum of Science 1020 Humboldt Parkway Buffalo, New York
Marvel at a variety of minerals while learning vital information needed to appreciate them. Displays help visitors to understand what a mineral is (and is not), identification traits, what crystals are and how they form. Fine specimens portray the mineral heritage of Western New York, New York State, and Ontario. The astounding variability of certain minerals is illustrated using quartz, calcite, gypsum and hematite.A gem display traces specimens to their origins as natural mineral crystals, and another shows beautiful objects crafted from minerals by artisans. A systematic array of hundreds of fine specimens provides a classification of minerals according to their chemical composition and crystal structure.
Hicksville Gregory Museum Heitz Place Courthouse, Hicksville, NY
Housed in the historic Heitz Place Courthouse (1895), this museum presents impressive exhibits and a range of Science and Craft Workshops for children and adults. Saturday at the Museum for ages 4 to 12 offers great hands-on experiments and projects. Exhibits include a display of part of the Museum’s 10,000-specimen Mineral Collection featuring a sampling which serves as an introduction to the major mineral groups. New Jersey zeolites, Herkimer “diamonds”, a spectacular florescent display, and many economically important minerals are shown.
Hudson Institute of Mineralogy Peekskill, New York
A new mineralogical institute has been established in Peekskill, New York, dedicated to the discovery, study and preservation of rare mineral species, and to increasing public awareness and appreciation of the mineral kingdom through outreach and education.As collectors, we often bemoan the fact that our numbers are dwindling, that access to collecting sites has become increasingly more difficult, that it has become nearly impossible to find a researcher or scientist with the time or interest to identify our unknowns, and that mineralogy and mining have become pursuits that seem to be outside the mainstream of our society’s consciousness. Despite our dependence on minerals in everyday life, their study and appreciation among the general public seems to be in great decline. Will there be mineral collectors, mineralogists or even advanced reference collections in the future? Examining the trends in U.S. research and education, the answer is “maybe not”!
The Institute’s initial plan calls for the acquisition of suitable analytical equipment that will form the springboard for its research efforts. Once assembled and staffed, it is envisioned that collectors could have low cost access to this analytical capability as Institute funding and staffing permits. It comes as no surprise that many new mineral species are first observed by astute collectors, and it is hoped that better access by collectors to the tools of the scientific community will advance the discovery of additional new and interesting mineral species.
Natural History Museum of the Adirondacks 45 Museum Drive Tupper Lake, NY
The Wild Center is a not-for-profit organization overseen by the Museum’s Board of Trustees with the assistance of its Advisory Board. The Museum is located on a 31-acre site in the Town of Tupper Lake, NY near the geographic center of the Adirondack Park. The Adirondacks are unique in the world. Surrounded by people, they house great expanses of nature interspersed with small towns and communities. They can be a model for a future where man and the rest of the natural world find better ways to coexist.This new Museum, dedicated to understanding this rare place, is committed to helping people explore not a small collection, but one that lives and breathes across the entire expanse of the Adirondacks.
New York State Museum Albany, New York
The New York State Museum is the place where people go to discover why New York is called the Empire State. The research conducted by our scientists and historians undergirds all of our activities, including specialized services to government and industry. Ourpermanent exhibition halls, temporary exhibits, and public programs are created around materials collected by our own researchers and curators, as well as around collections from other institutions. We also offer a menu of traveling exhibits for rental from other institutions.Today, the State Museum’s collections number more than five million artifacts and specimens. Each year our exhibits and programs attract more than one million visitors, more than half of whom come from outside the Capital Region. The programs that we offer school groups attract about 60,000 students annually from throughout the State.
Rochester Museum & Science Center 657 East Avenue, Rochester NY
The Rochester Museum & Science Center is entrusted with more than 1.2 million objects that represent the science and technology, natural science, and cultural heritage of the greater Rochester region.
Colburn Gem & Mineral Museum Asheville, North Carolina
Explore Asheville’s hidden treasure where you will be dazzled by exhibits of mineral crystals and gemstones from North Carolina and around the world.
Discovery Place 1658 Sterling Road Charlotte, NC
Discovery Place, Inc. will renovate its Tryon Street Museum in phases over 17 months, beginning in January 2009. During the renovation, the Museum will remain substantially open ensuring guests ongoing access to Museum exhibits and programs for most of the renovation period. The redesigned Museum, filled with new interactive science and technology exhibits, will debut in 2010. Click here for the renovation schedule.
Natural Science Center of Greensboro 4301 Lawndale Drive, Greensboro, NC 27455
North Carolina Museum of Life and Sciences 433 Murray Avenue, Durham, NC
The Museum of Life and Science is a world-class science center and the smart choice for learning and fun. Interactive inside and out, you’ll find hundreds of state-of-the art, hands-on exhibits that spark the wonder and amazement of scientific discovery in people of all ages.
North Carolina Museum of Natural History Raleigh, North Carolina
The exhibits of the new North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences look at the natural world through the distinct lens of North Carolina’s diverse geography, geology, plants and animals. By exploring our own backyards and taking a closer look at the familiar, we can better understand the world and our place in it as we learn about North Carolina’s global connections. In this way, the Museum becomes a window on the world.
Dakota Dinosaur Museum 200 Museum Drive, Dickinson, ND
Earth Science Museum with emphasis on dinausors. Exhibits include Dinosaurs, rocks, minerals, mannals, seashells.
Pioneer Trails Regional Museum Bowman, North Dakota
Examples of our collection efforts can be seen on display in the Paleontology Department’s 2100 square foot exhibit space. These specimens were collected by our staff of volunteers and visiting academics. These volunteers must complete our Certification Program to be able to participate. This Certification Program is open to the public and offered through our museum facility.The Paleontology Department conducts Day Tours out to our fossil sites on Tuesdays through Saturdays during the summer months of June, July and August. These Day Tours are designed to allow interested individuals, from the general public, the opportunity to join our paleontology crews in the field and excavate or collect at a fossil site.
Schiele Museum of Natural History 1500 East Garrison Blvd. Gastonia, NC
With a comprehensive collection of flora, fauna, minerals and fossils that make our environment the ecological treasure chest it is, visitors of all ages will enjoy a unique perspective on how we fit into the natural world that surrounds us. Spectacular lifelike dioramas filled with live animals, mounted specimens, vegetation and land formations showcase an impressive collection of North American birds, mammals and reptiles as well as installations and interpretations of the history and present day lifestyles of peoples of the region and North America.Whether visiting the Paleozoic sea or one of the Southeast’s most diverse collections of rocks and minerals, it becomes crystal clear that the wonders of the natural world never cease, and that The Schiele Museum is the perfect place to discover them… over and over again. Hurry. The dinosaurs are waiting.
Cincinnati Museum Center Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati Museum Center’s Museum of Natural History & Science maintains collections in the areas of: Anthropology with an emphasis on archaeology, both prehistoric (with a focus on the greater Ohio Valley) and historic (primarily of the Cincinnati region of southwest Ohio, northern Kentucky and southeast Indiana), Natural History with an emphasis on the core collections of invertebrate paleontology (with primary emphasis on fossils occurring in the Cincinnati region, i.e., late Ordovician), vertebrate paleontology (with special emphasis on Paleozoic and Pleistocene material from the tri-state region—Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana—and exhibit-quality material from all geologic horizons and geographic areas), and vertebrate zoology (with an emphasis on herpetology and ornithology). Ancillary collections are maintained in botany, entomology, malacology, mineralogy and nature art.
Orton Geological Museum 155 South Oval Mall, Ohio State, Columbus, OH
See hundreds of crystals and minerals – some that even glow in the dark. Learn about Ohio during the Precambrian, Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian and Carboniferous periods. Come face-to-face with a 4-foot-long replica skull of the mighty Tyrannosaurus rex, and dodge Glyptodon, a giant South American armadillo. We have meteorites, mastodon teeth, minerals, and fossils from around the world.
Oklahoma Museum of Natural History 1335 Asp Avenue, University of OK, Norman, OK
The Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History at The University of Oklahoma inspires minds to understand the natural and cultural world through collection-based discovery, interpretation, and education.
Science Museum Oklahoma 2100 52nd Street Oklahoma City, OK
The Science Museum Oklahoma is a science museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The museum is home to the Kirkpatrick Planetarium and a dome theater, as well as a number of specialized galleries.
John Day Fossil Beds National Monument Kimberly, Oregon
Within the heavily eroded volcanic deposits of the scenic John Day River basin is a well-preserved fossil record of plants and animals. This remarkablycomplete record, spanning more than 40 of the 65 million years of the Cenozoic Era (the”Age of Mammals and Flowering Plants”) is world-renown. Authorized October 26, 1974, and established in1975, this 14,000 acre park is divided into three widely separated units; the Sheep Rock Unit, Painted Hills Unit, and Clarno Unit. Then monument’s main headquarters is at thevisitor center in the Sheep Rock Unit.
Crater Rock Museum Central Point, Oregon
The museum was founded in 1954 by Frieda and Delmar Smith. The Smith’s collection and the collections and donations of members and others has created one of the finest displays of rocks, minerals, and gems on the west coast.
Oregon Museum of Science & Industry Portland, Oregon
The Earth Science Hall houses the Paleo Lab, where staff and volunteers excavate real dinosaur and ancient Oregon fossils from plaster casts in a setting open to the public.
Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals Hillsboro, Oregon
The Museum Collection includes an extensive variety of crystallized mineral species; world class specimens of common quartz and gypsum, colorful copper minerals, one of the two finest red rhodochrosite specimens in the world, rare and beautiful gem crystals of emerald, ruby, aquamarine, morganite, amethyst and thousands of other specimens from around the world. “Flowers of the mineral kingdom.”The collection also displays extraordinary lapidary works. Large cut and polished sections of petrified wood, fossil palm, and cycad; polished specimens of green variscite, pink rhodochrosite, rich green malachite, dark blue lapis lazuli, elegant turquoise, chrysocolla, rutillated quartz, and much more.
northwest mineral museum would not be complete without agate. The Rices, began this exhibit in 1938 with a handful of Oregon beach agates and it now displays examples of agate from locations throughout the Americas, including the U.S.A., Argentina, Brazil and Mexico. Thundereggs from many of Oregon’s classic localities are featured.
The Academy of Natural Sciences Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The Academy of Natural Sciences, a museum of natural history operating since 1812, undertakes research and public education that focus on the environment and its diverse species. Our mission is to expand knowledge of nature through discovery and to inspire stewardship of the environment. Permanent exhibits include a gem and mineral collection.
Bryn Mawr College Vaux Mineral Collection, Science Center, Bryn Mawr College 101 North Merion Avenue Bryn Mawr, PA 19010-2899
There are 1500 minerals on exhibit in 28 hall cases in the Park Science Center. Dorothy Wyckoff, Professor of Geology from 1930-1966, arranged several hall cases of large specimens from the College Collection, as well as teaching exhibits in the Introductory, Mineralogy, and Paleontology laboratories. Harold W. Arndt, Associate Curator from 1958 – 1989, selected many of the finest minerals from the Vaux Collection for display in hall cases along the first and second floors of the Physics and Math wings of the Park Science Center. In addition, a display of fluorescent minerals (many from the Franklin Mine in New Jersey) is housed in a special dark room. The Bryn Mawr College Geology Department welcomes visitors to the Mineral Collections. The hall cases are accessible to individual visitors weekdays during the academic year. Large groups may arrange visits or guided tours by contacting Juliet Reed, Associate Curator. Researchers wishing to access the Collections for study should contact the curators.
Carnegie Museum of Natural History Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Hillman Hall of Minerals and Gems: From table salt to diamond rings, minerals are part of our everyday existence. Having come mostly from below the Earth’s surface, minerals are shrouded in mystery. The Hillman Hall of Minerals and Gems unleashes the spectacular beauty of the mineral world.A jewel box of lush colors, wondrous forms, and striking contrasts, the hall showcases minerals and gems from all over the world. Highlights include dazzling diamonds, volcanic rocks, and out-of-this-world meteorites.
This spectacular exhibition hall explains the basic facts of minerals, rocks, and crystals. Distinguishing properties of minerals, such as fluorescence, phosphorescence, and radioactivity are explored through hands-on activities. Over 350 minerals are on display, grouped according to their chemical composition.
Visitors to Hillman Hall are introduced to the forces operating both within the Earth and on its surface. In addition to rocks with earthly origins, several meteorites are exhibited.
Pennsylvania’s mineralogical diversity is the subject of another group of exhibits. This section presents information on coal and other minerals that have been important to the state’s economic development.
In a final section of the hall, over three hundred cut and uncut gems blaze with the color, dazzling the eye with beauty
Delaware County Institute of Science 11 Veterans Square, Media, PA
The museum exhibits mounted birds and animals; a herbarium of Delaware County plants; fossils, shells, and corals from over the world; a microscope collection; and miscellaneous other collections, that are also available for study. The displays and research collections of minerals include many from famous localities in the area. The museum also houses the original plate blocks used to print Dr. Samuel Gordon’s 1922 “Mineralogy Of Pennsylvania.” Additionally, specimens brought from the mineral prospects of the West by members of the Delaware County Institute of Science during the 1800’s can be viewed and studied.
North Museum of Natural History 400 College Ave, Lancaster, PA
The North Museum Geology collection contains thousands of regional and world-wide specimens. More than 1,150 specimens representing over 200 mineral species are on display with all the major and most minor classes represented in the North Museum’s Cabinet Museum. The major portion of the Geology collection was donated to the Museum in 1982 by Mr. and Mrs. John B. Moreton of Solebury, Pennsylvania. This outstanding collection contains numerous specimens, including some of the finest examples of mascarite, fluorite, Iceland spar, calcite, hedgehog calcite, polished bird’s-eye malachite, desert rose and fish tail selenite, calcanthite, butterfly twin herderite, rutilated quartz, tourmaline and beryl.
Penn State Earth & Mineral Sciences Museum Steidle Building, University Park, State College, PA
The Earth & Mineral Sciences Museum at The Pennsylvania State University in State College, PA, is a unique mineral museum. Our main gallery display includes displays of fine minerals such as azurite and “velvet” malachite from Bisbee, Arizona, and amazonite crystals from the Pikes’ Peak, Colorado, area. In addition to collections of rocks, minerals, and fossils totaling more than 22,000 specimens, the Museum maintains collections of glasses, ceramics, metals, plastics, synthetic materials, old mining and scientific equipment, and archaeological artifacts. Many of these specimens are on display while the others are available for research and educational purposes.
Wagner Free Institute of Science 1700 W. Montgomery Ave, Philadelphia, PA
The Institute’s Museum contains more than 100,000 specimens illustrating the various branches of the natural world. Wagner’s outstanding mineral collection will be found here, as will his collection of European and American fossils. Displays are arranged in a logical sequence; visitors first explore simpler objects and progress to the more complex. Mounted animal skeletons, skulls and skins, birds, shells, and items collected on Institute-sponsored expeditions are featured among the many exhibits. One unique aspect to this museum is that it is really a “museum of a museum”: The exhibits have changed little in more than 100 years. The display cases themselves are antiques, and many of the display labels date back to the 1880’s. Visitors will essentially be visiting a 19th century museum, a fascinating experience. The Museum may be enjoyed on a Self-Guided or Guided Tour.
Museum of Natural History Roger Williams Park, Providence, RI
The Museum’s collections are about 85% natural history and 15% cultural materials. Though many are of Rhode Island origin, we house specimens and objects from all over the world. Among the natural history collections are 175,000 preserved plants and animals such as insects, mollusk shells, birds, and mammals. There are also 15,000 earth science specimens consisting of rocks, minerals, and fossils. The Museum has an especially rich collection of plant fossils from Coal Age Rhode Island…these are older than dinosaurs being 350 million years old!
South Carolina State Museum 301 Gervais Street Columbia, SC
South Carolina is one of the most biologically diverse areas of the United States. This is caused by a complex geologic history and sea and land environments that interacted over a long period of time, and continue to do so. This immense diversity is one aspect of the Palmetto State’s charm.
Campbell Geology Museum 140 Discovery Lane Clemson, SC
Long before the Campbell Geology Museum was constructed in the South Carolina Botanical Garden, a small collection of rocks and minerals was stored in the geology department in Brackett Hall. Mrs. Betty Newton was the caretaker of that collection, and her dream was to have a gem and mineral display that was easily accessible to the general public. To help make her dream come true, Mrs. Newton took advantage of every opportunity to tell people about the University’s geology collection and solicited donations of additional specimens. In 1990, a large collection of faceted gemstones and cabochons was donated by Clemson alumn Dr. Paul Benson, III. The collection was created by Dr. Benson’s father, Paul Benson, Jr., a graduate of the University of South Carolina. This was the first large donation that the museum received. In the same year, Mr. Robert Schabilion, a gem and lapidary wholesaler from Mississippi, donated an impressive variety of large mineral and fossil specimens, as well as hundreds of pounds of rough material to be given away to children. For many years after he continued to donate outstanding specimens to the growing collection. Mr. Kermit Watson, a gem and mineral appraiser, donated his collection of mineral specimens, which included an assortment of agates and geodes. Mr. Watson also donated his appraisal expertise in evaluating other collections offered to the museum.
McKissick Museum University of South Carolina, Bull & Pendleton Sts., Columbia, SC
The McKissick Museum, now in its third decade of collecting, research, exhibitions and public programs. The Museum was established to serve as a general University museum and to engage in education, research, and collections development as well as campus and public service.
Black Hills Institute of Geological Research Main St., Hill City, SD
Black Hills Institute of Geological Research (BHI), has been the leader in paleontological excavations and preparation since 1974, helping supply museums and collectors the finest in professionally prepared fossils and cast replicas. From dinosaurs to mammals, reptiles to pteranodons, ammonites to fish, and crinoids to trilobites, BHI has done it all, and done it all well. Much of our staff is actively engaged in the ongoing research of fossil vertebrates, invertebrates, and Black Hills minerals. To help accomplish this, we have an extensive reference library that covers a large portion of the vertebrate and invertebrate paleontology from the North American Western Interior, along with the geology and mineralogy of this region.We have been involved with the excavation of eight Tyrannosaurus rex skeletons since 1990, including SUE, STAN, BUCKY, DUFFY, and WYREX – interestingly, these five are among the top 10 most complete T. rex skeletons yet discovered. Of these T. rex’s, we offer research quality museum casts of STAN (the best skull of any rex), and of BUCKY. We are currently working on the skeletons of both DUFFY and WYREX. Since 1979, BHI has also been involved in the excavation, preparation, mounting, molding, and casting of other Late Cretaceous dinosaurs from the Hell Creek and Lance Formations. These dinosaurs include Tyrannosaurus rex, Edmontosaurus annectens, Triceratops horridus, Struthiomimus sedens, and more. Recently, BHI has also begun collecting and preparing Late Jurassic dinosaurs from the Morrison Formation. BHI has always been known for its beautiful and unique Late Cretaceous ammonites of the Western Interior such as Placenticeras, Sphenodiscus, Didymoceras, Baculites, and Hoploscaphites. We have collected and prepared all different types of invertebrates, including trilobites, crinoids, and many species of mollusks.
Museum of Geology, South Dakota School of Mines & Technology Rapid City, South Dakota
The Museum of Geology is an outstanding part of the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. Hundreds of thousands of specimens, especially pertaining to the fields of vertebrate paleontology and mineralogy, are on public display or in the research collections.The Museum provides an active outreach program to area schools and organizations. Inquiries about specimens and discoveries are welcomed.
Of interest to the public and the general student are skeletons from the Big Badlands and the Upper Cretaceous of Western South Dakota, giving a vivid impression of Dakota life in ancient times. Also of interest are the spectacular Dana-arranged minerals from throughout the world. The South Dakota Hall of Minerals focuses on the diversity of Black Hills minerals. Other special exhibits feature fluorescent minerals, lapidary specimens of local agates, and native gold.
Research collections of mid-Tertiary vertebrates, marine reptiles, dinosaurs, and Black Hills minerals are extensive, and additional specimens are constantly being added. The Museum is closely associated with the Department of Geology and Geological Engineering and the Museum collections form the basis for staff and student research. Graduate students may pursue studies leading to the degree Master of Science in Paleontology. Practical experience is gained by participating in summer field expeditions and classes offered by the Museum of Geology. The Museum is open to the public throughout the year. Tours for groups may be scheduled with the Museum, which is located on the top floor of the O’Harra Building.
Adventure Science Center 800 Fort Negley Blvd Nashville TN
A Museum & Planetarium.
Memphis Museum System 3050 Central Ave. Memphis, TN
Large exhibit on “Geology” shows how mountains and oceans were formed and how the movement of huge rock plates on the surface of the earth create mountains and ocean basins. Earthquakes, so frequent in the Mid-south, are explained and a real seismograph recorder shows the vibrations constantly occurring in our area. Spectacular examples of the rocks and minerals of Tennessee, Arkansas, and Southern Illinois, along with minerals found all over the world are exhibited. The remainder of the exhibits shows the history of life over the past 600 million years emphasizing hundreds of fossil specimens found in Tennessee, Arkansas, and Mississippi.
McClung Museum University of Tenessee, 1327 Circle Park, Knoxville, TN
The McClung Museum is a general museum with collections in anthropology, archaeology, decorative arts, local history, and natural history. The exhibits document ways of life, cultural trends, and technologies from prehistoric times to the present day, and showcase much of Tennessee’s past – its geology, history, art, and culture. The McClung Museum is a special place – a place of discovery, a place to learn about the world around us.
The Dallas Museum of Natural History Dallas, Texas
The mission of the Dallas Museum of Natural History is to further an understanding and appreciation of the natural world through collection-based research, education and exhibition programs; to further in particular an understanding of the biological diversity and natural history of Texas; and to preserve the collections for the enlightenment and enjoyment of future generations.The Dallas Museum of Natural History is the only collections-based, research-driven public natural history museum in the region. With working archaeologists and paleontologists on staff, the museum not only repackages and interprets scientific knowledge but actively expands its frontiers.
Since its founding in 1936, the Museum has played a significant role in documenting, describing and showcasing Texas’ vast natural diversity. The current collection of over 280,000 specimens includes the world’s largest exhibition of Texas wildlife habitats, and the first mounted Texas dinosaur in Texas.
Through its educational and research programs, the Museum has attracted a dedicated core of the Dallas community’s naturalists, geologists, paleontologists and anthropologists, as well as 1,800 Museum members. Annually the Museum receives hundreds of thousands of visitors, including some 40,000 schoolchildren participating in the Museum’s formal educational programs.
Don Harrington Discovery Center 1200 Streit Dr. Amarillo TX
Come get your hands-on science! Over sixty different permanent exhibits and three traveling exhibitions a year invite visitors of all ages to experiment, explore, create, tinker, play, solve, and discover with their own hands. Build a 6 foot tall hands-on catenary arch with your friends or family! And remember, our Science Guides are here everyday just for you, to answer any questions you might have about the exhibits or the Discovery Center itself.
Fort Worth Museum of Science and History 1501 Montgomery Street Fort Worth, TX
The Museum’s core purpose is education: offering exceptional learning experiences in science and history to the diverse population of North Texas, particularly children, their families and educators.
Houston Museum of Natural Science 1 Herman Cir. Dr., Houston, TX
The spectacular Cullen Hall houses the world’s finest display-quality collection of gems and minerals. See more than 750 beautifully crystallized mineral specimens, including some of the world’s rarest and most beautiful examples. Walk-around display cases and fiber-optic lighting offer an optimum view of these dazzling treasures.
Mayborn Museum Complex One Bear Place # 97154 Waco, TX
The Sue and Frank Mayborn Natural Science and Cultural History Museum Complex opened in 2004, giving a new home to the collections of the former Strecker Museum. Also included in the complex is the Harry and Anna Jeanes Discovery Center. The Mayborn is the largest museum in the region and offers exhibits and activities for the entire family including discovery rooms, natural and cultural history exhibits, Baylor University history exhibits, a historic village, and a wide variety of temporary exhibits. The complex also houses the Department of Museum Studies, which offers both graduate and undergraduate degrees. Walk across a replica of Waco’s famous mammoth site, see a Comanche tipi up close or spend your day exploring the 16 themed Discovery rooms, such as the Communication Room, the Health Room and the Invertebrate Room. The Mayborn Museum Complex is the perfect place to bring the family.
College of Eastern Utah Prehistoric Museum Price, UT
Our hall of dinosaurs contains a nice variety of Carnivores and Herbivores.
John Hutchings Museum of Natural History 55 North Center St Lehi, UT
The Hutchings Museum is a hands-on teaching Museum and now has many new interactive, and touch and feel exhibits. Add the personal attention of our knowledgeable docents and you will find we have become a dynamic place that students won’t forget. There are two sides to our Museum. First, the Natural History side allows you to visit Rocks and Minerals, fossils and marine life as well as fauna of the area. Secondly, the Cultural History side includes our Native American Room, Wild West Room, and Pioneer Room, which represents pioneers through the Depression eras.
Utah Field House of Natural History 235 E. Main, Vernal, UT
So much time is revealed here, even more geologic time than in the Grand Canyon. Within an 80-mile radius of Vernal, evidence of the entire Earth’s history is visible. At its center is the Utah Field House of Natural History State Park Museum. The new museum is located two blocks east of the old Field House, a 22,000-square foot structure to preserve and reveal the wealth of prehistory found within the Uinta Basin. Outside the museum, and providing the greatest appeal to passing visitors, is the Dinosaur Garden, a prehistoric zoo of full-size replicas ranging in age from Pennsylvanian through Pleistocene. The garden includes a 20-foot Tyrannosaurus with six-inch, knife-like teeth, a horned Triceratops, six-ton Stegosaurus, winged Pteranodon and other full-size prehistoric animal replicas.
Utah Museum of Natural History 1390 E. Presidents Circle, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
The earth sciences collections represent the rich diversity of local and regional geologic phenomena. Separate collections are devoted to minerals (ca. 3,200 specimens), rocks (1,000), plant and invertebrate fossils (9,000), and vertebrate fossils (15,000). The mineral collection includes material from the famous Inglesby and Buranek collections. The vertebrate paleontology collection includes Pleistocene and earlier mammals, the Jurassic Cleveland-Lloyd dinosaur collections, and important Early Cretaceous dinosaur materials form the Museum-owned Long Walk Quarry in central Utah. The fossil plant collection includes the recently donated Sid Ash collection, comprising the most extensive assemblage of Triassic fossil plants outside the Smithsonian Institution. Collections continue to grow and improve through donations (e.g., some important Eocene specimens from Green River Shale), ongoing preparation and analysis of backlogged material, and through current field research (especially Cretaceous dinosaurs and mammals).
Fairbanks Museum Main St. Historical District, St. Johnsbury, VT
The Fairbanks Museum was founded in 1889 by St. Johnsbury industrialist Franklin Fairbanks. Inside our classic Victorian building, you’ll find a dazzling array of animals and artifacts, dolls and tools, shells and fossils, and much more! Take a trip through the cosmos in Vermont’s only public planetarium, and see weather forecasts in the works in our Eye on the Sky Weather Gallery. A full calendar of events, workshops, lectures and field programs invites everyone to explore the nature of our world.
Montshire Museum of Science One Montshire Road, Norwich, VT
The Montshire Museum of Science has over 60 exciting exhibits relating to the natural and physical sciences. The Montshire is located on a 110-acre site along the Connecticut River. The Museum is self-guided and is largely handicapped accessible.
James Madison University Mineral Museum Miller Hall, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA
The collection began in 1976 under the curation of Dr. Lance E. Kearns. Initial support for the collection was generously bestowed by both the University of Delaware Mineral Museum and the Bryn Mawr College Mineral Museum. Gifts from several private collectors in Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware were instrumental in the initial development of the display collection as well. In 1989 the museum received a substantial monetary gift from the estate of the late Dr. Richard S. Mitchell (mineralogy professor, University of Virginia); followed in 1993 by an additional gift of $50,000 from the estate of his father, Mr. Clarence Mitchell of Nebraska. The Virginia Minerals collection is endowed through these gifts, as well as others from alumni and friends of the collection, by the James Madison University Foundation. Through the initiative of Dr. David Brakke, dean of the College of Science and Mathematics, a new, secure museum facility was constructed during the summer of 2007. The grand opening of museum was celebrated on October 13, 2007.
Science Museum of Virginia 2500 West Broad Street, Richmond, VA
You won’t believe your eyes as you explore all the realms of science at the Science Museum of Virginia. Exhibits on computers, electricity, light, matter, motion, space and more will delight and intrigue any taste. Not only that, the Science Museum of Virginia also houses an awesome IMAX Dome and planetarium with special shows.
Shenandoah Valley Discovery Museum 54 S Loudoun St, Winchester, VA
The museum offers an interactive, hands-on experience for families that focuses on the sciences, mathematics, humanities, and the arts.
Virginia Museum of Natural History 21 Starling Avenue, Martinsville VA
Geology is the study of the solid earth and the processes that form and affect it. This includes studies of minerals, rocks, volcanoes, earthquakes, and many other earth materials and processes. VMNH houses a large collection of rock samples, most of which have been collected and studied by our Curators and Research Associates. The rocks include 70,000 feet of rock core drilled through an inactive fault in Pittsylvania County. This core provides the only detailed documentation of a major fault system that formed when the Atlantic Ocean opened 200 million years ago. Our mineral collection, largely built through donations, is relatively small, but growing. Thanks to a recent donation, VMNH has just added over 500 mineral specimens, many of them from Virginia, to our collections.
Virginia Tech Geological Sciences Museum Derring Hall, Virginia Tech., Blacksburg, VA
The Museum is located in the Department of Geosciences.
Burke Museum of Natural History University of Washington, 17th Ave. & NE 45th St., Seattle, WA
The Burke’s mineralogical collection is managed by the museum’s Geology division , which covers paleontology as well as minerals.
National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution Washington, D.C.
At the Museum explore the Janet Annenberg Hooker Hall of Geology, Gems, and Minerals. One of the largest renovations ever undertaken by the Smithsonian Institution, the geology hall opened in 1997. Nearly 3,500 gems, minerals, rocks, and meteorites from the Museum’s unparalleled collections are on display.
Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences of West Virginia One Clay Square Charleston, WV 25300
The 240,000 square foot Clay Center for the Arts & Sciences – West Virginia opened on July 12, 2003. The Center houses the performing arts, visual arts and the sciences under one roof – one of the few centers of its kind in the country. The facility is home to both the Avampato Discovery Museum and the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra. The Clay Center is one of the most ambitious economic, cultural and educational undertakings in West Virginia history. The Clay Center enhances the region’s “quality of life” and enriches the lives of all West Virginians.
Milwaukee Public Museum 800 W. Wells St., Milwaukee, WI.
Geology is the study of the Earth. Early Museum geologists collected a variety of fossils, minerals, and rocks to present and preserve a broad picture of Earth’s materials and processes. Active research and collecting by present-day Museum Geology staff includes the study of sedimentary rocks and environments, ancient marine communities, and the extinction of dinosaurs.
Geology Museum University of Wisconsin, 1215 W. Dayton St., Madison, Wisconsin
Explore the Geology Museum and take a peek into Wisconsin’s deep history! On your visit you can touch rocks from a time when there were volcanoes in Wisconsin; see corals, jellyfish and other sea creatures that used to live and swim where we now walk; and stand under the tusks of a mastodon while imagining yourself in the Ice Age. Also on display at the Geology Museum are rocks and minerals that glow, a model of a Wisconsin cave, dinosaurs and meteorites. Our mineral, rock and fossil collections have the power to educate and inspire visitors of all ages. Come see for yourself!
St. John Mine Tours Potosi, Wisconsin
St. John Mine is an excellent example of an historic mine from the early to mid 1800’s. The mine extends over 200 feet into the hillside, and is at a year round temperature of about 50 degrees. All work done in the mine was done with hand tools, and the rocks were hauled out of the mine by hand. The mine was left virtually untouched for the 99 years it lay closed, very little has changed in over a century of dormancy.
Dinosaur Safaris, Inc. Big Horn Basin, Wyoming
Dinosaur Safaris Inc (DSI) is a private corporation whose mission is to discover, excavate, study, and preserve dinosaur bones and related artifacts. The company is currently working on a private ranch in the Big Horn Basin, Wyoming. In addition, the company has a small group of buildings located in the town of Shell, Wyoming, which include a preparation lab, storage facility and living quarters for the Director of Field Operations. DSI is an S-Corporation based in Shell, Wyoming. Our registered agent in Wyoming is Roger Rousu, Director of Field Operations. Robert Simon is the President of DSI. Stan Klos is the chairman of the board. The web site includes fossils for sale.
University of Wyoming Geological Museum 1000 E. University Ave. University of Wyoming Laramie, WY
The University of Wyoming Geological Museum in Laramie functions to support both public education and scientific research. Wyoming is rich in geologic treasures and the Museum presents to the visitor some glimpse of this geologic diversity. Housing more than 50,000 cataloged fossil, rock, and mineral specimens, it is an important source of information for researchers throughout the world.
Mining Hall of Fame Goldfields Highway, Kalgoorlie WA 6430 Australia
Go underground, pan for gold, walk through the historic precinct and immerse yourself in the modern mining industry. discover the attractions that demonstrate the past, present and future of prospecting and mining in Australia.
Australian Museum 6 College Street Sydney NSW 2010 Australia
The Australian Museum has an international reputation in the fields of natural history and indigenous research, community programs and exhibitions. The Museum was established in 1827 and is Australia’s first museum, with unique and extensive collections of natural science and cultural artifacts.
Museum of Victoria Melbourne. Victoria, Australia 3001
The Mineralogy and Petrology Section is responsible for the geological collections (excluding fossil material) of the State of Victoria. The collections were founded in 1854 with the establishment of the National Museum of Victoria.They now consists of the amalgamation of the States major geological collections, encompassing those of the National Museum, Industrial and Technological Museum, Geological Survey of Victoria and the University of Melbourne.
Naturhistorishes Museum Austria
The collections of the Department of Mineralogy and Petrography comprise a total of about 150.000 catalogued objects (the effective number of pieces is of course considerably higher). About 15% of the total inventory is on public display (in the case of the mineral collection it is even a fifth of the inventory, while about 50% of all meteorites are on display). The public displays are distributed among 5 large exhibition halls, numbered Hall I-V (after entering the Museum, turn right and go up the stairs to visit Hall I). Links to these Halls with some brief information are to the right of this text.The significance of the mineral collection of the Natural History Museum Vienna lies in their rich content of objects from occurrences within the former area of the Austrian-Hungarian Monarchy and of the Alps. However, the collection also represents many “classic” deposits of Germany, Russia, Great Britain, Italy and other countries.
Purchases of specimens on todays’ broadly varied mineral market focus, taking into account the modest financial means available, mainly on Alpine-type mineral assemblage (Alps and comparable areas), selected pegmatite assemblages (e.g., Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nepal), new gemstones and semiprecious stones, as well as ornamental and synthetic material, and manipulated and fake jewelry. Also purchased are newly discovered meteorites and rare mineral species completing our systematic collection.
Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences rue Vautier 29 – 1000 Brussels, Belgium
Unique pieces, hands-on exhibits, attractive halls… But a lot more is happening above your head or behind the walls. Discover it here. Because the Museum is more than a museum.
National Museum of Brazil Rio de Janeiro 20940-040, Brazil
The Museum shelters one of the largest exhibits of the Americas, consisting of animals, insects, minerals, aboriginal collections of utensils, Egyptians mummies and South American archaeological artifacts, meteorites, fossils and many other findings..
Bulgarian National Museum of Natural History Tzar Osvoboditel Blvd., 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria
The mineral and rock collections of the Museum comprise some 14 000 specimens or items from all over the world. The collections comprise four main elements: main collection, meteorites and meteorite casts, about 1500 rock samples, 40 gems and hemigems, collection for exchange. The following specimens and collections have considerable and important scientific, aesthetic and collector’s value: The most abundant mineral collection from Madan region. It consists of 1082 samples of unique galena, sphalerite, quartz and calcite crystal druses.The biggest collection from Sarneshko Kladenche Groove, Bourgas region. It contains 110 samples of total weight about 2 tons. There are slab-sided calcite crystals and giant druses. Some of crystals are up to 35 cm large. Two moon rock samples gifted by the American and Russian Moon expeditions. The largest collection of new minerals (holotypes) in Bulgaria. The minerals have Bulgarian names: Kostovite, Ardaite, Strashimirite, Orpheite, Hemusite, Vaselite, Balcanite, Bonchevite (?).
The biggest crystals ever found in Bulgaria:
Galenite – from Fabrika Groove; edge length of 12 cm; #1253.
Smaragd – from Urdino Lakes, Rila Mountain; 9×2 cm; #2507.
Amethyst – from Teshevo village, Gotsedelchev region; 20×11 cm; #907.
Kaolinite – from Glavanatsi village, Madzharovo region; 14 mm; #429.
Columbite – from Vishteritsa quarry, West Rodopi Mountain; 14×31 cm; #1036.
Pyrite – from the town of Madan; 13.5×13.5×9.0 cm; #6928.
Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History 1747 Summer Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada B3H 3A6
Get nose to nose with a Pilot Whale skeleton or the world’s most accurate life-size Sei Whale model. Check out the fossil evidence for North America’s oldest dinosaurs – 100 million years older than Tyrannosaurus rex.Live displays vary with the season – local wild mice and voles, snakes and turtles, frogs and salamanders, fish, bats, spiders, bugs, poison ivy, carnivorous plants. Kids love Gus the Gopher Tortoise, the Museum’s unofficial mascot for more than 60 years.
Naturalists are on duty to explain and assist. Got a question about something you saw, heard or found? Our Naturalists and our galleries & displays might be able to assist.
Canadian Museum of Nature Victoria Memorial Museum Building (VMMB) 240 McLeod Street Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
From valuable minerals and fossils hidden beneath our feet to the trees that make the oxygen we breathe, from Arctic plants to zebra mussels and everything in between, nature touches every aspect of our lives.The Canadian Museum of Nature is more than a natural history museum that creates and develops exhibitions for public viewing. Behind our public face is a vibrant, multi-layered, multi-faceted organization composed of research scientists, collection specialists, education and multimedia specialists, and innovators.
Robert Ferguson Museum of Mineralogy Department of Geological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Manitoba, Canada
Since its inception in 1918, the Museum collection has grown seven-fold, principally through private donations, purchases, exchange with other institutions, and addition of specimens brought back by our students and staff from field trips. Most of the field acquisitions were originally collected for research and, once their scientific purpose had been fulfilled, deposited in the Museum. Such are the dozens of rare minerals from around the world contributed over the years by Petr Cerný, Frank Hawthorne, Peter Laznicka and the current curators.Today, the Museum collection numbers some 7,500 mineral specimens. Over 15% of these specimens are exhibited in the hallway of Wallace Building on the Fort Garry campus (125 Dysart Road). They are arranged systematically from the most chemically and structurally simple to progressively more complex.
The outreach function of our Museum extends far beyond the provincial boundaries. For example, our exhibit on quartz took a third place in the museum competition at the 2005 Denver Mineral Show in Colorado. Do not forget to include a visit to our Museum in your itinerary the next time you are in Winnipeg! In addition to the systematic collection of minerals the Ferguson Museum is home to two thematic rock collections (“Granitic Pegmatites and their Mineral Parageneses”, and “Alkaline Rocks, Kimberlites and Carbonatites”) and a small collection of gems. The collection of pegmatite samples is a legacy of the renowned pegmatite researcher Petr Cerný who, assisted by his many students, has put it together over the past three decades. The rock collections are used for research and, occasionally, for instruction in upper-level courses, whereas the gems exclusively for teaching Gemology. Specimens from the Museum can be (and have been on many occasions) loaned for research. In the past, some of the showy pieces even made it on the movie screen, where they were part of special effects.
Saskatchewan Science Centre Regina, Saskatchewan Canada
The Send a balloon up into the air, stand inside a giant bubble, watch how cotton candy is made (and maybe eat some too!) with over 150 hands-on educational exhibits, games and activities, plus stage show demonstrations and much more!
The Canadian Museum of Nature is Canada’s leading natural sciences and natural history museum.
Nature’s collections comprise more than 10 million specimens, including plants, animals, minerals and fossils from Canada and the world. Our collections of fish, tropical beetles, freshwater mussels, Arctic plants, horned dinosaurs and lichens rank among the best. Plan your visit to our galleries, where you can literally walk among the dinosaurs.
Moravian Museum Zelný trh 6, 659 37, Brno Czech Republic
The activities of the department focus on collection management and research of minerals and rocks from Moravia, Silesia and geologically similar regions in neighbour countries. The collection of Moravian and Silesian minerals and rocks contains ca 100 000 samples including study material, the systematic collection of world minerals encompasses some 50 000 items. The research concerns metamorphic rocks (marbles, scarnes and geochemically specific metamorphic rocks), granitic pegmatites and their minerals, moldavites and other products of impact processes. The traditionally in the Moravian Museum studied topic – the topographic mineralogy of Moravia and Silesia, recently also geological-mineralogical aspects of historical ore mining in Moravia are dealt with. The curators also devote themselves to educational activities and collaborate with various types of schools and the general public.
Nrodn Museum Václavské námestí 68 115 79 Praha 1 CZECH REPUBLIC
The exhibition entitled “The Sparkling Beauty of Crystals” shows several exceptional examples of minerals that visitors of the National Museum do not ordinarily have a chance to see because they are kept in the depository.The mineralogical collection at the National Museum contains over 90,000 pieces of minerals, of which only a small part is displayed permanently.
National Museum of Natural History in Chile Santiago, Chile
Minerals, with an emphasis on the nitrate boom of the early twentieth century.
Paleozoological Museum of China 142 Xizhimenwai Dajie, Beijing, China
Is a prominent research institution and collections repository for Chinese fossils, including many dinosaur and pterosaur specimens (many from the Yixian Formation). As its name suggests, research is focused on both paleontological topics and topics relating to human prehistory. The institution, located in Beijing, grew out of the Cenozoic Research Laboratory in 1929 and is its own organization under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Geological Museum Ostervoldgade 5, Copenhagen, Denmark
Old style museum with some ‘gems’, worth a look. The Mineral Collection goes back to the 1772 year and has some 1700 specimens of which some 550 mineral species are exhibited and laid up according to the latest edition of Strunz’ “Mineralogische Tabellen” from 1970. The specimens illustrate first and foremost the variety of the mineral world as well as their remarkable nature through various aspects of crystallography.
Camborne School of Mines Geological Museum University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus
The museum is devoted to world-wide geology, but with particular emphasis on mining and mineralisation. The museum holds a highly significant and comprehensive systematic mineral collection, together with suites of minerals and host rocks from important mining areas all over the world. The collection includes fluorescent, gem and ore minerals. A significant part of its collection derives from south west England. The collection serves as a resource centre for geology teaching throughout Cornwall, and is extensively used by the school’s teaching. The museum also contains historic artifacts relating to the history of mining and CSM’s role within this history, King Edward Mine Museum also complements this collection. Some of the museums collections are available on the Camborne School of Mines Virtual Museum which is a site dedicated to the geology of Cornwall. Geology students may wish to join The Royal Geological Society of Cornwall based in Penzance who have been promoting the geological importance of the region.
Geevor Tin Mine Cornwall, England
Come to Geevor to see how the process of extracting and processing tin actually took place. The miners searched for tin deep in the ground and far below the sea. Nowadays you can walk through narrow 18th century tunnels with a guide who vividly brings to life the conditions of those times.The museum tells the story of mining in Cornwall and the people who lived here. In our mineral gallery you can see some of the spectacular and unusual minerals which are found underground in Cornwall.
National Museums and Galleries of Wales Cathays Park, Cardiff CF10 3NP Wales
The rocks, minerals and fossils we find all around us help us to understand the geological history of the Earth from its origins around 4,600 million years ago, and the processes involved in forming and shaping the earth’s crust. In particular, our collections provide evidence for how the Wales we know today has evolved over 700 million years. These specimens record how Wales has drifted from the southern hemisphere to its present-day setting 52° north of the equator.
The Natural History Museum Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
We continue to develop our world-class collections of minerals, ores, meteorites, rocks and soils to provide materials for research and as a representation of nature’s ‘geodiversity’ which can be used in exhibitions and other activities for the public. We maintain state-of-the-art laboratories for analysing and imaging minerals and other natural history specimens. These laboratories, together with our collections, provide the critical infrastructure for our research, for visiting scientists and for our training of postgraduate students. We undertake and collaborate on research and consultancy throughout the world. We run the Centre for Russian and Central Asian Mineral Studies (CERCAMS). Our meteorite collection provides material for research from Mars and the Moon and from the earliest bodies to form in the Solar System 4.56 billion years ago.
Oxford University Museum of Natural History Parks Road Oxford, OX1, UK
The Museum is an important centre for research and teaching, and is organized into four collections: entomology, geology, mineralogy and petrology, and zoology. It also houses several research libraries, and is home to an environmental archaeology unit.The Museum aims to make its collections as accessible as possible. Researchers and students are able to search the Museum’s online databases or make an appointment to visit one of the collections.
Egyptian Geological Museum Egypt
The Finnish Museum of Natural History Helsinki, Finland
Established in 1988, is a research institution under the University of Helsinki in Finland. It is responsible for the national botanical, zoological, geological and paleontological collections consisting of samples from around the world. The collections serve scientific, public informational and educational purposes.
La collection de Minraux, Univ.P.M.Curie (Sorbonne) Paris France
Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle Service des Cultures, 43 rue Buffon, F-75005 Paris, France
The museum has as its mission both research (fundamental and applied) and public diffusion of knowledge. It is organized into seven research and three diffusion departments. The former are Classification and Evolution; Regulation, Development, and Molecular Diversity; Aquatic Environments and Populations; Ecology and Biodiversity Management; History of Earth; Men, Nature, and Societies; and Prehistory. The latter are the Galleries of the Jardin des Plantes; Botanical Parks and Zoos; and the Museum of Man.
Museum of Mineralogy, Ecole des Mines de Paris 60, Boulevard Saint Michel 75272 PARIS cedex 06
Mineralogical Museum, Bonn University Poppelsdorfer Schloß 53115 Bonn Germany
Museum Reich der Kristalle Theresienstadt Straße 41, 80333 Munich
The Museum of crystals is the publicly accessible part of the mineralogical Staatssammlung in Munich and includes 20,000 exhibits, including diamonds, emeralds and other precious stones. Ferner ist eine Meteoriten -Sammlung zu sehen, sowie Quarze aus dem Alpenraum und Mineralien aus den bayerischen Erzlagerstätten. In addition, a meteorite collection to see, as well as crystals from the Alps and minerals from the Bavarian ore deposits. Die Entstehung und die Eigenschaften der Mineralien und Kristalle werden ausführlich dargestellt. The origins and properties of minerals and crystals are described in detail. Die Sammlung geht auf die Leuchtenberg-Sammlung zurück. The collection goes back to the Nagorno-lamps collection. Paradestücke sind der König-Ludwig-Diamant , der Rubellit-Kristall und der Takowaya-Smaragd . Parade pieces are the King Ludwig diamond, the Rubellite crystal and emerald-Takowaya.
Mineralogisches Museum der Universitt Hamburg Grindelallee 48 D-20146 Hamburg Germany
In the Mineralogical Museum of the University of Hamburg approximately 1500 mineralogical objects are exhibited on 500sqm. The systematic mineral display provides a comprehensive insight into the empire of minerals.
Mineralogisches Museum der Universitt Mnster Hüfferstraße 1 48149 Münster 48149 Münster
Museum für Naturkunde Invalidenstrasse 43 10115 Berlin Germany
Naturkundemuseum, occasionally as the Humboldt Museum of Berlin. It has a massive collection of more than 25 million zoological, paleontological, and minerological specimens, including more than ten thousand type specimens. It is most famous for two spectacular exhibits: the largest mounted dinosaur in the world, and the most exquisitely preserved specimen of the earliest known bird, Archaeopteryx.
Hungary
Geological Museum of Budapest 1143 Stefánia út 14 Budapest District 14
The Geological Museum of Budapest is the main museum on geology in Hungary. It is located at the Stefánia utca in the western part of Pest.The building was originally the home of the Hungarian Geological Society, which was established in 1869. The building was designed by Ödön Lechner in 1896. It still houses the Geological Institute of Hungary.
Its collection consists of minerals, prehistoric footprints, general info on Hungarian geology and its history, and an exhibition dedicated to the building’s architect, Ödön Lechner.
Natural History Museum of Florence Italy
Mineralogy, Lithology and Crystallography (with a database for crystal structures) – The mineralogical collections, originating from the first half of the XVI century, under the patronage of the Medici family, make Florence’s Museum of Mineralogy the most important in Italy, and one the most widely known abroad, for its historical and scientific value and for the great number of specimens.Specimens are about 45,000, the most important of which are the large geods of amethyst, the topaz crystal (of 151 Kg, the second largest in the world), and the crystal of aquamarine. There are also specimens of quartz, calcyte, tourmaline, gold and many precious stones and the metheorite collection.
Museo di Mineralogia, Università “La Sapienza” Roma Piazzale Aldo Moro 5 00185 Italy
The Mineralogy Museum is housed in the University but can be visited even by children. There are more than 5,000 minerals on display, including famous diamonds, precious jewels, fluorescent, opaque and strange stones. Guided tours are available on request. Roma
Geological Museum, Geological Survey of Japan 1-1-1 Higashi, Tsukuba , 305-8567, Japan
Geological Museum of the Hebrew University Givat Ram, Jerusalem 91904 ISRAEL
Founded in 1928, the Geological Museum includes collections of minerals, rocks and fossils. The core of the collections was provided by material gathered on geological excursions in Israel and abroad by the founders of the Department of Geology, Professors L. Picard, M. Avnimelech and Y. Bentor. Since then, staff members and students have added extensive material to these collections, which are also enriched by important donations from abroad and through exchange activities.
Muse National d’Histoire Naturelle 25 Rue Munster, 2160 Luxembourg, Luxembourg
The museum is composed of eight separate scientific sections, spanning the natural sciences: botany, ecology, geology and mineralogy, geophysics and astrophysics, palaeontology, vertebrate zoology, and invertebrate zoology.
Netherlands National Museum of Natural History Darwinweg 2 | P.O. Box 9517, Leiden NL-2300 RA Netherlands
Natural History Museum of Maastricht Province of Limburg, Maastricht Netherlands
The Petrology Collection includes an extensive array of rock types from e.g. Eifel and Ardennes, a mineral collection (of importance for studies of the mineral contents of coal beds in southern Limburg), an extensive collection of flint types from all over Europe, a collection of Maas gravel (e.g. of the Brunssumerheide) and a collection of borehole cores of the Carboniferous and Devonian of southern Limburg. The collection also includes an array of corals, trilobites, brachiopods and sea lilies from the Eifel.
The Natural History Museum and Botanical Garden Sars’ gt. 1, 0562 Oslo Norway
Mineralogical-Geological Museum consists of various gemstone mostly of Norwegian origin.
Mineralogisches Museum Baia Mare Baia Mare, Romania
Museum of Mineralogy, Babes-Bolyai University 1, M. Kogalniceanu St., 400084 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Crystals, precious metals, gemstones, meteorites… Words rarely used, that suddenly carries one away in a mysterious and fascinating world!Between this imaginary world and reality there is a single, simple link: atoms organized into a mineral – showing shapes, colours and luster. Hundreds, thousands of minerals which yourself may see with your eyes, after millions of years of transformations deep inside the Earth!
If you are visiting Romania and you are a mineral fan you should take the opportunity of visiting the Mineralogical Museum of Babes-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca! Here you can find the most diverse and representative mineral collection in Transylvania!
Fersman Mineralogical Museum Leninskiy prospekt 18 korp 2, Moscow, Russia, 119071
One of the largest mineral museums of the world. Its collections include more than 135,000 items. Among them natural crystals, geodes, druzes and other kinds of mineral treasures. The museum was named after Alexander Fersman.
Museum of the School of Mines of Madrid Madrid, Spain
The Museum contains about 10.000 minerals, amongst which the most representativa are: silver sulphosalts (dyscrasite, freieslebenite, polybasite, pyrargirite, proustite, etc.) coming from Freiberg, Hiendelaencina (Spain), and mexican localities; mercury minerals (cinnabar, calomel, etc.) mainly from Almaden (Spain), fluorite, sphalerite and many others.
Museu de Ciencies Naturals de Barcelona Parc de la Ciutadella, s/n 08003 Barcelona Spain
The Mineralogy Collection is one of the most extensive in Spain and contains approximately 14000 specimens.It was originally assembled from the collections of Manuel Martorell and specimens from the World’s Fair of 1888. Over the years, it has been enriched by a series of collections, some more valuable than others. Of these, some outstanding collections include those from Lluís Marià Vidal, The Barcelona Royal Academy of Arts & Science, and Baltasar Serradell.
The latest significant addition is the Josep Cervelló Bach Collection, with some 3000 specimens. When it was acquired in 1979, it significantly increased the overall value of the holdings. Specimens that are now among the most representative of the Museum came from this collection.
The importance of the micromount collection has been increasing. It is hoped that it will one day become the collection of reference for this division. In fact, a specific area destined for the study and storage of micromounts has been created.
Swedish Museum of Natural History Box 50007 SE-104 05 Stockholm Sweden
The Swedish Museum of Natural History (in Swedish Naturhistoriska riksmuseet) literally, the National Museum of Natural History), in Stockholm, is one of two major museums of natural history in Sweden
Göteborg Natural History SE-402 35 Göteborg SWEDEN
You will find animals from all parts of the world in the museum, presentations of the Earth, life in the Sea, as well as environmental problems of different kinds.
Natural History Museum, Berne, Switzerland Bernastrasse 15 Bern CH-3005 Switzerland
Earth Sciences – The origins of the Earth Science collections of the Natural History Museum of Bern can be traced back to at least 1721, when three (3) large quartz crystals from the Zinggenstock (Grimsel area, Bernese Oberland) were given to the Library of Bern.
Geological Museum of Lausanne UNIL – Anthropole – CH-1015 Lausanne – Suisse Switzerland
The first mineralogical collection of the geological Museum of Lausanne (Musée géologique cantonal) was acquired in 1818 by a public subscription. Famous historical mineralogical collections of our museum are:Russian minerals and ores of Frédéric-César de Laharpe (1754-1838) who was the tutor (teacher) of the Tsar Alexander 1st.
Evaporite minerals from Bex salt-deposit (including world famous gypsum crystals) of Jean de Charpentier (1786-1855) a mining engineer of Freiberg.
Swiss alpine veins minerals of Charles Lardy (1780-1858) the creator of the museum. Complete hand-size systematic collection of Samuel Mercanton (1794-1871) a professor of chemistry and mineralogy at the Academy of Lausanne. The public exhibitions are located in the Palais de Rumine since 1905. The Renevier gallery presents alpine minerals, crystallography, the relevance of minerals in technical and biological processes, precious stones and a black room with fluorescent minerals, as well as large Alpine cross-sections and a virtual tour within the Alps. The de la Harpe gallery is devited to Paleontology.
An extension for temporary exhibitions, called Espace Arlaud, was inaugurated in September 1999. Since 1987, research, administration and modern storage of scientific collections are located at the University of Lausanne.
Mineral collections: about 30’000 mineral samples. Specialties are topographical mineralogy of Switzerland, ore minerals (including radioactive natural material) from the Alps and an exhaustive collection from the Simplon Tunnel.
Paleontological and geological collections: about 450,000 fossils and rock samples of regional geology, applied geology, stratigraphy and paleontology.
ETH Geology-Mineralogy Collection and Exhibition Sonneggstrasse 58092 Zürich Switzerland
Minerals, stones, raw materials, fossils, precious stones, mining models.
Museum of Paleontology of the University of Zürich Universität Zürich Karl Schmid-Strasse 4 8006 Zürich Switzerland
Collection of marine saurians and fishes dating from around 230 million years ago.
Coal Mining Museum Bergwerkmuseum Bergwerkstrasse 27 8810 Horgen
A discovery trip at the coal mining museum Collection of marine saurians and fishes dating from around 230 million years ago.
Museums