Mineral/Geology Museums in United States
| Photo | Museum Name | Location | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
Alabama | |||
| Alabama Museum of Natural History | Tuscaloosa, Alabama | For more than 150 years, the Alabama Museum of Natural History has celebrated Alabama's natural history through exhibitions, collections and quality programs of teaching, research, and service. | |
Alaska | |||
| Alaska Museum of Science and Nature | Anchorage, Alaska | Extensive collection of Alaskan and exotic rocks, minerals and fossils. | |
Arizona | |||
 | Arizona Mining and Mineral Museum (Permanently closed) | Phoenix, Arizona | |
| Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum | Tucson, Arizona | ||
 | Bisbee Mining & Historical Museum | Bisbee, Arizona | Dedicated to the copper mines and town of Bisbee. |
 | Bisbee Queen Mine Tours | Bisbee, Arizona | Mine tours and history of the Bisbee Queen mine. |
| Jerome State Historic Park | Jerome, Arizona | Displays of Antique mining equipment, Mineral, ore, geology and mine-model displays, History exhibits, including many historic photographs housed in the Douglas mansion | |
| Pinal Geology & Mineral Museum | Coolidge, Arizona | The museum honors the mining and mineral heritage of Arizona that has been part of the cultural fabric for centuries. Our displays and permanent collection of Arizona Minerals complements changing exhibits on a variety of earth science subjects. | |
| University of Arizona Mineral Museum | Tucson, Arizona | ||
Arkansas | |||
| Crater of Diamonds State Park | Murfreesboro, Arkansas | The world's only fee-dig diamond mine. | |
| Matilda & Karl Pfeiffer Museum | Piggott, Arkansas | ||
California | |||
| California State Mining and Mineral Museum Park Property | Mariposa, California | “There’s gold in the hills of California!” These words echoed around the world in 1848 and started a mass migration to the wilderness of interior California. Gold seekers trekked from every part of the world and every walk of life to sift the streams for gold. Mining companies brought machines to the ... | |
| Fallbrook Gem & Mineral Museum | Fallbrook, California | ||
| Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County | Los Angeles, California | ||
| New Almaden Quicksilver Mining Museum | San Jose, California | The New Almaden Mercury Mining Museum and interpretive center is one of the oldest of four significant mercury mining interpretive centers in the world, although there are many places where mining remains are somewhat preserved (2003, Riart et al. "Mercury Mining Museums, in "Historical Metallurgy," pp. 80-82). The ... | |
| Richard T. Liddicoat Gemological Library and Information Center | Carlsbad, California | In the campus of the Gemological Institute of America. Access by prior arrangement only. | |
| San Diego Mineral, Gem & Fossil Museum | San Diego, California | A museum run by the San Diego Mineral & Gem Society, Inc. in Balboa park. | |
| San Diego Natural History Museum | San Diego, California | ||
Colorado | |||
 | Colorado School of Mines Geology Museum | Golden, Colorado | The Mines Geology Museum contains extensive displays of minerals, mining artifacts, meteorites, fossils and gemstones as well as a walk-through mine. Founded in 1874, our displays now include over 2500 catalogued specimens and occupy two floors in the modern General Research Laboratory building at Mines. Highlights ... |
| Creede Underground Mining Museum | Creede, Colorado | Creede, as it is today, evolved from a history rich in mining and scenic surroundings. Silver was discovered here in 1889. Mining was the area's main industry through the years until 1985, when the Homestake Mining Company closed down the Bulldog Mine. The concept for an underground mine began with Bob Louth in ... | |
 | Denver Museum of Nature & Science | Denver, Colorado | Got your hard hat? In Coors Mineral Hall, follow the mine shaft into a Mexican silver mine, where a cavern glistens with milky white gypsum crystals and stalactites. Then enter Colorado's own Sweet Home Mine to discover a six-foot wall of blood-red rhodochrosite crystals. Colorado was founded on mining, and in the ... |
 | National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum | Leadville , Colorado | Known as the "Smithsonian of the Rockies" and the "Premier Showcase of American Mining," the National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum came to be in 1987. Our building was built in 1899 and was formerly the Leadville High School. Our museum houses 25,000 square feet of interactive and informative exhibits showcasing our ... |
| Silverton Mining Heritage Museum | Silverton, Colorado | ||
| Western Museum of Mining & Industry | Colorado Springs, Colorado | Over 4,000 artifacts are on display at the 27-acre indoor/outdoor exhibit site; which includes a ten-stamp ore mill, a multi-purpose center with exhibits, a theater and a 5,000-volume research library. The entire exhibit complex is an exciting and exceptional tool for learning about Colorado history, mining and ... | |
Connecticut | |||
| Bruce Museum | Greenwich, Connecticut | A multi-faceted museum with a relatively small but highly aesthetic mineral display. | |
| Connecticut Museum of Mining and Mineral Science | Kent, Connecticut | The Mining Museum has collections of noteworthy minerals from throughout the state. Exceptional examples of locally collected minerals provide the viewer with a good idea of what the state has to offer. Displays also inform the viewer about the state's resources of decorative building stone such as brownstone and ... | |
| Connecticut State Museum of Natural History | Storrs, Connecticut | ||
| Dinosaur State Park | Rocky Hill, Connecticut | One of the largest dinosaur track sites in North America. Beneath the geodesic dome is an exceptional display of early Jurassic fossil tracks that were made 200 million years ago. The Museum presents a bird’s-eye view of the preserved Mesozoic floodplain covered with tracks, dioramas of Triassic and Jurassic ... | |
| Joe Webb Peoples Museum at Exley Science Center | Middletown, Connecticut | A single room in the geoscience department densely packed with mineral and fossil displays focused on both Connecticut and worldwide specimens. | |
| Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History | New Haven, Connecticut | The first Peabody Museum building opened to the public in 1876. | |
DC | |||
 | The Smithsonian Institution | Washington, DC | The Janet Annenberg Hooker Hall of Geology, Gems, and Minerals (September 20, 1997 – Permanent) features 2,500 minerals and gems. The Smithsonian Institution is the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex, with 19 museums and the National Zoo—shaping the future by preserving our heritage, ... |
Delaware | |||
| University of Delaware Mineralogical Museum | Newark, Delaware | ||
Florida | |||
| Gillespie Museum | DeLand, Florida | The Gillespie Museum has been a center for earth and environmental science education on campus and in the community for six decades. It houses an historic mineral collection, with nearly a thousand of its 15,000 specimens on display in changing exhibits. There are also small galleries devoted to natural history ... | |
| Mel Fisher Maritime Museum | Key West, Florida | Small museum & conservation lab displaying a collection of artifacts from a 17th-century shipwreck. | |
 | Mel Fisher Maritime Museum | Key West, Florida | The museum shows a selection of gold, silver and gem artifacts salvaged from the wreck of the Spanish galleon, Atocha. The ship sailed from Havana, Cuba carrying silver from Bolivia, Peru and Mexico, gold and emeralds from Colombia, and pearls from Venezuela. It sank during a hurricane off of the Florida Keys 1622. |
Georgia | |||
| Tellus Science Museum | Cartersville, Georgia | Tellus is a world-class 120,000 square foot museum located in Cartersville, GA just off I-75 at exit 293. The museum’s exhibits open minds and ignite a passion for science. Tellus features four main galleries: The Weinman Mineral Gallery, The Fossil Gallery, Science in Motion and The Collins Family My Big Backyard. ... | |
Hawaii | |||
| Lyman Museum | Hilo, Hawaii | Visit our Earth Heritage Gallery and experience the natural history of Hawai`i! Walk through a lava tube and experience multiple island climate zones in the “Habitats of Hawai`i” exhibition | |
Idaho | |||
| Idaho Museum of Mining & Geology | Boise, Idaho | ||
Illinois | |||
| Field Museum of Natural History | Chicago, Illinois | The Field Museum of Natural History (FMNH), also known as The Field Museum, is a natural history museum in Chicago, Illinois, and is one of the largest such museums in the world. The museum is a popular natural-history museum for the size and quality of its educational and scientific programs, as well as due to its ... | |
| Funk Prairie Home Museum | Shirley, Illinois | LaFayette Funk II started collecting minerals later in life at age 53. Even though he only collected about 30 years, he amassed a huge and diverse collection of minerals, gems, and fossils. | |
 | Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art | Oak Brook, Illinois | A museum specializing in fine jade, gemstone & mineral carvings, plus educational geology exhibits. |
Indiana | |||
| Indiana State Museum | Indianapolis, Indiana | The following information was taken from the Indiana State Museum’s website: https://www.indianamuseum.org/history The Indiana State Museum’s humble origins began with a cabinet of mineral and fossil specimens in 1862 during the American Civil War. Librarian R. Deloss Brown decided to begin cataloging specimens ... | |
 | Joseph Moore Museum | Richmond, Indiana | The Joseph Moore Museum had its humble origins in the 1870s. Joseph Moore was an avid natural historian, professor and collector who taught at the Friends Boarding School (the Society of Friends are better known as the Quakers), later to become Earlham College. Joseph Moore was particularly fascinated with animal ... |
Iowa | |||
| Appanoose Historical and Coal Mining Museum | Centerville, Iowa | ||
| University of Iowa Museum of Natural History | Iowa City, Iowa | ||
Kansas | |||
| Galena Mining and Historical Museum | Galena, Kansas | Features unique to the Galena Museum are a large display of mineral specimens, mining equipment and a model of the Grand Central Mine which was located just east of Galena in Central City, Missouri. | |
 | Kansas University Biodiversity Institute and Natural History Museum | Lawrence, Kansas | The KU Natural History Museum is home to four floors of public exhibits including outstanding vertebrate and invertebrate fossils, and much more. |
Kentucky | |||
 | Ben E. Clement Mineral Museum | Marion, Kentucky | The Ben E. Clement Mineral Museum is a 501(C)3 organization committed to the preservation of minerals and mining history for the purpose of educating students, educators, and the general public as it relates to the Kentucky/Illinois Fluorspar District and the effect minerals have on the daily lives of the general ... |
Louisiana | |||
| Louisiana State Museum of Natural Science | Baton Rouge, Louisiana | With holdings of almost 2.5 million specimens, the LSU Museum of Natural Science is among the nation’s leaders in terms of the size and diversity of its research collection. | |
Maine | |||
 | Maine Mineral & Gem Museum | Bethel, Maine | The Maine Mineral & Gem Museum celebrates Earth and cultivates critical thinking through education, research and dynamic exhibitry— all designed to inspire visitors about Maine’s geologic history, pegmatite mining, and our planet’s place in the solar system. The MMGM collection is home to over 38,000 superlative ... |
Massachussetts | |||
 | The Mineralogical & Geological Museum at Harvard University | Cambridge, Massachussetts | The Mineralogical & Geological Museum at Harvard University (MGMH) is committed to the development and preservation of world-class collections of minerals, rocks, ores, meteorites and gems for research, education, and public display. We strive to meet the needs of students and faculty at Harvard University as well the ... |
Michigan | |||
 | A.E. Seaman Mineral Museum | Houghton, Michigan | Visit the official Mineral Museum of Michigan to explore the beauty and splendor of minerals from the Michigan copper-mining district, the Great Lakes Region and around the world. |
 | Bruce Dice Mineralogical Museum | Grand Rapids, Michigan | The Bruce Dice Mineralogical Museum has a rotating display of more than 400 unique geological specimens from around the world. The collection includes gold nuggets, copper leaves, fossils, rocks, meteorites, and fluorescent minerals. Hands-on activities are also included. The museum is open to the public and can ... |
| Cranbrook Institute of Science | Bloomfield Hills, Michigan | Discover the wonder of the natural world and develop a better understanding of the ways in which science impacts our lives each day at Cranbrook Institute of Science. Interactive exhibits, a world-class collection of objects and artifacts, special events, a planetarium and observatory, lecture and educational programs ... | |
 | Geology Mineral Museum | Detroit, Michigan | From a collection of minerals once owned by Thomas Edison to a 4.5 billion-year-old meteorite you can hold in the palm of your hand, eons of geological history are on display at Wayne State University’s new Geology Mineral Museum — the first of its kind in Detroit. |
| Quincy Mine Hoist Tours | Hancock, Michigan | The Quincy Mine is located in the Keweenaw Peninsula of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Mining operations have been closed since 1945, but the site is preserved as a cooperating site of the Keweenaw National Historical Park. The Quincy Mine properties are owned and operated by the Quincy Mine Hoist Association, Inc., a ... | |
| Schmaltz Geology and Mineral Museum | Kalamazoo, Michigan | Located on the first floor of Rood Hall in the Department of Geosciences at Western Michigan University, the Lloyd J. Schmaltz Geology and Mineral Museum displays an impressive collection of rocks, minerals and fossils from Michigan and throughout the world. | |
Missouri | |||
| Ed Clark Museum of Missouri Geology | Rolla, Missouri | The museum illustrates the geologic history of Missouri through an ongoing collection of rock, mineral and fossil displays. | |
| Joplin History & Mineral Museum | Joplin, Missouri | We are a museum that tells the story of Joplin and the Tri-State Mining District. By displaying our historical and mineral collections, we provide boundless inspiration for future generations to better understand the economic and social history of Joplin and the Tri-State Mining District. We have two distincly ... | |
 | Matthew A. Grossman Museum | Saint Louis, Missouri | The Earth and Planetary Sciences department is fortunate to have on the first floor of Scott Rudolph Hall the glass-enclosed Grossman Mineral Museum, curated by G. Robert Osburn. |
 | Missouri Mines State Historic Site | Park Hills, Missouri | Lead has been big business in the eastern Ozarks since about 1720. Come explore its history – and see the processing plant of the former St. Joe Lead Company – in the heart of the Old Lead Belt at Missouri Mines State Historic Site. The mine’s former powerhouse has been turned into a museum that interprets the ... |
 | Richard L. Sutton, Jr., M.D. Museum of Geosciences | Kansas City, Missouri | At the University of Missouri, Kansas City. Collection of more than 1000 mineral and rock specimens, and several hundred fossils (especially cephalopods). 6-ft tall amethyst geode matched halves, 500-lb Campo del Cielo iron meteorite. Guided tours available on request. |
Montana | |||
| Montana Bureau of Mines & Geology Mineral Museum | Butte, Montana | In 1901, six months after the first students enrolled at Montana Tech (then called the Montana School of Mines), 177 mineral specimens were purchased by the school for teaching purposes. Since then, the collection has grown to approximately 12,000 specimens, mainly through the generous donations Museum Library ... | |
Nebraska | |||
| University of Nebraska State Museum | Lincoln, Nebraska | ||
Nevada | |||
| The W. M. Keck Earth Science and Mineral Engineering Museum | Reno, Nevada | 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 objects. The Keck Museum has been free since it opened in 1908. | |
New Jersey | |||
 | Franklin Mineral Museum | Franklin, New Jersey | The Franklin Mineral Museum features one of the largest displays of local minerals as well as a huge fluorescent mineral display. Additionally, the museum displays the Welch collection of worldwide minerals and earth science teaching aids, fossils and archaeological items. A walk-through mine mock up of underground ... |
 | New Jersey State Museum | Trenton, New Jersey | The Natural History Collection is comprised of approximately 250,000 specimens, which in addition to their scientific significance, also have historic and cultural significance. These collections developed from the holdings of the New Jersey Geological Survey that began systematic surveys of industrial mineralogy and ... |
 | Rutgers Geological Museum | New Brunswick, New Jersey | The Rutgers Geology Museum, one of the oldest collegiate geology collections in the United States, was founded by state geologist and Rutgers professor George Hammell Cook in 1872. Its exhibits showcase the natural history of New Jersey; focusing on geology, paleontology, and anthropology. Since its opening, the ... |
 | Sterling Hill Mining Museum | Ogdensburg, New Jersey | Visitors to the Sterling Hill Mining Museum step back in time as they enter the grounds of this former industrial site. The museum exhibits, offices, and other facilities are housed in the original buildings used by the New Jersey Zinc Company when the mine was operational. Most of the on-site structures date from ... |
New Mexico | |||
| Miles Mineral Museum | Portales, New Mexico | When Fred Miles and his wife Gladys moved to Roswell, New Mexico in 1928, they began exploring along the Pecos River. There they found beautiful quartz crystals called Pecos Valley Diamonds. This was the beginning of a love affair with minerals and rocks that lasted 40 years and marked the beginning of the Miles ... | |
 | New Mexico Bureau of Geology Mineral Museum | Socorro, New Mexico | The mineral museum can trace its origins back to the very beginnings of the New Mexico School of Mines in 1889. The collection was assembled to help in the education of engineers and geologists. It was soon built into one of the finest in the world, winning gold medals at the St. Louis World's Fair 1904 and the ... |
| New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science | Albuquerque, New Mexico | ||
| The Sherman Dugan Museum of Geology | Farmington, New Mexico | The Sherman Dugan Museum of Geology is home to an array of exhibits featuring minerals and fossils from around the world, historical mining artifacts, geological and engineering features of petroleum exploration and extraction, and more. | |
New York | |||
| American Museum of Natural History | New York, New York | Mineral galleries are currently (2017) closed for renovation. | |
| Buffalo Museum of Science | Buffalo, New York | ||
| The New York State Museum | Albany, New York | At least 1,500,000 specimens of rocks, minerals, and fossils are included in the State Museum’s geological collections. The Mineralogy Collection constitutes the world’s largest and most complete array of New York State minerals. From 3.5 billion year old bacteria to 20,000-year-old fossil fish, the one million ... | |
| Timothy N. Heasley Mineralogy Museum | Ithaca, New York | The Timothy N. Heasley Mineralogy Museum is nestled into the apex of the Snee Hall atrium of Cornell University. Despite its diminutive size, it hosts a surprisingly diverse collection of minerals, fossils, lapidary works and antique instrumentation. | |
North Carolina | |||
| Colburn Earth Sciences Museum | Ashville, North Carolina | ||
| Franklin Gem & Mineral Museum | Franklin, North Carolina | The Franklin Gem and Mineral Museum, located in a historic jail in Franklin, North Carolina, houses thousands of specimens of gems, minerals, fossils, Indian artifacts, fluorescent minerals, and sea shells. | |
| Museum of North Carolina Minerals | Spruce Pine, North Carolina | The Museum of North Carolina Minerals highlights the area’s rich mineral resources and the mining heritage. Discover hands-on, interactive exhibits that explore the creation of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the 3,000-year-old saga of mining. | |
| North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences | Raleigh, North Carolina | ||
| Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute | Rosman, North Carolina | A former NASA facility. | |
Ohio | |||
| Cincinnati Museum Center - Museum of Natural History & Science | Cincinnati, Ohio | Currently (2017) closed for repair and restoration. | |
 | Cleveland Museum of Natural History | Cleveland, Ohio | |
| Karl E. Limper Geology Museum | Oxford, Ohio | The Karl E. Limper Geology Museum, located in Miami University's Shideler Hall, provides displays of quality geological specimens intended to help students and visitors better understand and appreciate basic geological concepts. The Limper Museum contains hundreds of specimens of the world-famous fossils of ... | |
| Orton Geological Museum | Columbus, Ohio | ||
Oregon | |||
| Crater Rock Museum | Central Point, Oregon | The operation and development of the Crater Rock Museum has been entrusted to the Roxy Ann Gem and Mineral Society. RAGMS is organized as a non-profit corporation: Roxy Ann Gem and Mineral, Inc. | |
 | Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks & Minerals | Hillsboro, Oregon | The Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals exists to engage, inspire, and educate generations on the splendor and complexities of our Earth. The Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals houses a world-class collection recognized as the finest in the Pacific Northwest and one of the best in the nation. ... |
Pennsylvania | |||
 | Carnegie Museum of Natural History | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | |
| Delaware County Institute of Science | Media, Pennsylvania | 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 Samuel Gordon’s 1922 Mineralogy of Pennsylvania. Additionally, specimens brought from the mineral prospects of the West by members of the Delaware County ... | |
South Dakota | |||
 | Black Hills Institute of Geological Research | Hill City, South Dakota | The company that became the Black Hills Institute of Geological Research started in 1974 as “Black Hills Minerals”. The name was given to Peter Larson and James A. Honert by Willard L. Roberts who had used the name since 1946. The name was changed to Black Hills Institute of Geological Research in 1979 when they ... |
 | Museum of Geology | Rapid City, South Dakota | Exhibits of mineralogy, featuring minerals of South Dakota (especially the Black Hills) along with worldwide specimens, and paleontology, featuring fossils from the Badlands and surrounding region. Fluorescent mineral exhibit, meteorites, Kids Zone, museum shop. Free admission. |
Tennessee | |||
 | Pinson Mounds State Archaeological Park Museum | Pinson, Tennessee | The Pinson Mounds State Archaeological Park is a site constructed by the indigenous people of the United States during the period 0-499 AD. They were part of the greater Hopewellian Culture that flourished between 200 BC and 500 AD. The Hopewellian Culture was composed of many interacting groups that inhabited the ... |
Texas | |||
| Houston Museum of Natural Science | Houston, Texas | Founded in 1909, the purpose of the Houston Museum of Natural Science has always been to “enhance in individuals the knowledge and delight in natural science and related subjects.” To this very day, this purpose is carried out in every project, program and exhibition associated with the museum. | |
| Permian Basin Petroleum Museum | Midland, Texas | The Petroleum Museum’s Mineral Gallery opened in December 2012 to showcase nature’s most beautiful wonders. The gallery brings geology to life with over 90 mineral specimens from across the globe. The exhibit features specimens from the Petroleum Museum’s collection, as well as exquisite pieces on loan from some ... | |
| Perot Museum of Nature and Science | Dallas, Texas | The Perot Museum of Nature and Science located in Victory Park, near Downtown Dallas is said to be a "world of wonder" by The Dallas Morning News. Passing the test of school children, inspiring curiosity in all ages and boasting as a living science lesson, this new Museum opened its doors to the public on December 1, ... | |
Utah | |||
| Natural History Museum of Utah | Salt Lake City, Utah | Rough mineral forms are juxtaposed with elegant cut gemstones, all in brilliant colors. Peer in to see minerals that fluoresce and take in 12 vertical feet of minerals suspended before you. The Gems and Minerals exhibition is located in the O.C. Tanner Hall. | |
| Wray Mineral Museum | Milford, Utah | The Museum of Dr. William B. Wray Jr. ~ his personal collection of rocks, minerals, gems, and fossils fill a two story building, wall to wall. | |
Vermont | |||
 | Vermont Museum of Mining and Minerals | Grafton, Vermont | Displays and specimens from all over the Green Mountain state and around the world. Learn about Vermont's rich mining and mineral industries through displays on talc, soapstone, and the world-famous Vermont marble, granite and slate. |
| Vermont Museum of Mining and Minerals | Grafton, Vermont | ||
Virginia | |||
| James Madison University Mineral Museum | Harrisonburg, Virginia | The James Madison University Mineral Museum is located on the JMU campus at: Festival Conference & Student Center Room 1021. 1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, Virginia 22807 | |
| Museum of Geosciences | Blacksburg, Virginia | The Museum of Geosciences is housed in the Virginia Tech Department of Geosciences and located in 2062 Derring Hall. | |
Washington | |||
| The Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture | Seattle, Washington | The Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture was founded in 1885. It is the oldest public museum in Washington state and was designated the State Museum in 1899. The Burke is a research- and collections-based museum that serves many audiences and communities, including Washington state residents, tourists and ... | |
Wisconsin | |||
| Earthaven Museum | Gillett, Wisconsin | Learn about rocks, minerals, elements, gemstones, fossils and meteorites via our collection of more than ten thousand specimens and our knowledgeable staff and volunteers. | |
| Weis Earth Science Museum | Menasha, Wisconsin | The Official Mineralogical Museum of Wisconsin | |
