What would it be like to work in a mine, blasting rock in narrow passageways deep underground? You can imagine it at the National Mining Hall of Fame & Museum. Tour replicas of caves and mines, check out the masks past miners wore to breathe and the carbide lamps that lit their way, and see photos of the people who’ve run American mines for decades.

Fun for Kids

Children love the dioramas of miners hacking at hillsides, the life-size miner and burro in a walk-through coal mine, and the fluorescent rocks dug from the earth. A model train layout showing how railroads moved ore is fun for kids of all ages.

Gems and Gold

Then explore what mining produces, from gems and precious metals like gold to the minerals you use in everyday life. A special exhibit on molybdenum, still mined at the Climax mine just north of town on Highway 91 at Fremont Pass, shows you how this mineral is used to strengthen steel in cars and everyday household items.

Known as the “Smithsonian of the Rockies,” the nonprofit National Mining Hall of Fame and 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. Through three levels of exhibits, you will be immersed in the story of mining.

Hours:
> Open Tues. – Sun., 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. through April 2019, then open daily
> Last ticket sold at 4:15 p.m.
> Open year ’round; closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day
> We suggest a minimum of two hours to explore our 25,000 square feet of exhibits!