Idaho Museum of Mining and Geology

Fantastic collection of rock and mineral specimens from around the local area. If you want to learn more about the wonders that the Gem state has to offer this is a great place to start. We sat in on a class by a licensed Geologist that taught us all about mineral identification and where to find really cool minerals in this region. A wonderful group of people that run the place they are friendly and happy to help explain all of the information in the museum. Lots of books and maps to purchase that will help you go and find your own gems.

Wonderful homeschool field trip! So many hands-on learning opportunities! A little bit of everything - earthquakes, prehistoric geography, fossils, gems & minerals, rock cycles, rock formation and mining history. The volunteers were great about answering our questions and sharing their knowledge with us. Looking forward to getting together a group of homeschoolers next year and doing the guided tour! Free admission. Limited hours/days of operations, so checking their website before you go would be a good idea. Highly recommend!

Lovely little museum in a great area to spend a couple of hours! The museum was free with some great displays. It is located at the old penitentiary, so there are tours available at the penitentiary next door. I loved Coyote, the resident geologist. The guys at the register were very helpful and friendly. My 11 yo granddaughter and I thoroughly enjoyed the content. The littles just liked the place to run around and look at rocks. My daughter Ana husband enjoyed the content, also. Can’t wait to go on field tryouts with them!

The black and white light view was the only interesting thing to me, since I’m not much into mining and geology!

Wonderful small museum, very helpful staff/volunteers and very interesting for adults and children. Highly recommend.