I would allow 2+ hours even though you kinda go at your own pace once you are down in the mine, you have to wait for certain train times. The place is huge! Its a great mix of history, geology, adventure with the train ride and modern business with the storage. I didnt really understand the movie memorabilia... but overall it was an awesome experience, well worth the $22.

We spent 4 hours here. Recommend paying extra to see the salt safari. It was the highlight of our trip in kansas. There’s a lot to read. Don’t bring a hat since you’ll have to wear a hard hat and carry your hat in your hands the entire time. Everyone there was so friendly. We felt like VIPs because the workers would guide us to what we would be doing next. You won’t ever experience anything like this so if you’re in Kansas definitely visit this place!

Very cool. Very interesting. The ride down takes about 90 seconds and its in the dark but its well worth it. The history of the mine and how some of the miners were truly better than the others at their job is intriguing. Do the full thing if you have never been there before and take home a chunk as large as your head.Came out from OKC with a friend from PA on a bit of a date. Wanted to bring wife out for the Murder in the Mine before she passed away but she was afraid to go that far under ground so never had the chance and no matter how I tried to talk her into it she would not go. Take the risk and go for the ride down into the mine.

Awesome working mine with many things to do! After purchasing our tickets, we checked out the movie and some of the information about the mine. The restrooms and lockers were conveniently located nearby. They showed us a safety video, gave us our hard hats (required while in the mine), and down the elevator we went. Once you arrive approximately 650 feet below the Earths surface, you are free to explore the exhibits and enjoy the rides. They also have a gift shop and an additional activity you can add on to your ticket. They offer military discounts and also said they have meeting spaces available. You can even select your own chunk of salt with a souvenir miniature burlap sack at the end of the Dark ride. They said that the majority of the salt from this mine goes to use on the roads. This was definitely an educational experience.

This museum was really neat! It was very informative. The staff are all very friendly. During the dark ride they stop and let you mine for salt to take home. This place also is a storage place for lots of different things as well which was interesting.

Take an adventure underground to see how salt is mined in a real functioning salt mine. Really interesting to see the conditions people used to work under and how technology has changed. Fun to take a tour throughout the mine, and get a souvenir piece of salt! Quite the unique experience.

Cannot say enough about what an amazing experience this place is. Everything from the 90 second elevator ride down 650 feet, to the tours and interesting artifacts stored in the mine was astonishing. This was definitely a once in a lifetime experience and I highly recommend to anyone who is interested in doing it. We learned so much and I keep telling all my family about it. This experience highly exceeded my expectations and I recommend adding the Salt Safari for a unique adventure.

$20 admission. Additional $13 for hour long Salt Safari which is neat, but could easily be skipped. Plan on 6 hours if you take the supplementary Safari and read EVERYTHING. Absolute Minimum would be 1 1/2 hours. Many high quality interpretive displays and artifacts. 12 minute train ride and 25 minute shuttle ride included which both take you into former mining areas (fairly dark). There are restrooms (hot running water, flushing, ceramic toilets) in the mine. Not claustrophobic: very well lighted, ceiling Is 10 feet high, entire complex is a main hallway 80 feet wide with many huge rooms 60 feet wide opening off it. 60 second dark elevator ride.

It is well worth taking the time to see it. It takes 2 hrs to see it. What a great salt mine.

The staff were very friendly and knowledgeable. Fun for the whole family. Will definitely be going back in the future.

Very good tour. Take all 3 options. Youll be down there 3 hrs or so but it is worth it. We learned a lot. Two of us had been to the salt mine in Poland and this tour complimented. That one. Go. It was interesting.

Absolutely AMAZING museum that is HUGE! Actual movie props are on display from many well known films. They host huge events here all year around with dinner theater shows and underground bike races and hikes. Worth coming to and a must see. You wont be disappointed.

This was my first time going to the mine. I was not sure what to expect. The staff were polite, courteous, and very professional. They are extremely knowledgeable. I learned so much and had an amazing experience. The mines are incredible. The tours were amazing. So much history. And I never would have guessed salt came from the ground like it does. Beautiful and peaceful.

The dark ride was great and I loved the free souvenir

This was fun for the whole family, even my teenagers liked it! You get to keep at least one piece of salt as a souvenir at the end of your tour. And they have an amazing gift shop with decent prices. The whole staff was very friendly and answered all questions we had. Highly recommend.

This place was pretty cool! You could definitely waste a half of a day here. Allow 3 hours minimum! Everyone was nice! It is rather expensive, but I think it’s was well worth it!

Had a lot of fun yesterday. Was kinda upset that I wasnt told when I called that we would have to be there til 4. We paid 12.50 or so each because we already drove from Wichita. But it was worth it in the end. I would do it again at Christmas. Staff was great. Especially lady in gift shop.

We had the most enjoyable time seeing this amazing underground world! All the shuttle and train rides through the tunnels and rooms were filled with so much beautiful history. All of the guides did an awesome job of sharing the history and answering questions. My husband really enjoyed being able to show me where his cousin, Willie Rodriguez, worked for so many years and see him in one of the videos. We loved not being rushed to see everything and able to take our time to fully enjoy this experience. It was also nice to have a variety of assists available for my disabled husband. All of the staff were attentive to our needs and questions. Thank you all very much!

Really cool salt mine!! Ya get to pick out a salt crystal on the dark mine tour... ya take a little train ride to see deeper into the mine. The movie props / memorabilia was pretty cool as well! Forgot about the fact that a lot of the space used down there, is for storage n such, for that kind of thing. VERY interesting place! Well done, salt mine peeps!

We really enjoyed our time at the salt mine. The Blast pass is definitely worth it! The Dark ride was my favorite and next time I will for sure do the Safari.

The tour guides were so friendly and informative. I really enjoyed this visit, and learned different things on the tram and dark rides. We will definitely be returning again!

Worth a visit if youre in the Hutch area. Museum is interesting for all ages. Our little girls loved being able to take a salt sample home with them. Id allow 2-3 hours for your trip.Its also nice going to an attraction that takes COVID seriously. Mandatory masks, small group sizes + social distancing, and lots of hand sanitizer stations.

Be Careful! You might get trapped underground! Ask when the miners will use the shaft and when your last train ride should be.My kids and I went to the mine today. The walls were beautiful and it had two nice train rides plus interesting mining relics and videos. The problem is the staff communication with patrons. When we finished the dark train we were ready to leave as we had spent 1 hr 50 min below and pretty much saw most of the things. It was 2:50pm. However, the manager below said that the shaft was now closed for the salt miners and that we would need to wait another 1.5 hours to leave! The below ground manager apologized and said it was on her for the mix up but we were now stuck. If staff could have communicated the 3pm time that the miners would use the shaft we would have planned our time differently and not spent so much time in the museum below or would have skipped the dark train ride. We had planned to see the Cosmo museum in town but now we would not be able and we dont live in state. We finally were able to leave at 4:15 and Keith said nonchalantly that they were all stuck below. The kicker is that the manager upstairs said she was taking patrons up the shaft at 3:05pm so we did not need to be trapped below! The manager upstairs apologized and changed our tickets to three child tickets but I was torn. I felt a full refund was more appropriate for the communication issues but we did see the museum...but were trapped below! Johnathan the maintenance man was very accommodating in giving us a tour below and I recommended he should be management below. Communication is very important for a mine and schedule for coming and going. Perhaps they should switch to an organized tour.

This place was top notch!! Lots to see and learn. Also cool was the secure storage of Hollywood paraphernalia.

Neat place to check out. We were given 2 minutes to check out the movie memorabilia & thats it. We were rushed to take the train ride & the dark ride, which we neat & the guides were good. Just be prepared to not have much time to check out movie artifacts.

That was so fun. I had a great time. Would recommend it for the family adventure.

Very interesting place. So much to learn. Easy access for the handicapped.

Salt. Best hole in the ground ever. Good exhibits and tours and rides. Nice staff. Salt. Its salty. Salt.

WOW! This place was awesome. Staff were so friendly and knowledgeable. This is a treasure in Kansas. Will definitely go again. This was an awesome place my two granddaughters age 7 and 10 loved it. Great place.

Such a Unique, Crazy, Fun Place 700 Feet Below Ground!There nothing to see, but a large parking lot and small building. You go inside, check in, and wait. Once your designated time-slot arrives, you go watch a quick safety move, then put on helmets and board a double-decker, old AF elevator. As the doors close and you begin the slow decent down, the elevator rocks horizontally, moving vertically 700 feet straight down... in pitch black. Thats where the fun starts. You make it down, the door opens and you are immediately greeting by a GIGANTIC, human-made, rectangular-cross-section cavern as far as the eye can see. The air is cool, you are surrounded by salt, and begin to taste it on your lips. There are a lot of artifacts and exhibits that have very interesting things to learn and I recommend getting the pass/tickets that provide all the things to do down there. There are train rides and a movie/tv museum with artifacts that need to be preserved in a completely temperature, light, and humidity controlled environment. I heard Strataca hosts camping trips, 5-K runs, and lots of other neat events. We had so much fun wandering around and learning about salt, to be honest, we were surprised by how much time we spent within the Earth and how much fun we all had.Overall, I highly recommend going down to the salt mines and just run around 700 feet below ground. It was so fun!

Absolutely fabulous! We did train, dark tour & safari each having theyre own information building on each other. Hate covid, but loved having the personalization of very few additional people with us on the tour. I will say tho Ive got several areas of pain & was pain free the entire time: yay!!

This was such a cool place to visit. Really fun. My daughter loved it and you get souvenirs. Also buying more for family is pretty cheap. Received a discount from going to the cosmosphere the day before. Highly recommended for an adventure.

We had a fun time at the Strataca Salt Mines Tour in Hutchinson. That place is amazing. In 90-seconds we went 650’ underground in the transport elevator — from light to pure darkness then back to light once we landed into the mine.The displays were informative. The videos were short and descriptive of the mining process. Actual equipment drew you through the museum under ground. We enjoyed the train tour deeper into the mine and the dark tour that had us completely in the dark at times. We stopped and dismounted to choose our own salt rock to take home from a pile.The underground storage showcase had movies, superhero costumes, props and more. The five of us enjoyed ourselves during the entire tour.There were all ages on the 9am tour. I found out later that you have to be older than 4 years old to go underground.Another check mark on my bucket list.

Really fun and well-run experience. Massive underground mine 650 feet below the Kansas landscape. There are a lot of mining related things to see and tour. There is a small but cool movie prop collection to view as well.

Very informative, and the tour guides were amazing and funny! Definitely will go again!

It was really amazing to learn all about the salt mining in South Hutchinson... Its like a huge maze 800 feet below the surface. Youd never know it was there. The 90 second elevator ride in total darkness was surreal and exciting. There were lots of learning and photo opportunities throughout. Rides on the underground train and darkness rides were pretty cool too, and you get to collect some raw salt to take home with you. Great gifts in the underground gift shop.

Excellent experience for most all ages. Superb value for the money. Super friendly staff! NOTE: We highly advise you add the “Safari Shuttle” experience for an extra $12 (or so). It is well worth the money. It is a sort of behind the scenes tour taking you deep into the original parts of the mine.. untouched and unspoiled, as it’s been for decades. You will feel and know what it’s like to be a miner! But even if you don’t add the Safari ride, the regular admission is still a great experience and will take you into a limited part of the “dark” areas of the mine.Overall.. this is a experience you will never forget!

The tour was great! All the staff was nice, helpful and you could tell they enjoyed being in the mine! Would recommend to anyone to check it out! Awesome job tour team!

So much fun. Great place for the family to escape covid.

We were completely impressed by how organized and personable the staff are. We did the package that includes all of the rides and we are glad we did. We learned a lot of mine history along with mining information. Highly recommend this trio down 650 ft!

Its one of a kind experience. The mine is 650 feet below the surface. You would be surprised how big the area is. They have 3 types of rides - dark ride, train ride and a salt safari. You might want to get the combo tickets if you want to enjoy the salt safari ride. Its worth every penny. They will even let you pick and keep a salt crystal as a souvenir. Overall an awesome experience.

This is definitely worth it...you get a lot for your ticket price. Our group ranged from age 13 to 69 and we all enjoyed it

A fascinating experience. Well worth the time and money.

Fascinating tour, friendly staff. Highly recommend!

Extremely informative and entertaining!! Definitely learned a lot about whats below Hutchinson KS!! GR8 time!!

From the ticket clerk to the hoist operators to the guides, we were met with friendly, knowledgeable people everywhere. The tour is not as simple as table salt; it takes you back in time. This was a tour through history, geology, and the need for preservation. I would go back in a heartbeat!

Never thought a salt mine could be so interesting. Staff was extremely friendly and knowledgeable.

Absolutely amazing!!!! Great family fun, very educational for all ages.

Friendly staff who answer questions without annoyance, even though you know theyve already answered the same questions a million times. Theyre always trying to make sure nobody misses out on any of their rides. Overall its a great place to see and a fun experience.

We went for my MIL’s birthday, and I didn’t have much expectation for what it would be like, and I was totally blown away! From the realization that you’re 650 feet under ground, to the friendly staff, to the history preserved by the conditions, it was all incredible. I recommend the full tour, which took us about three hours, because it was detailed and always intriguing. I’m telling friends and family they have to go and you need to too!

Great experience. Friendly staff

Wow what a fun place to see out in the middle of Kansas. As boring as Kansas is on the surface, who would of thought that the fun was below the surface. 690 feet below where nothing is lost. Not planning a trip to Kansas??? Maybe you should rethink that!

My family loved this place! Very cool and they let you take a salt rock with you.

We had a wonderful time here! There was so much to see and learn. Everyone was friendly and had no hesitation answering any of our questions. The gentleman who took us on our dark tour had an awsome personality and showed us so much. We didnt get to do the safari but if we ever come through again we will definitely be stopping to do it.

We loved it. The staff was very professional.

My family is pretty cheesy so we like doing stuff like this. My brother and I did give my mom a hard time for picking any salt Museum, because we didnt really know what to expect. However it was actually really fun, we did the dark ride and the train ride, on the Dark Ride you get to pick up your own salt out of this pile which sounds corny but it was actually really cool.

Unique museum. Really large area underground to tour. Everyone in family like.

Really good experience under 650 feet. I really enjoyed the dark ride and the museum.

Great experience. I learned a lot, the walking was easier than i thought and the over night sleep was easy. It worth doing the over night to get the full experience.

Who knew that Kansas had 8 wonders? Definitely worth the trip, would highly recommend! Very informative and entertaining. The employees could not have been nicer!

Who knew a salt mine could be so interesting? Totally worth the price of admission. If you have problems with darkness or confined spaces the shaft ride down may be an issue. The tour guides were well informed and the exhibits below were very interesting.

Wow!!! I was a little skeptical about enjoying a trip 650 feet below ground to what is basically a man made cave but boy was I wrong! I have taken several cave tours in Missouri and elsewhere but none of them stack up to the salt mine at Strataca. The first thing that stands out as different is the clean, modern appearance of the above ground facility. The staff is all very friendly. Tickets to tour the mine are $19 but they do offer active military and senior discounts. There is an extended tour option for an additional $12. MAKE SURE TO CALL AHEAD. many schools bring their students here on field trips. Youll want to ensure a tour is available when you plan to go.When its time for your tour you will be shown a short safety video then given a clean hard hat. After the video you will get into an elevator to descend the 650 feet to the mine. If youre concerned about the safety of the elevator, you can relax, the cables are X-rayed every 3 months and hand inspected every 6 months. The ride down is very smooth, the pressure does change so be prepared to pop your ears. When you exit the elevator at the bottom you are greeted with a beautiful room with salt crystal walls, floor and ceiling. The room has a very high ceiling and everywhere a light shines the walls glisten. The air is very pure and isnt musty like many caves. A docent will introduce you to the mine and set you off on a self guided tour. There are many attractions in the museum. Everything from the mines history to the present day storage of Hollywood films and important records. The self guided tour last about an hour unless you rush through it. After the self guided tour, you can ride a train and get a short guided tour of portions of the mine that are not part of the self guided tour. After the train you can take another guided tour called the Dark Ride. This explores yet another portion of the mine. At the end of the Dark Ride you can collect your own salt crystals.Strataca often hosts events like dinner theater and murder mysteries. If that kind of thing interests you, be sure to check their website. Last, if you have an event you would like to have hosted in the mine, like a wedding or a family reunion, the mine has an area specifically for it. Again, just contact Strataca for availability.I was trulely impressed by the beauty of the mine. The museum was actually interesting and often interactive. The staff was knowledgeable and extremely friendly. If you are in the area or planning a trip, Strataca should be on your list of must sees. Do not miss this gem nestled in rural Kansas!

Amazing. We came as a date activity and did the driving tours and got to bring home some beautiful salt. Someday well come back with the kids!

This place ROCKS!!!!! 600+ ft under the earth. Salt mine from the past and currently actively mined. Pitch-black, underground train ride...100 yr-old soda cans and other Hollywood memorabilia stored in this mine. It is worth the drive and cost. Last guide tour starts at 3pm. Prepare for a 2 hr tour.

Great adventure for all the family

650 ft down. Further down than the height of the Washington Monument, Statue of Liberty, or the St Louis Arch. $19 adults, $17 for age 60+. You take the mine shaft elevator down. You have to wear a mask on the elevator. Takes about 90 seconds. The elevator got stranded and we had to wait inside it for about 10 minutes. Thats why they didnt get 5 stars. You tour the museum on your own. Takes a while to do that. You go on a train and tram ride. Train ride takes youp through the dark tunnels. The tram ride shows different parts of the mine. Dan was our guide for that. Very informative. Gift shop below.

Very cool, literally and figuratively. Well informed tour guides. 650 below ground, 150 below the aquifer!

Very informative. Friendly staff. Detoured back to visit this attraction and was not disappointed with the decision. Worth it.

The BEST place!!!!!!!cool, free samples on the dark ride :):) :0:0

Its not just salt mines, its a walk back in history! You learn so much and the experience is something you will never forget! I look forward to sharing with my family and friends when they visit!! Tammy was awesome she gave a wonderful tour thru time!Overall the staff was knowledgeable and friendly!

It was an amazing sight to view and I believe my boys learned more in one day than they did 3 months on virtual learning...heck, I learned tons. It is a must to do the Safari tour. Soooo well worth it. Our tour guide knocked it out if the park. Thank you for the amazing tour that our family will never forget. Making memories, making memories!!!

Great place well worth the money family of five 166. For approximately for about four hours three tours and and a walk around. Downfall only way down 15 people stuffed into box if your a little Chlosterphobic be prepared.

A great find in KS! The staff was great, the history and information was awesome! We had a great experience learning and going underground.

If you are an adventurous, nature lover, curious or would like to see something different of our earth, you should go this place to discover a different world, pure silence and darkness decorated with multilayer deposit of salts rooted to million years ago. The tour is flavored with great staffs and tour guides. You would enjoy.

Awesome experience. Better than we expected.

We had a good time here. The only downfall for me was I had a sore throat for a couple days after. The person with me also got a sore throat but theres quit hurting the same day. I believe it was from breathing in all that salt. But we had a great time and I would go visit again.

Cant miss musuem if youre in the area! Incredibly unique experience and worth the stop.

When in Kansas.... this was truly an exciting g learning experience, I took a group of scouts on our way back from Space Camp. It was pretty quick, but worth the trip. The ride up and down in the mi e shaft alone was fun for the boys and traveling around in the mine getting a glimpse of what life of a salt miner was like was very interesting.

Awesome place lots of cool stuff to see, Batman!

A uniquely Kansas experience. Great way to spend time and learn new things.

I always love coming here. Very cool experience. Chilled out workers make the somewhat scary atmosphere for some feel relaxed.

Definitely one of the most interesting places in kansas

Love it, price was ok and we learned a lot. Highly recommend.

The other great attraction to visit in Hutchinson. You go 600ft + down a salt mine. Go through the history of the development, both of the mine and the equipment from the 1920s to the current day (yes it still supplies road salt to the northern US). Includes 2 or 3 train trips through the old workings. Presented in interesting and engaging way.

You get to ride in a double-deck elevator that holds fifteen people on each level. Only takes 90-second trip to get 650 feet (200 m) Underground to the Salt MuseumThe project got underway March 8, 2004. On December 22, 2004, the shaft sinking was completed. Finish work on the shaft continued until March 7, 2005.The material used for much of the museum flooring is very similar to concrete; but instead of sand, salt is used with the cement and water. Thus, it is known as Saltcrete.With the ready availability of the salt, it is definitely practical and cost effective for the museum. Saltcrete does leach – emitting a fine dust of salt – until it is cured, which takes approximately one year. It has limited applications because water makes Saltcrete blister and disintegrate.You really have to go to see it in person. Some of the things you will see, Wooden and metal Cars that they used to Mine with. Drilling, Blasting and removal will be talked about.Dark Ride is a tram tour that gives a visitors opportunity to travel through a maze of chambers beyond the museum area. With a closer look at the mine environment – with a brief pause to experience the sensation of complete darkness. Get to stop at a salt pile for a souvenir of salt crystals.

Very cool! Great learning experience!

An amazing experience! Highly recommend this hidden wonder. So much more than just a salt mine.

A huge underground salt mine with trains and sightseeing carts and even a gift shop and lots of displays. Parts of the cavern are used for storage of Hollywood movie props, many of which are on display. There is a variety of tours you can choose from, all of which are interesting. At one place they even let you pick up a chunk of salt to take home to put on display. Mine is mounted and on display already! The whole experience is very civilized with bathrooms, trains, elevator, and souvenirs and candy. Highly recommended!

Pretty fun and a little bit unnerving going down into the mine. The elevator is in complete darkness for a part of the ride.

Such a cool place!! Was worth the money, and would probably go back again if I didnt live so far away. Just make sure to bring a jacket because it can get kind of chilly. Also, if you go on the Dark Ride or Shuttle you can grab yourself a free salt rock!

Really interesting on how they get salt. This mine is 650 ft underground and the tour is about 2 hrs long when u take all of the tour.

This was a fascinating tour with lots of great insights. I highly recommend.Its a great mine tour.

Surprisingly interesting if one dimensional. the sensation of being 600ft down is an experience and the guides were well informed and chatty. the safari tour is worth the cost if ypu have the time. oddly not that claustrophobic except for the mine elevator ride. educational and interesting enough that it would be worth breaking up a trip with a stop here.

Interesting view into the geologic past of the mid-continent. Even if you are not into the geologic aspect there are many other interesting aspects of the place. This is a repository for many films and movie props; some of which are on display.

Great fun! Staff was very friendly and had lots of information. Glad we went!

Such a cool place! There is a self guided tour then a short cart ride where they talk about different spots in the mine. Very knowledgeable staff. We took the extra tour and I thought it would duplicate but different info, extra! So glad we went and experienced this!

My family loved this trip. We have never been in a salt mine, 650 feet underground. A truly unique experience.

Hidden gem right here in Kansas! They have done an excellent job setting up the museum. The information is presented well. Rail ride and Dark ride and so interesting.There is some phenomenal movie paraphernalia stored here!! Kept a class of 7th graders mesmerized!

The Strataca Salt Mine is a great family activity. We all learned a bunch of stuff that we didn’t know. We purchased the extra, 1-hour trip and it was well-worth it. The driver of our tram had worked as a docent for 8 years and he knew all kinds of interesting facts that we did’t know from the two smaller excursions that come with the standard pass. AND we got to take home a huge hunk of salt apiece. We easily spent 2 1/2 hours down there and had a great time. We range in age from 10 to 70, so I would say that this is pretty good for anyone at any age.

Enjoyed the tours, recommend taking the whole package tour. Bring a jacket! The staff are really great with explanations. So glad I went.