Beautiful museum with knowledgeable and friendly staff. The specimens on display are amazing!! Looking forward to going back soon!

Excellent collection of fossils and minerals. Its staffed by students, who are eager to answer your questions. Bring in your own fossils or minerals and they will help identify them. Worth the stop! Its also free!

Lots of amazing fossils and minerals. Great place to spend time admiring all the specimens and learning some history. Totally free experience that is worth it. They accept donations and have a gift shop. It appears they hire college students from which it is located on campus. Students seem passionate, which is great!

Best part aside from its incredible breath and quality: it’s free to visit! They have fossils large and small, local and international, spanning across several eons of time. There is also an incredible display of minerals, meteorites, and fluorescent minerals. The gift shop is reasonably prices too. My pictures are just a SMALL FRACTION of what’s there and don’t include any of the large fossils or meteorites. I arrived too late in the day this particular visit to take as many photos as I wanted; it’s easy to spend several hours there (and I have!).

Fabulous free museum with lots of quality items that big meusums would have. You can also bring your own fossils or rocks and they will try to identify it for you.

The museum was super neat! But most of all, the woman working the gift shop was great! She talked to my three year old for 20 minutes about all the different dinosaurs and reptiles stuffed animals. I can tell she really loves what she does there at the school!

It was your average museum. Some cool information about geology and stuff. Could be better if they had a lot more interactive stuff for kids. But if you like rocks and are on a date you could have a nice time here. Gift shop workers could be friendly but we were a large group and it was a small area.

This museum is on the University grounds on the third floor, elevator access available.The mineral and geology sections in display cases are awesome with some of the best specimens youll find. They have the mineral specimens logically and intelligently divided up and they have collected very worthwhile specimens to viewThe Natural History portion contains a full skeleton of a swimming dinosaur over 25 ft long and a large herbivore dinosaur. Both are excellent specimens and unusual to find.The entire exhibit is exclusively from the darwinian perspective and they do not acknowledge any of the recent discoveries in cellular microbiology or evolutionary biology, but it is what you would expect in the University. Is very well done and worth your time if you enjoy either the the minerals or the fossils

Great place to stop and FREE! We love fossils and rocks/gemstones, so its almost like this place was custom built for my family.

If you like dinosaurs, fossils and rocks-this is the place for you! A treat for families and lifelong learners, nice and diverse collection of geological samples with an emphasis on Badlands collections. And: it’s free!

Great museum to look at fossils & rocks. Our kids, a 2 year old & 3 year old, loved it! Even bought some dinosaurs & a t-shirt for the road! Since it was free admission, we figured we should buy something to help support them.

Fantastic free museum, a must when visiting town. Be sure to ask questions or visit with the college students who work in the museum. They can add to your experience with extra information and stories!

I loved my visit here! I really like how they have the minerals organized. Theres even an area to keep younger kids occupied. Lots of great fossils too, but personally I am more of a rock-hound. The fluorescent display is really cool.

Free museum, informative. Very enthusiastic and knowledgeable staff!

The Museum of Geology at the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology explores the natural history of Earth through scientific inquiry, preserves specimens and data as a dedicated repository for scientific research, and promotes understanding of geoscience and evolution through displays and outreach initiatives. The Museum of Geology is located in two buildings on the School of Mines campus. The exhibits and public programs are located on the third floor of the OHarra Building; the collections and laboratories are located in the Paleontology Research Laboratory.

This museum is awesome! It takes up the 3rd floor of an academic building but is well-labeled with visitor parking out front. The exhibits are very well labeled and organized, with one area containing rocks/minerals and the other area containing fossils. I appreciated the old-school feel of the museum, with the displays being more informative than flashy. They have a great variety of fossils, with some common and some rare (but all exciting). The best part, the museum is free (but appreciates donations). Well worth the stop, looking forward to visiting again someday!

Very nice if short visit. There is no admission and students that work at this university owned museum are eager to show you around.

Fossils, rocks, and geodes - very interesting. Its free. Donations appreciated. Was clean. Has a small gift store.

An excellent, free, museum on the campus of South Dakota School of Mines & Technology. Amazing collection of local fossils, esp giant fish. Also local minerals and gemstones and black hills gold.

Great collection of fossils, cool rocks, and free to boot. Whats not to love?

Many beautiful specimens and knowledgeable staff. Its free but this is run by a university so please consider a donation.

Small, but very well laid out and informative. Friendly staff. Well worth the visit.

So much information in one place. We absolutely loved visiting here! Thank you for all of your hard work and dedication.

Great way to spend a few minutes or all day, and the price is right! Youre going to be able to enjoy a spectacular variety of fossils and minerals for free! The number of things that were found in South Dakota was surprising, and the famous gemstone reproductions were impressive to see in person.

Was difficult to get to as it wasnt even on my radar of being on the college campus admissions building. Once we found it and got there, we had a great time. The skeletons that were there are massive in size and everything displayed wonderfully. Added with the bonus of the geology part! They had a glow in the dark walk through of rocks that light up. Was so neat. Also love how kid friendly this place is. Had a great activity set up for the kiddos to enjoy!

Amazing collection of geology exhibits including fossils and minerals.

If your into rocks they have the good collection metiorites too.

This is one of those unexpected and remarkable museums. I loved the exhibits and presentation. This is a smaller collection but everything is incredible. Well worth a visit.

This is a small museum but free and very interesting. We visited with our children and they all learned something new and fascinating about rocks and minerals or prehistoric creatures. They even have an area with blocks and toys for toddlers and young children!

Noice museum. Plus it is free. You like geology, go here. #musemofgeology #learngeology

Great Museum with excellent collection of minerals and fossils. Of particular note are the South Dakota Minerals, the Fairburn and Teepee Canyon Agates, and the Homestake Minerals, which are my favorites. There are things here that you will not see in other collections. We visit every time I come to the area. Free museum but I always leave a good donation to help keep this place going. Definitely worth a visit if you are interested in geology, minerals, fossils, etc! I could (and normally do) spend hours here. They also have a nice gift shop with something for all ages.

Free museum, free parking and lots of interesting information.

Amazing array of fossils and rocks...free is great...the total experience was one that we would do again, and recommend to everyone...

This is a gem (ha ha) of a geology museum near downtown Rapid City. Great collection of rocks, HUGE collection of minerals, broken down by element, crystalline structure, with hundreds upon hundreds of wonderfully beautiful and some bizarre (phospholuminescent!) specimens. Pay special attention to the South Dakota mineral exhibit room. Then, a nice selection of fossils, most of which are from South Dakota. A full T Rex skull, a mesosaur and a plesiosuar, and many others. Student body staff were kind and helpful, and they have the best prices on rocks and minerals in the area in their small but nice gift shop.

Lots of great exhibits that you can experience up close. Plus its FREE! The kids loved seeing a variety of fossils and minerals. Check for parking right in front of the building after the busy hours

This is a great, free place to go for a little education! There werent many interactive things for kids to do throughout the museum except for a few things in the kids area, but the front desk has a scavenger hunt for kids that takes them all over the museum. The labeling on each case could be a little better to make the scavenger hunt flow a bit better, but the kids get to pick a rock at the end which was super fun!! A great place for homeschoolers too!!

Very clean. Mask are required. Very informational and have lots of cool pieces.

Not in the Geology building. Enjoyed the geodes. Expected all fossils to be authentic, but some are casts.

My family and I had a great time exploring all the fossils at the Museum of Geology.

Great museum full of rocks, fossils, & a cute little gift shop! Worth a the stop for a self guided tour. Informative for kids & adults. It’s air conditioned too!

Loved the fossils. And its Free

Amazing place. My boys loved their visit. They did the scavenger hunt and had so much fun finding all the pieces. The gift shop has cute and inexpensive items. We will definitely come again once back in SD.

Lots of interesting rocks, fossils, info; and free!

Whether you fascinated by rocks, gems, or dinosaur bones, there is something for everyone! Cool collection!

Small but if you are interested in rocks, you will love it. Very helpful staff, who knows a lot about rocks. The best part to it is FREE. Yes, something to do for free that you will have tons of fun.Most see.

There are some fascinating mounted skeletons of dinosaurs, mammals, marine reptiles and fish. Also there is a museum gift shop. The environment is very quiet.

Fun and educational! Staff is very knowledgeable and eager to answer questions. They also have a scavenger hunt you can do. Kids loved it.

Awesome museum especially if rocks are your thing. Well worth it!!!

Free museum which includes an impressive collection of rocks, gems and minerals. This is a great place to stop before going to the Black Hills Institute in Hill City (which has a more impressive collection of fossils, dinosaur and other other fossilized bones.) The gift shop is very reasonably priced. Great stop for all ages.

A small museum, but lots of lovely fossil and mineral exhibits. They have a small childrens area; that with the small size of the museum makes it a nice place to take young kids with short attention spans. The staff is friendly and informative. Free parking and admission is a plus for those on a budget.

Awsome place! Free!

A great free museum. My favorite parts were seeing the skulls of the bison as they evolved over the years and the florescent minerals. This is on the third floor but there is a ramp and an elevator available. Also there is a hands on section for the kiddos.

I am amazed at the quality of artifacts st this museum, and the staff is passionate and knowledgeable

Very well done displays of dinosaurs and minerals.

I could have spent an entire day here just looking at all of the beautiful gifts of nature and reading up on the fossils. Absolutely recommend. Brought my 7yo and she managed to stay entertained for over an hour

Great learning experience for the whole family. Awesome (free admission) for approx 1 hour 1.5 to learn about fossils and rock/minerals. Even has a little area for kids and touch table. It was nice to see the gift shop have a lower priced options. All the staff were very nice and helpful.

Very helpful young man at the counter. They enjoyed what they were doing.

Free museum. Rocks and fossils on display. A few interactive areas for kids.

Free museum on campus, if you are in the area I would definitely take time to check this out, it was great!

A little hidden away but worth the search. Great collection and fantastic and knowledgeable staff.

Very calm relaxed atmosphere. Very cool exhibits would love to go again.

Amazing it was just amazing

Very interesting! Fossils, minerals, and much more...

Really cool if youre into rocks/crystals/minerals. And then theres also fossils and DINOSAURS, including my wifes favorite, Triceratops. Perhaps not as big as other places, but if youre not close to the Smithsonian, NYC Museum of Natural History, or the Field Museum in Chicago, this place is hard to beat!

Ive been to many museums, but Ive never seen a meteorite display from around the world. That was my favorite part.

Very nice museum with excellent exhibits of minerals and dinosaur skeletons. It provided a great intro to geology and answered my questions of local nature, like the Badlands. And it’s free!!

Outstanding, and free..dinosaurs, rocks and minerals, geology and history, staff is all work study, but really know what they are doing(not all geology majors..our person was a physics major...but she really knew her stuff. and if you want to buy rocks and minerals, the selection is incredible and so very cheap, and wide...most excellent stop...all local fossils and minerals, amazing

Definitely a hidden gem. Dont miss this place. Not only is it free you can give a donation. But its a good rainy day place.

Always awesome.

It was a nice small museum but kinda out of the way. Also, you have to climb 3 flights of stairs to get to it

Very interesting and lot of information. Saw many different fossils and geological specimens... Children would find cool... Learned a lot...and its free what a deal. Be prepared for stairs...there us a elevator inside.. takes about 2 hours to see it all.

Great stop for anyone in the family who enjoys fossils and rocks. Our 10 year old loved this place. We only spent about 30 minutes there, but it was a great addition to our trip to Rapid City.

My son loves rocks, minerals, gems, and fossils. This was right up his alley and to top it off, it was free! I could see this becoming even bigger and better!

If you are interested in geology, fossils, or just pretty rocks, this is a great stop. Very comprehensive. Our kids loved it.

Friendly staff, very educational, lots of interesting things to look at :)

Not only were the geology related displays beautiful and educational, but the fossils and the dinosaur models incredibly interesting as well. I truly enjoyed my time there. It was low key, you could roam around as you wish, but there were people there to cheerfully answer questions if you wished as well. Good job! This is a nice museum.

Fantastic history of the earths surface and all the fossilized creatures. Beautiful rocks from local area and around the world.

Breathtaking displays! Volunteers are very knowledgeable, the place is very clean and easy to navigate. The gemstone displays are second to none. Fossils amazing. Shall I continue?? It should be a crime to drive through Rapid City and not visit this astonishing museum. Did I forget to mention its FREE?! Well worth the visit!

Somewhat smaller than we expected, but still jam packed, and excellently done. For 3-7 year olds the fossil cases were a bit too high up, and the railings were somtimes at eye height, they could benefit from a stoop for smaller kids. The advertised kids hands on zone was less directly fossil related, but still a great time. All of the exhibits were great, tons to absorb, show and learn.

Fabulous Museum! Friendly and knowledgeable staff! What a local treasure!

Awsome place, cant be live it is free. This a must stop place while visiting rapid city.

Very nice small museum. Good for kids.

If youre looking for something to do in Rapid City, then I would definitely recommend going to the School of Mines Museum of Geology! It is a fun and educational experience for people of all ages. My personal favorite part of my walkthrough was the multiple cases of beautiful gemstones to view and admire. Overall, it is an amazing experience!

This was really fun to go to! Walked around for a good few hours! Lots to see! Theres a nice gift shop too. My family loved it. We love rocks and dinosaurs. So this was perfect. If you have little ones theyd probably like it too since a lot of it they can look at and but cant touch it since its behind glass. So no worries.

This is one of the most educational museums Ive been to. Definitely recommend.

Great displays and artefacts. Free to visit but worth a donation. Go before or after visiting the Badlands.

This museum is the best out of all of the ones Ive been to. I know why its so highly rated because everything (rocks, gems, minerals, dinosaurs, plants, animals, etc.) is cool in all levels. The gift shop has interesting stuff to buy, too. I especially love that admission is free! This means even the poor residents and visitors of Rapid City with a car can see all the wonderful attractions in this museum. Everyone who visits Rapid City should not forget to visit it for hours of entertainment! I highly recommend this place!

Nice for free admission. Great diplay of minerals with explanation. Good history of South Dakota mine

Fantastic collections. The kids were very entertained and that takes quite a bit for a 4 and 6 year old.

Great find. Instructive, completed and excited over bones and rocks

Awesome exhibits of fossils and minerals! Well labeled and showcased.

This place is amazing! As usual, because its a museum, its free for all ages. They have dinosaur exhibits, rocks of all shapes and sizes. They have a dark room filled with rocks that react to blacklight. There is also a gift shop with lots of tumbled stones and jewelry and posters and books you can purchase. The focus was largely on rocks and fossils found in South Dakota, because of its hotbed of geologic offerings. I give it two very enthusiastic thumbs up!

If you are in town or passing through on I-90, take 30 minutes and get off the exit. This is a marvelous museum. Giant fossils. Gorgeous samples feom all ober the world. Simple and provocative displays. You wont regret a visit.

Classic rapid city museum. There are great displays and they seldom change, which might sound less than exciting, but nostalgia plays a big factor. Taking your kids or neices and nephews to see the same things you saw when you were little is fantastic. My favorite is the glowing rocks room. The collection of minerals is grand and the triceratops was always my favorite when I was little.

A must-see if you have fossil or geology lovers in your family! Its free, it has a ton of specimens to look at, and the book store is delightfully low priced. With the free admission and low priced gift shop, its a nice respite for your wallet too!It was harder to find but that was more because we lacked phone service.

If you like rocks & fossils this is the place to go. The staff answered all my questions.

Amazing collection and fun for kids. Very educational.

Small museum but packs a punch. Youll like it if you enjoy rocks and minerals. As an added bonus, youll get an awesome up-close view of some really neat dinosaur fossils!!

Great little spot for families! Be sure to do the scavenger hunt!

Free, educational museum to visit. I always enjoy going and I learn something every time. My daughter loves walking through the fossils and learning about them.