A.E. Seaman Mineral Museum Houghton, MI |
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Rating |
Excellent |
Age |
10 and up |
Lockers |
Not Available |
Restrooms |
Available |
Food |
Houghton | Closest Coffee |
Downtown Houghton or Hancock |
Recommendation |
This is a hidden gem (No pun intended). Free and Fun! |
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Review: by Dad
I love rocks and minerals. Just to give you some background, when I was in my early teens I used to ride the city bus to Michigan State just to see the museum. I did this about 5 times a year, many times by myself. I was always fascinated by the fossils, but the fluorescent rock exhibit (no longer there) was my favorite. I really have a thing for glow-in-the-dark rocks. At the Seaman Mineral Museum I stood through three full rotations of the fluorescent rocks exhibit. It explained the reasons rocks fluoresce and where you can find these rocks. There is a short and long version of the show. I highly recommend the long one. It was wonderful and informative, and those two words could also be used to describe the whole museum.
I have been to many places that exhibit minerals and rocks. Previously my all-time favorite was the Smithsonian Natural History Museum in Washington D.C., but I have to say that the A.E. Seaman Mineral Museum's collection rivals that one. My son Will sat down to list the rocks and minerals and came up with the partial list of, "Obsidian, rubies, pearls, agates, greenstone, amethyst, tons of different colored quartz, float copper, oxidized copper, vein copper, copper in many different forms, and more copper."
Don't get me wrong, if you are looking for a modern, "entertain me" type of museum, this is not your museum. You will not mistake this place for Disney World. The museum is on the 5th floor of the Electrical Resources Center. It is an academic collection, and is still used for teaching. The museum consists of two large rooms connected by the gift shop. On one side are the minerals of the world, and on the other are the minerals that made this area one of the richest mining areas of the late 19th and early 20th century. The minerals are displayed in basic wooden display cases with labels telling what they are. If you don't like rocks, this is not your place. If you like rocks, you could spend hours here.
If you are planning on spending time looking for rocks on the amazing agate beaches of the Keweenaw this is also a place to stop. The museum has some amazing displays of agate and greenstone. My favorite was the "Number 8 agate" that actually had a natural 8 in its marking. We purchased a couple of books on local rock hunting and the unique minerals of the area.
If you are in the area to see the historical mining facilities, the Mineral Museum is also an important stop. The explanation of early mining, along with the amazing examples of copper, are sure to make your other stops more interesting. The huge pieces of float copper alone are amazing. The one below was found in Lake Superior and recovered by a team of divers. It is standing up and was about 6 feet accross.
The Seaman Mineral Museum is officially part of the Keweenaw National Historical Park, and word is they are going to move to a more easily accessible building in the future, but the people we talked to said that would probably take a while yet. When they move I definitely plan on making another visit to see just how they improve this already impressive museum. Once again, if you love rocks and minerals, make the stop!
Other Reviews:
Sam: I took tons of pictures in this place. The fluorescent rocks were so amazing and colorful. Make sure you take the time to read about the Chinese bell.
Will: In the gift shop they have magnetite bracelets and neclaces. These are very cool because they can stick together with no hook and you can make them different shapes. If you take them to one of the sandier agate beaches you can pull little pieces of iron out of the sand.
Mom: The variety of rocks was amazing. I loved the array of colors and designs nature created.
