This is a really great collection of specimans!So interesting. And there is technically no fee - only a donation request. Not too huge, so it does not take an entire afternoon to get through it. But still a lot of neat things to see. Tons of minerals/rocks if your kids are into that. The gift shop isn't the greatest - but the pictures we took were enough for us. Loved it.
A friend and I took our kids to the museum. A very helpful young man gave us a tour and talked to the kids about dinosaurs and all sorts of things. They even have a little giftshop so we let the kids each purchase a rock on the way out.
Such a fun place for kids and adults. Stunning displays, excellent guides. A must for families visiting the area
For the museum lover (and rock lover), this was an interesting stop at the local college. They had many rock and mineral samples, as well as, fossils and full scale dinosaurs. It was free and well worth the trip.
This museum of any excellent display of dinosaurs and rocks. The staff is very knowledgeable and helpful. This museum charges no entry fee and is conveniently located near downtown on campus. They also have a good gift shop.
I took my grandchildren to The Geology Museum located on the campus of the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. There is parking in front of the building, the O'Harra Building. It is located on the third floor. This is a free museum. There are people available for any questions and there are bathrooms and a small gift shop. There are bones, fossils and minerals set up in nice displays. http://www.sdsmt.edu/Academics/Museum-of-Geology/Home/
Not huge, but its great for a free museum. I've heard good things about it for years and it didn't disappoint. Nice history of mammal life in the Badlands as well as plenty of material from the Inland Sea days of the Cretaceous period. Great stuff.
We were visiting Rapid City during a very wet time so we needed to find indoor options for our family to visit. Our first stop was the Museum of Geology and it was one of our favorites. The staff was very friendlly and interacted well with our kids to get them engaged with the museum. They had fun activities for the kids and they got a free agate. The rock collection and fossils were very interesting to learn about especially the fluorescent rocks. I highly recommend that you visit this museum. Plus it is free! We spent about 2 hours at the museum.
This spot may take some finding, but when one does, it's worth it. The staff are friendly and knowledgeable. I would go back again as there is so much to see and learn.
My children took a keen interest in the different stones they had seen as we traveled through the Black Hills. As a free stop, this was well worth our time, given their interest.