We stopped in to Butte on our cross country drive and visited the mining museum after lunch in town. They offer military and other discounts on their entrance fee The gift shop area includes information on local, current mining operations as well as merch. This is an outdoor museum so dress for the weather. If you want to take the under ground tour be sure you are wearing closed toed shoes. (Crocs not included, I don't know why) They also have above ground tours. Part of the property is set up like a western town. Something that would grow up around a mine. Post office, apothecary, carpenter, blacksmith, etc, etc. All these buildings are set up with window displays but most are not open to the public. You just peer thru the windows. There is a memorial garden to miners. A mine yard with pieces of heavy equipment. The motorized lift, miners locker room, light room, information and equipment used in dry and wet boring, 3D representations of mines and more with information posted on the displays. You can walk up into the mine head if you are so inclined to see how the ore chutes operated. We spent about two hours here without realizing it. Very interesting museum. Staff are very personable, answered questions and suggested reading material for more on the subject. Very good, family friendly stop. read more

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Great place to see the history of mining and also you got to go down into the mine.Also Ken is a really nice person to do the tour with.

This was so great. Our guide very knowledgeable so we learned a lot and was entertained throughout the tour. This is a unique experience and we highly recommend the this attraction. read more

It's a little on the pricey side but very informative. The mine tour is also impressive and Ken is knowledgeable and a great guide and makes it fun for the kids and adults read more

World Museum of Mining - A few from the top - Museums Near Me - Butte, Montana

I am so glad we took the time to come to this museum. 25.00 gets you full unlimited access to the entire area and a 1.5 hour tour INTO THE MINE BELOW. This place has so much to see give yourself a few hours to check out all the history before or after your 1.5 mine tou There is a gift shop and yours every 1/2 hour I believe. Add it to the love list! read more

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My friend said if there's one thing to see in Butte, it's this. After my visit, I now agree. I mean, definitely check out the historic Uptown, but then spend your time and money here. Not cheap for the mine tour, but you are legitimately standing in an old mine shaft that smells like it, has rocks from it... it's real. All the things that aren't fake village buildings are real, and I love finding those pieces of Americana. I spent an hour pre-tour and then learned the stuff in the shop windows is all real, and had to go dash around those after the tour. If you just want a casual museum without walking 100 feet down (or if you can't make that walk), still a great experience and you get to see all the old machinery at surface level, inside and out. I recommend doing it all though. 5 stars! read more

Orphan girl mine I've never visited this as a Montana girl. But it was really fun. We went down the depths of the mine and our guide was awesome. Rang the buzzer. That was my favorite Also looking at the rocks in the displays was so awesome. I love rocks. If you don't love rocks, you will leave loving rocks. And if you love rocks, you'll love them more. read more

World Museum of Mining - Museums Near Me - Butte, Montana

Old town replica is rugged. The mining tour itself is small, short and brief. It's a good tour on a clear sunny day. We were inside and out in less than an hour. read more

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The history here was incredible and we enjoyed going down into the mine. A definite must see if you are in the area

Amazing collection of minerals and dolls in the entrance building. 22 acres of intricately designed and decorated buildings representing an old mining town. There is a tour of an actual mine on the premises. Very impressive! Needs more promotion! We were lucky to see a sign downtown! read more

This may appear too good to be true, but for $25 each we discovered an exceptional time capsule of long ago Americana plus a really good mining tour. I strongly recommend you carve out 90 minutes before the mine tour to walk the hillside of structures housing displays of a pharmacy, assayer office and so much more. The mine tour is very interesting also. This is an excellent half day we'll spent near the Montana Tech campus. read more

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This Museum and the 100 ft underground tour is what made Butte a fun stop for us in MT. Note that you should reserve your spot on the tour online ahead of time. Our tour guide was personable, fun, very informative and well invested in this museum's success since his grandfather was a Butte resident in the 20's/30's (grandpa was in a black&white group photo at the museum!! ). There's so much to see here that we easily filled a fun half-day. read more

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The tour was a very unique and educational experience. I will warn of the sulfur smell underground, so just be mentally prepared!

We visited yesterday afternoon, October 12, Ken was our guide, he was knowledgeable and had a great sense of humor! We thoroughly enjoyed the tour and learned many new things about mining and Butte. We will definitely visit again and recommend to anyone visiting the area. Truly a wonderful experience for the whole family. read more

World Museum of Mining - Museums Near Me - Butte, Montana

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Butte, Montana. Wow~! This designated international heritage site is spectacular. It's so huge with all sorts of neat stuff. The name states its a "Mining" Museum, however, thing of it as a remodeled mini town stuck in the 18th century. The site is gigantic. It's difficult to break the sites apart due to its shear size. Half is dedicated to mining, equipment and the sorts with a four story plus rig. Walking up w/ the elevation can be challenging for people with heart and lung issues. it is not handicap accessible. However, it can be slowly done and it's worth it~! The views and vantage points (sift through pics) was worth it. The other half is a mini town. I love these towns. Some buildings have full access while some are completely closed out. This town has almost everything from schools, churches, tradesman, and homes. Not to mention the brickroad is surreal. Access/Roads: Rough. Parking: Big lot but can get crowded. Costs: Under $10 per adult. I forgot how much it was as I normally give extra. Distance: Montana is distant period. North of Butte is Calgary, Alberta (and Glacier NP) at appx 700 KM (420 miles). South is Los Angeles at appx 1,100 miles. West is Portland, Oregon or Seattle, Washington at 900 miles. East is Chicago, Illinois at appx 1,500 miles. Nearby Attractions: Montana has many things to do but stuff is just so far away. Deer Lodge (name of town) is less than hour away and has six museums w/ a federal historic site called Grant Kohrs. Helena, Great Falls, Dillon, and Big Hole Battlefield are all accessible within a day's drive. Butte itself has the Mineral Museum, Mai Wah Museum, Transportation Museum, Brothel turned museum, and a bunch of old houses turned museum including the number of monuments and statues. Butte is a centralized location to do all sorts of Montana stuff. It's located near the two main Interstates, the 15/90. Yellowstone, Glacier, and a million lakes/rivers/trails and paths can be accessed with Butte being the staging point/FOB to set out infinite adventures. I love this place and town. Safe travelings my friends. www.cleeshyun.com @cigarcpa read more

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Rick's tour of the Orphan Girl mine shaft is informative and witty. He was full of stories, jokes, and kindness. The tour ran long, so make sure you pack a bit of extra time on the tail end of your visit :) read more

World Museum of Mining - The town - Museums Near Me - Butte, Montana

Ridiculous, this is a waste of time, money, and materials. Such a bore with very somber tone surrounding the múrame and the city. 0/10 would not recommend read more

About the only reason I can determine to make the trip to Butte Montana is to tour the World Museum of Mining. It more than makes up for what rhe town lacks. The guide we had on our 1 1/2 hours tour did a fantastic job of covering the history of this copper mine from the late 18 hundreds up to when it closed and put 5,000 people out of jobs (1983). One of the most interesting tours I've done. The tour took us 100 ft underground in the deserted mine located right next to Montana Tech University, formerly know aa Montana School of mines. You can easily skip the town until they do something to revitalize it. read more

Wonderful place to visit and learn about the under ground mining and the History of Butte! The tour is wonderful and they do special things throughout the year! definitely a stop, while you're in Butte read more

Nicely done! Actually go down into a mine. Many exhibits. Must see. It's cool in the mine so bring a warm jacket.

We didn't go on the mine tour as they were full for the day, but as something to do in the area, the $10 admission is worth it. The museum inside the building isn't much to write home about, with some minerals and dolls but not much interpretation. The old timey recreated town is a bit thrown together with artifacts of varying periods and provenance, varying states of repair, and not much interpretation there either. But it's large and rich with detail, and we found it really fun to poke around. read more

I travel frequently and this is one of the country's best industrial tourism sites. They have a western town on top. You actually get a guided tour of a mine that closed in the early 1950s. This attraction exceeded expectations. Being from the Cleveland, Ohio area Butte feels a lot like a midwest rust belt steel town, except Butte had mining not steel. Places like Butte Montana mined what built America and won World Wars. read more

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I took my adult children and their 18-year-old son, who is hard to engage. They are all from out of state, but everyone of them was excited and invested in the historical knowledge that our tour guide shared with us. It is a terrific experience! read more

We stumbled upon this museum. It has a great variety of things to see. We spent about 4 hrs here, including the tour. They have a representative town from the turn of the century. It was interesting to see how people lived 100+ years ago. The information about the evolution of mining, and the challenges for the miners was also interesting. We enjoyed seeing what the atmosphere is like underground, and the strategies used in the mining process. The cost is $20/person, and it's best to make reservations if possible. We didn't have reservations, but they managed to have room for us to join a tour. read more

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Had a great time exploring and got to walk through a real mine! Definitely recommend for anyone new to the area and history.

Our tour guide was a miner and is very knowledgeable. He made the whole experience enjoyable and informative. I would absolutely recommend the underground tour! read more

World Museum of Mining - Museums Near Me - Butte, Montana

Taking the tour to the 100 ft depth was very entertaining and educational. Ken was a great guide.

I liked it. The guide actually worked in the mine years ago and knew so very much. Life was sad back then and the mind made many a widow with an average of 6 children to take care of. There are 2 tours, one at 100 feet deep and the other at 60 feet deep. We were told the 100 foot one was better but they only offer that at 11:00 am. So much information. The mine is dark and they make you wear hard hats with a light on it to see. I'm a cat lover and there were 2 cats that hung around us for a while. It was a cold windy day and picking up and holding one of the cats was like having my own person heating pads against my chest. They are well fed and friendly. Please stay and watch the short film in the museum part of where you buy your ticket. It was interesting and there are a few folding chairs to sit while listening. The volume was low on the film so I asked if they could increase the volume and they were glad to! read more

World Museum of Mining - Part of the underground your. The man in grey is said to be the BEST guide because he used to be a miner himself. - Museums Near Me - Butte, Montana

Great tour. Most definitely recommend it, but be sure to make reservations. Our guide was knowledgeable and passionate about mining and the lives of miners. The tour starts above ground with a walk thru some buildings while we learn about the history and machinery involved. Then we moved into the tunnels. Really cool. Our guide kept up a running commentary while also finding time to answer any questions. This place should be on everyone's to do list! read more

The detailed immersive experience will leave you with fun memories of walking through a genuine mining town. Many of the buildings are open for exploring and they suck you into the wild northwest. This place transports the visitor as it has a school, a courthouse, and several roads leading to a beautiful wooden church, and a bustling Main Street that could be used in a 1880s movie. This town is larger than it appears and I remember being a child and wanting a cowboy hat because they would make me feel awesome. I also recall they were very accepting of myself and my brothers touching everything. This not for profit has classes each summer which I enrolled my kids in for years. They have weeks long classes which include learning about the area, artwork, mining, etc... These are generic descriptions of busy classes led by very learned teacher. As a parent I saw their focus on children's education using interactive experiences genuinely kept my ants in the pants children engaged. This place has a magic that will always give my children a fantasy to remember when they are stuck in a cubicle for 9 hours a day looking at the grey wall. Earning money to keep me locked up in a home. Please donate to keep this amazing institution open for our grandchild and grandparents and also for me. read more

A very interesting collection of exhibits pertaining to mining, history of the community and social customs during the establishment of the mining operation in Butte read more

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My friend and I went on the tour on June 3rd and were extremely disappointed. This is by far the worst tour either of us have ever been on. The tour guide did not give one single tidbit of information about mining nor could he form his thoughts into complete sentences. He was also very defensive when tour group members asked questions he clearly didn't know the answers to. It was a waste of money, but more importantly, a waste of our time. That being said, we overheard another tour guide give his talk while waiting for the bathroom and he was very well versed in the material. It is worth a walk around the re-created mining town, but is not worth the money for the tour. read more

The tour was good but the tour guide kept getting mad about the littlest things. He was rude kinda ruined the tour. He was clearly having a bad day and taking it out on others. read more

It's just not worth the drive! I haven't seen something so overly hyped for nothing, trust this I went too school there for 4 years and every time I walked through the museum I saw more and more disappointed faces everytime. I'm not say it's all bad but seriously, LOWER your expectations when planning a trip! read more

So I had high expectations as my grandfather was a miner in Butte. If you come here make sure you go on the tour as it was impressive. Our tour guide was smart as he was a history teacher. I did enjoy the mining exhibit but the mining tour was the star of the show. read more

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Great stories and tour . Very good displays showing the history of mining and the city.

Always a great place to visit, love the the traveling exhibits. Defined worth the trip!

Such a great piece of history. It's truly like taking a step back in time. We were here all day and could have easily gone back the next. Definitely take the time to head back to the lifts and walk up the head frame. It's spectacular and so interesting. For sure take a moment to peek at the glowing rocks in the rock room at the beginning. read more

Butte, Montana: The World Museum of Mining on the site of the Orphan Girl mine. Its main attraction is "Hell Roarin' Gulch" a mockup of a frontier mining town. Make sure you go downstairs and check out the museum... tons of artifacts from Butte's mining days where the town once had over 100,000 people living there......some compared the many nationalities and respective neighborhoods to Chicago of the early 1900's read more

World Museum of Mining - Framehead of the Orphen Girl mine, the former mine is the location of the World Museum of Mining in Butte, Montana - Museums Near Me - Butte, Montana

My grandpa was a hard rock Butte miner. When we were kids, he would always take us here. It has only got better! Now, you can climb the Orphan Girl headframe, see new exhibits, and are left pretty much alone to explore. I enjoyed carrying on the tradition with my 2-year-old son. He had the time of his life. The little town, Hell Roarin' Gulch is pretty cool, but the best part is the amazing collection of mining equines and implements throughout the grounds. No nanny state here, there were pick-axes and axe heads just laying around. read more

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