Western Museum of Mining & Industry

I've driven by this museum many times and finally had an opportunity to visit. I was not disappointed. I highly recommend a guided tour. All of the guides are incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about their work. The museum is easy to navigate and most importantly there are inside restrooms 🤣. We brought lunch and enjoyed the onsite picnic tables. Then we walked the grounds and saw the outside exhibits. Great way to spend an afternoon!

Fun little exhibit with some very well done exhibits. The best parts are the activities when available. Went on a fun Saturday and they happened to have some military reenactors, food trucks, and antique car showings. A nice place to spend an hour or two for some good old fashioned fun.

10 stars! Panning for gold was so much fun. The Blacklight room showing the minerals and gemstones was the sprinkles on the sundae. The machines being started during the tour, OMG, any engineer would be over-the-moon. The gift shop was very affordable. Clean restrooms. I recommend stopping at this museum, it has a little bit of everything all in one location.

Showed up for STEM event and left a fan. This museum is not like any other mining museum i had been to. I working blacksmith and stamp mill was a pleasant touch. Flourscent Blacklight Mineral room is also a winner. Its an affordable and educational experience that is worth the value.

This is one of the best museums going for seeing how machines generally and old mining machines in particular worked. However, it is rigged to run on air, which makes things a bit less noisy and rambunctious. While you are waiting to see the machinery run, you can try your luck at panning and see how difficult it really was.

Very cool museum. We visit leadville every year for spring break and this was a nice add on this year! Very educational and loved the part where it seems like you’re walking through a mine! Wish the right side of the building was open, it was closed for renovations so i guess we’ll have a new part to explore next time!

Judy was an excellent tour guide. Even though you weren't actually in a mine, it sure felt like were. Such a good presentation of the information and such a variety. Highly recommend!

I really enjoyed this museum. Had a nice history of mining and old equipment used back in the day. They do briefly run some machines on the tours. The only disappointing thing was one of the tour guides was kind of a jerk to a little shy girl trying to ask a question. Should not volunteer if you can’t handle kids.

The tour guide was very knowledgeable of the progression of machines and the operation of each machine. All of the machines were in working order and were demonstrated during the tour.

Best museum in the country for anyone engineering or history minded. And ive been all over the country to allot of museums!

The tour was great! My young kids had a good time and we will be coming back. Ryan did an outstanding job with the tour.

Very fun and interesting place to visit! Enjoyed seeing all the old machinery being run and the grounds as well.

Super cool museum! They offer 2 tours everyday starting at 10 and 2pm (I think it's 2pm). I definitely recommend that you come during one of the tours. The tour lasted about 45 minutes and it was full of information. It was really nice to see all the large machinery in operation. The gentleman that gave the tour did a great job, you can tell he is really passionate about mining. They also offer a 15 minute video that talks about mining. The video was interesting because it really opens your eyes to how much we need mining in our lives.

My review is more for the tour guide than the museum, which is completely adequate and tells the story of mining quite well. Our guide, however, made the tour last at least twice as long as it should have with all his many pauses and pointed looks designed to deliver a message about government interference in mining. Evidently, to this guy, safety mandates had no point other than to make mining cost more. And don't get this guy started on the uselessness of the EPA or that the donkeys that worked in the mines at Cripple Creek didn't need to be brought to the surface twice a month (that cost the mine some money). After all, "pack animals aren't pets." It was just embarrassing how he thought we would all agree with him. Good grief, man, leave your political opinions outside and just give us the facts.

This is an incredible collection of mining tools and early engines. The docents are knowledgeable and add a lot to the experience; we took one of the scheduled tours and got to see the engines run, heard great information and learned a lot. We had three generations and we all loved it. This is a true Colorado Springs gem! You get to pan for gold! Go now!

I see so many five star reviews on here, I don't know what to say. Everyone else had a much different tour than we did. Apparently we got there late and instead of the man who took our money at the door telling us when the next tour was, he almost insisted we join the current tour. We never did see the intro video and had no idea how significant it was to understanding the rest of the tour. There was no sign posting when the tours took place. I asked how long the tour had been going on, and I got a very vague answer. We joined the existing tour and it lasted maybe 20 minutes longer. From most of these reviews I see that it takes about an hour and a half, so basically we felt like we were gyped. We had no idea what they were talking about as far as what the use of any of the machines were for. We walked through after the fact, but without a tour guide we didn't really know the significance of what we were looking at. My suggestion is if you go here make sure you start at the beginning of the tour to get educated as well as getting your moneys worth. Overall, I feel like I learned nothing from the tour from something I was looking forward to going on.

Decided to pop in on a quiet Wednesday with nothing to do. What a great decision! We happened to come in time for the 1 o'clock tour of the museum and are so glad we made it in time. Ray was our tour guide and between his in-depth knowledge of all the different stuff and his funny sense of humor, we left with a smile on our faces and lots of new knowledge on different ores, mining history and machinery. The large machines were so interesting to look at, but then to find out that they all run was the cherry on top. A fun day for all ages! Thank you Ray for the amazing tour.

We came for the 10am tour. What an educational and neat tour of some amazing machinery used to produce our everyday products. Did not ever think as to how much mining plays a major role in our everyday process of manufacturing our most important daily products. We had Chip as our tour guy with another young gentleman handling the machinery. The mining machinery from small to large was amazing to see them in motion. They go through the daily life of a young and older miner in the late 1800's. They live demonstrate of the machinery was very neat to see along with the panning for gold! The kids loved panning for gold. Thanks for a great tour of what the importance of mining is to us in our everyday life. After the tour we had a small short video talking about the mining process which was very good and educational. Thanks again.

Nice museum definitely worth a visit! My boys LOVED "panning for gold" which is included in the price of admission. So many cool machines to touch and see "in action." Lots of mining history and tons of information. We spent about 3 hours indoors. I want to go back to let my kids explore all the machines outdoors.

Great experience. Tour guide was extremely well versed on mining. I learned so much about the evolution of the industry, not to mention the admission charge was ridiculously inexpensive. Self guided tour of the grounds was also wonderful. I highly recommend taking 2 hours to experience the museum.

The Mining Museum is always on the list when we have out of town company. You start with a brief video in an unnecessarily small, stuffy and claustrophobic room and then you begin your tour. The video is great but the room is rough. That's the only downside. It's a walking tour through not only the history of CO mining but also about techniques and technology of mining. Lots of displays and working machines to look at. I have probably gone half a dozen times and every time the tour guides are incredibly knowledgable and friendly. They are always happy to answer any questions you might have. You get to pan for gold which is fun, though I've never discovered any, sigh! It's a really great experience and something different to do locally.

Huge waste of time!! very nice people but boy this was really a boring !! The people giving the tour were fun and try to make it interesting but the machines were old, noisy , obviously out of date. Some of the mining stories might've been interesting but really it was just boring

We had a blast! My husband and I stopped by randomly and we really enjoyed it. The gentleman giving the tour was adorable and very friendly. He did a great job with the tour. It was very informative and interesting. Yes the machines are very old and extremely loud, but it's totally worth it. I wouldn't recommend the tour for someone with noise sensitivity. Or just cover your ears! It's fascinating to see these huge old machines work. We also got to pan for gold which was pretty cool! Highly recommend this museum!

We visited the WMMI for the second time, bringing our out of town family. The tour, provided by Don, was excellent. It was informative, historical, and captivated us with great stories that brought a reality to all aspects of the mining industry. This included the entrepreneurial spirit of mechanization; the necessity of mining and why it is needed; the dangers to miners and the competing companies' approaches to mitigating (or not) those dangers; sadly, the one-million children around the world today working in child labor mining industry; everyday phrases that we use which came from mining history; and so much more. It is well worth the visit and the tour! As a Colorado Springs resident of 14 years, I believe this is a local treasure we need to share. Jan T

when going into a museum, you really dont know what to expect. Will it be fun, will it be boring? I found this place to be very fun and interesting. There is a short intro video that you get to watch, then after the video, you get to pan for gold. so get ready to get down and dirty into the cold water, plus what ever you find, you get to keep! Next stop on the tour was entering the mine tunnel, the friendly and knowledgeable tour guide did an excellent job on explaining all the various tasks that the miners did in their jobs from the early 1800's to today. Next we got to see an actual escape pod used by the Chilean miners (documented in the movie "The 33" ) Off to the big main machine room, where all the equipment was refurbished and in operational condition. It was really cool to see all the machines from electrical generators to water pumps all work! the giant wheel in the middle of the room weighs 33 tons! and the water pump can pump 8,000 gallons an hour. this fascinating place is sure to thrill and excite kids as well as adults of all ages.

There's lots of hands on activities for kids and lots of information for geeks. They have a couple massive steam engines that the docents turn on during the tour. The tour guides are knowledgeable and good at catering to their audience by going into more detail if there aren't kids in the group, or keeping things hands on if there are. There's cool stuff outside. We like to go when it's cold or windy outside. The design is a little quaint, but it's very detailed and educational.

Came here with the school field trip as a volunteer. It was a fun little place and the staff is very knowledgeable. It is a little pricey for such a small museum but the kids can learn a lot about mining. I might take the kids back for the festivities in October.

Fantastic historic site regarding the history of mining both within Colorado and throughout the US. the site has plenty of information for adults and a perfect guided your for kids. The hands on stations allow for interactive play by allowing you to pan for gold and operate select pieces of drilling equipment. Good fun.

We went to the Harvest Festival that they put on (did NOT do this as the normal museum experience; their museum features are actually really neat). It is 100% a kid-driven festival, so it would be great for that if that's something you're looking for. Our main complaint (minus the complete lack of adult-enjoyable activities) was the event staff's complete lack of respect for COVID regulations. Very few of them were wearing masks, masks were definitely not required of the attendants, and the main man who seemed to be running the event came over to our group unsolicited without a mask asking to see our schedule of events, standing less than 1 foot from me and had to be asked to back up or put a mask on. Do better please!

What a terrific museum! A true gem! Great place to visit. Great collection of many cool rocks and minerals!

Was so glad we stopped here! Highly recommend the guided tour, really entertaining and informative. Loved seeing all the machines get fired up, well worth a visit.

Really neat museum! Definitely come for one of the two tours during the day. The gentleman that did the tour was super informative and turned on a lot of the machinery and we got to see and hear them work! Panning for gold/gems was also fun. Be sure to walk up the hill to see the other building!

Great museum for an young audience. There are a lot things you can turn on, but there mostly things that you can't touch. There is a tour in which you see a lot of the machines running.

Great educational experience with immersive and hands on displays. Several working examples of machines. Go for the tour, Ryan was a great knowledgeable guide.

One of the best museums I've been to. Many of the machines work and they demonstrate them if you go on the tour. We were so impressed we became members! Thank you to the staff and volunteers for making the visit fantastic!

We were pleasantly surprised by our trip to the mine museum. Knowledgeable tour guides, cool interactive displays, and lots of cool stuff to check out outdoors as well.

Well worth the afternoon trip. Can make it through everything in about an hour and a half. The best part about the place is all the old machinery still operates and is kept in immaculate condition. A must for anyone interested in anything mechanical.

We had fun with our kids here. The tour was very informative, even if somewhat biased. I really appreciated how they tried to prioritize and engage the kids on the tour.

This was amazing! It's a ways out of Colorado Springs and most museums are designed for kids these days, so we were hesitant about the trip. But they have huge old steam engines, pumps, generators, drills and replicas, all in smooth working condition. They run them right there in front of you, which is quite impressive. Definitely go on a tour (10 am or 1pm), our tour guide knew tons of fascinating anecdotes and details. This is my new favorite museum in the Springs. I'll be coming back again any chance I get.

GREAT MINING MUSEUM: A LOT OF HISTORY! We stopped at the Western Museum of Mining and Industry in early October 2013, and we really enjoyed the place. You can tour the museum on your own with a little help from the front desk, and later on, we were entertained by one of the staff who gave some history and demonstrated the machinery. Amazing to see machines built in the 1800s and early 1900s still functioning today! As our staff member put it: "Back then they were very proud of their work and built things to last." Besides walking through the museum, you can browse their beautiful library that contains books on all aspects of mining. There is even a slough and pans so you can try your luck at panning for gold! We understood that the outside was undergoing some improvements, so there wasn't a lot to see there, but it was still nice to walk around the outbuildings after touring inside. This is a must-see if you are interested in mining and would like to learn how mining was done years ago. It helps you understand what today's miners are using for equipment and what they must endure each day. Good for all ages!

I came here with the intention of seeing first hand a Corliss Steam Engine with a 17 ton flywheel operate and I was not disappointed. In fact, other machines were also hooked to a steam source and demonstrated. Outside is a collection of mining equipment, ie a headframe from the Orpha May Mine, an electric locomotive from the Henderson Mine, an Osgood Steam Shovel, and a gold mill, which was not open that day.

This is a great museum! Very informative and interactive. The tour was wonderful and kept my kids' attention. My 6 year-old had a great time, especially panning for old. My 3 year-old liked watching all the old "chines" [machines] run. Thank you!!!

This is an interesting place to visit .. Should take about an hour and a half to go through the whole museum. During Halloween they have the "Haunted Mines" which the kids (and adults :) enjoy. They have various things going on at different times so call to find out what they are doing. We went on a hay ride some time back .. not sure what the occasion was..

Live close by and was meaning to check it out for a while and finally had the chance to. It was AMAZING! Went on a day they had the tour and highly suggest it. Was very informative, well laid out and very interesting! There was only 4 of us on the tour so we had all our questions answered and it was very personable. A man in our tour group was from the D.C. Area and visits museums often, he said this was the best he's been too! I will come hear again.

This review is not based on the museum- rather on the month of October and what this place has to offer- which is a totally kickass haunted Halloween house- or Haunted Mines. If you are in the springs or nearby in the month of October check this place out. The Haunted Mines is an annual tradition and every year this places makes it better and better. It starts at night fall but get there a little earlier to get tickets and your place in line. This attraction is pretty popular so the lines can get crazy- obviously the later you go in the month the bigger the crowd. It is a little pricey $15 a person or $20 for VIP (which gets you in faster)- but believe me when I say that it's WORTH IT! The length of time it takes you to go through the place will make up for the wait- but all the scare factors inside make up for the price. The people that work here have this down to a science. They time everything almost perfectly so the group you go in with the group you go out with and very rarely do you see the other patrons. One of the best haunted places I've been to during Halloween season!

Very knowledgeable tour guide who held the interest of my 3 kids- ages 10,7,6. The kids liked panning for gold at the end and could have stayed longer than we did. The tour includes demonstrations of some mining machinery that is pretty loud which was a little startling for my toddler. Also it is not so much a "hands on" museum so a toddler might be frustrated. My little one was in a baby carrier so it worked for us. The tour is best for about 2nd grade up, especially if your children are science minded.

I went with our family (children ages 10 & 12) today after recently completing a homeschool unit on mining history. Wow, what a great experience! It is a museum (not an old mine) with many working pieces and models to see up close the technologies of 19th century mining. I would highly recommend the guided tour (check their schedule before your visit) because they'll operate the various mining equipment, adding another dimension to the experience: Sound. Content was not CO specific, but did focus more on CO mines. A very passionate staff make the experience very enjoyable and informative. Our guide was new - something we only learned after the tour - I couldn't tell during. Her facts were all very accurate, based on our unit research. Would go again with our next out-of-town guests! Well Done WMMI!