We spent the day here for the Harvest Festival and had a GREAT time. The pumpkin patch was stocked really well and the games outside were fun for the family. The museum was closed during the festival but I cant wait to go back and take my daughter. We loved the working blacksmith shop and all the old equipment. Plus we found some gold in the free gold panning! It was an amazing family day.

What a fun experience learning all about mining! During the tour, the guide turned on the machines so we could see them in action. Our tour guide, Rich, really had a gift for keeping us engaged during the tour. My 3 young children were entertained with his stories, especially the ones involving working in the mine as a child. We spent quite a bit more time there than we expected. My kids loved panning for gold.

Best collection of actual mining hardware I have seen in the US. Too bad I wasnt there for the day when they run the stamping mill. Amazing how they have such heavy machinery all over the place. Excellent guided tour at 10AM. This place is needed to preserve the memory of the hard lives miners had in the 19th century and early 20th. Highly recommended. Set aside about 2.5 hours for it. Bit of a hike uphill to see the stamping mill, but worth it.

It was a nice fun day. Hay rides, gun show, corn hole, pumpkin smashing, etc... just wish they wouldve had more food options, and the spooky stories didnt take place due to staff shortage.

Fascinating museum for all ages! Docent led tours start with an old simple engine display THAT WORKS and continue through the decades and inventions until the massive green monster engine is turned on. By then, with the explanations from your tour guide, you can truly marvel at this HUGE engine as it runs. Many other historic displays, panning for gold, a working blacksmith shop, small gift shop area. If you can, go on the special days when the steam shovel (just like the one in the Mike Mulligan) and other outdoor displays are run.

Fantastic museum exploring mining and mining in the context of Colorado history. If you go on the guided tour, theyll even start up some of the machinery for you. The volunteers are very knowledgeable and yes, there is real gold that you can pan for.There is a stamping mill on the property that isnt very crowded. Which is a shame, because it looks like a lot of time and effort went into that part of the museum and I would love for more people to know its there to enjoy.

Lots of great information. Neat exhibits. The tour guide was outstanding and his knowledge of mining history was great. Amazing at explaining to kids too! Our kids favorite part was getting to pan for gold. So fun!

Really not work $7.50 per adult. No one even checked to see if we had the wrist band showing we paid. O feel it was hyped up a lot more online than it really was. There was 1 lunch food truck and 1 breakfast, I wouldnt really say there were enough options to eat there. My daughter is 1 and it was not worth it for her. There should be ages advertised saying that its good for certain age groups. Probably would find another patch to go to meet year.

Absolutely amazing people running this place. Had such an amazing time even with the main museum being closed for the harvest festival. Definitely visiting again and again in the future!

Loved it! Very interesting and the docents are quite knowledgeable. Plus you can learn how to pan for gold!

It is all here. Beautifully restored machines. A complete mining library. An outstanding photography exhibit. Come and enjoy the best in the West.

I took my 8 yr old son and 10 yr old nephew and the only fun thing they had for older kids was a pumpkin smash with a baseball bat. No big slides no bounce house or bounce anything. I was very disappointed.

Great tour! Lots of information and learning not just about mining but the industry as well. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and even turned on the machines and a few of the mini displays.

We walked around outside for a while and that was my first time walking the outside. I had been in the museum before but not outside then went to the museum and we had perfect timing a tour guide had just started. He was wonderful.

The employees are so friendly and knowledgeable! They had a lot of recommendations for us being out of town and the museum was well maintained and detailed. Thank you!

The volunteers are very informative, having them start the equipment was a cool thing for the kids of all ages.

Very interesting. Tour was informative. Kids loved it.

Great for kids, and the gentleman took time out to show us around even after we had missed the tour.

The kids loved this place. We got to see the tour and they run all the machines. They have a small area for panning gold in a controlled atmosphere which the kids enjoyed. The staff answered all the questions and even added some interesting stuff for the kids.

Great stop with some great education. Pretty cool to see all those old machines work.

This museum is a fantastic look at Western mining from the 1930s forward. Working machinery, amazing historical information, and extremely knowledgeable staff. Definitely check out this museum. I came out of this experience with an appreciation of how much we have advanced technologically with mining and how it has contributed to the production of all goods, products, and more that we use today.

A great place to see some history and learn about mining. They have several working machines inside that they will turn on for you to experience. If youre in the area please to check this place out.

Asked about the KRDO free day, manager told us it wasnt a thing so we were just gonna pay cause it still would have been cool... Until the manager kept running her mouth after I said we were just going to pay at least 5 times. She just kept lecturing us and we told her we were just going to leave if she didnt stop, so we left. And SHE KEPT RUNNING HER MOUTH.

Museum was a really neat experience. I love that it is dedicated to the mining community. The tour with the volunteer was the best part. Our guide was terrific and knew the museum and the community well. He was passionate about educating others and made the experience that much better.

Pumpkin patch event was great fun for the kiddo ! Very nice people hosting.

Real nice museum they demonstrate how the old engines run o. Steam

This is a hidden gem if you are in Colorado Springs. They do tours a couple times a day and it is worth joining one. They have have some hands on exhibits and working machinery that staff will run for you. There are gold mining troughs that you can keep anything you find we found a little flake of gold. There are a lot of outside exhibits you can walk as well on the beautiful property.

What a wonderful place both inside and out full of history and information. Staff are friendly and informed.

Very cool museum that shows off Colorado mining history. We got to see some of the machines turned on and learn about the inventors history. Wish they had more info on the blacksmith shed and the old tools in there.

It was an amazing experience. Full of information. They do two tours throughout the day. There are hands on displays, and you can even try your hand at panning. Well worth the time spent. I plan to go back many times.

Such a great museum for the family. Amazing demonstrations. So much of the equipment is still functional. And there is always the planning for gold

An awesome museum thats fun for all ages

We had a lot of fun! Great experience!

Lovely museum, very informative. The demonstration of the mining equipment was a very cool experience!

Not for young children or older adults. Never got to take the tour due to people without masks. Workers wore them but not groups of people. Its a shame that in this day and age they dont make people wear masks. Its only the decent thing to do now a days. I will not put myself or my grandson at risk. To bad we cant enjoy the few places open to the public because of inconsiderate people.

The people were kind. It was very informative. My kids loved it!

Great tour! The mining equipment actually works!

This place is amazing! There is so much to see, do, and learn! Consider becoming a member so you can come back often. Plan on spending at least 3+ hours. A MUST-DO for Colorado mining history buffs!

We came here for Halloween time when they had the pumpkin patch and all the fun stuff for kids to do. They played a giant game of battleship, crawled through tubes, played tetherball, and several other things. Then they picked out some giant pumpkins that were impressive in size, quality, and quantity.Later we went on the tour and both my 9yos were engaged and interested the entire time. The fact that they have so many functional antiques is worth the trip to see alone. But you can pan for stones and gold in the water troughs and roam the property too.

We had a great time here. Loved the tour and the equipment demonstrations. We also got to see the stamping equipment in operation, which is something they dont do very often. Really nice place to visit and learn about the mining history in the area.

Great experience! Friendly people!

I found this to be very interesting. It provided a lot of history regarding mining in Colorado

Pretty awesome to see living history!

Super informative. Interactive and an all around fun place to take the kids.

This museum. might be ok if you go with your family for a tour but ... my daughter just had a field trip there with her school and it was the worst! The kids spend the entire time sitting on the floor listening to a very dry lecture about minerals and mining. They did not get to explore the museum or touch the hands on section or see any of the large machines in action... the highlight was a small piece of iron ore getting passed around ... just awful! Avoid this place for field trips at all cost ... or until the museum comes up with a more child friendly way of presentation ....

This place is amazing. Kids loved the tour

Well worth the visit! Lots to look at!

Everything was very cool

If you go to this place you should wait for the tour. the tour is amazing

Great educational fun!Andrew greeted us with a big, welcoming smile. He suggested we start with the movie and then they fired up their giant rock crusher.We then stopped to pan for gold and ore and were encouraged to keep the little sparkling bits we discovered.The museum’s very own director, Geode George, led us on a personal tour complete with fascinating narrative on all things mining. He even jack hammered some rock for us.The gift shop has unique items including minerals, gems and obsidian knives.Head over to MOD pizza after all that learning for some delicious nutrition.

Love the grounds. Trees, Wild life, apple orchards, old barns and a blacksmith shop.

You guys are amazing. Thank you for spending time with me and my sister and sharing your knowledge with us. It was a great

Great museum. Would reccomend in a heartbeat

We loved this place. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable. She ran some of the machinery during the tour. She was very engaging with the crowd. Its a very relaxed place. Theres also a lot to explore outside

The family and I went to October fest. It was a smaller event than expected. But the food was great kinda over priced. They did have a free bouncy house for the kids. Which was neat. The music and dancers made it fun to hangout.

Very good experience tours are about an hour and were interesting and educational. The steam engines are cool and most of them are demonstrated during the tour.

Great tour, exhibits rocked. I learned a lot. Grandkids loved panning for gold.

Very nice and knowledgeable took my parents here and we all loved it they even turned on the big steam engines

Very fun learning experience. Our museum guide was very descriptive and would answer my groups questions quickly and thoroughly.

So much information to take in here. My daughter and sister loved panning for gold we almost didnt get them to leave. Staff was great and did a great job answering questions. A couple days after our visit my 7 year old was telling me all kinds of facts she had learned. Overall great place for the entire family.

This is such an interesting place to visit. Its just off of I-25 near the Air Force Academy. The staff there is knowledgeable and a pleasure to deal with.

I love living history museums

Not a bad way to spend some hours learning about the history of Colorado and other western mining towns. Price is $10 for admission but they do have some original steam engines that they can turn on and show you how they work.There are also a couple exhibits outside that are interesting to see and walk around. Great informative and interactive museum.

An astonishing collection of functional old mining equipment. Be sure to join a free docent-led tour- they actually RUN the equipment for you! Very highly recommended!!

This place is so awesome. We enjoyed spending some time there and going on the inside tour. We would of liked to spend more time there but we had to head back home.

Great place for kids. All the big machines work. Tom was the best guide!

Wonderful outing and educational experience! Staff is great and friendly with amazing machinery demonstrations. Wildlife and gift shop optional!

Great info on the tour! My kids loved trying to pan for gold.

Very informative. Enjoyed the panning in fact have taken up panning and rock collecting since!

This is a great museum for anyone in and around the Colorado Springs area. The museum has interesting exhibits around mining in the west and the evolution of how it has evolved over time. Great place for kids to visit lots of Hands-On learning.

Great venue. Museum staff lead a great tour for the scouts, thanks!

The volunteers, tour staff, exhibits, library, and video are guaranteed to provide a great experience for your whole family. I learned a lot and look forward to the next visit.

Great museum that captures the history of Mining in this area extremely well. The steam powered equipment was also very neat to see in action

Fantastic insight of what mining was like. Great tours with working mining machinery. Very cool!

The wife and daughter and I were here exactly one year ago nice place to visit

We decided to become members here. There is rich history and activities for folks of all ages. Library books are ancient however and I found little use for them.

This is a great place and you can mine for gold very interesting Museum

I highly recommend going on the guided tour! Our tour guide was great! Kids were interested the whole time. Took us about 2.5 hours.

I found it interesting to learn about mining. We even had a chance to dress up in old mining uniform.

I very much enjoyed my visit here! They had a variety of displays and the staff is very friendly! They are willing to explain things and answer questions. To top it off its affordable. I look forward to going again!

My 7 years old grand daughter loved this place. I would say not somewhere you would want to visit every year. The staff was amazing and it was 2 hours of great, and cheap fun.

Very interesting, the still have working machines which the demo. Crazy how dangerous the early days of mining were. Great display of metals and minerals being mined in Colorado. Very knowledgeable staff.

Amazing experience very educational. My 3yr nephew loved it

Great place to bring kids and adults. Fun activities and things to see. All my grandkids loved it, especially the gold panning. My grown children enjoyed it as well.

Great museum. The tour made the museum come alive. We spent about 2 hours here, about 20 minutes of which was the kids panning for gold. We enjoyed seeing the function of the machines. Our tour guide was extremely knowledgeable. Well worth it.

Nice museum! Quite big. Good information and interactive exhibits. Panning for gold was fun too!

We took the tour through the museum and it was very informative and enjoyable.

Kids had lots of fun panning for gold, and enjoyed the tour given.

I really loved the panning and that they turn on most of the machines!!!! Crazy to find out rocks are in oreos

Great place to learn about the history of gold mining in Colorado and surrounding areas.

Beautiful and very historic. I went on this trip to get myself out of the house and get to know some more knowledge. This was definitely what I was looking for. I got to pan for minerals, learn a lot about history, got excercises as I walked and the tour guide was very polite and informative. He seemed to thoroughly enjoy his job from the second I got there until I exited the building I had a great time. This event is good for children and family travel or just a day out to not have any stress and have a little smile.

Educational, interesting and important. This place gives great insight into Colorados history and is still great fun for kids too. Thank you.

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!!!

Great place run by passionate people. Lots of interesting, operational equipment. Good for all ages, but adults will want to spend more time here than the kids.

Museum provided demos of steam engines, interesting history of mining, mock mine exhibit to walk through and kids could pan for gems. It was a fun and interactive impromptu stop.

Excellent museum for families or if youre just curious. They do a great job making you feel like you went back in time to the 1800s with their on-point exhibits and interesting science. A great way to spend the day.

Interesting. A little dry on the tour. Probably best for adults.

Would have been nice with more hands on stuff but it had good displays and was easy to get around.

Dated but interesting displays. Lots of old working mining equipment, like a steam shovel. Some 150 years old.

Nice surprise while passing through.Well made museum, informative staff, and a good breadth of information that everyone from small children to a hard rock engineer can enjoy.