World Museum of Mining Reviews

Our tour guide, Ken, was fantastic. He was full of stories that made the tour interesting. My 13 year old grandson said that this was the best part of his vacation. We worried about the temperature below ground since we only had shorts and t-shirts with us but it was pleasantly cool and not as cold as the temperatures would imply. They also have a fantastic mineral collection adjacent to the gift shop. Touring the replica as also fun.

So fascinating and interesting. Bryan was an excellent guide and shared so much information in a very fun and engaging way. Highly recommend. Our family loves it

This has been my second time going through this museum and I found so many things that I missed on my last visit. Having more time on this trip I was able to stop and read in detail items that were displayed explaining the hardships the mines endured. What a wonderful museum to share with the young and old. So much history here.

Wow! I have been on this tour twice, with a different tour guide each time. My tours were each an amazing experience and my guests LOVED getting to go into the mine and learn so much history and information about geology. Indeed, the tours were both completely different experiences!

Very knowledgeable and informative staff. Amazing, great fun. The tour is 1.5 hours, but plan to stay for about an hour afterward to keep exploring everything else available to see!!

Good experience for both grandparents and grand children. Enjoyed the tour of the mine and the museum.
Will recommend to others.

I did the 100-foot level tour. Very fun and very informative. The tour guide was funny and knowledgeable.

We took the mine tour, which included self guided tour of the ‘town’ . Our guide was great. Very knowledgeable about mining and the history of Butte.
Going into the mine was very informative.

The history of mining is very interesting---the town-- as it appeared over 100 years ago--has been recreated on the property. People who have kids should stop here while i Butte

Our tour guide was an old minor himself and had loads of knowledge! I’ve lived in montana my whole life and he taught me things I never knew!
My kids absolutely loved this place and the tour!
Absolutely 100% recommend doing the tour and exploring the grounds!!!

My wife, daughter and grandchildren decided to visit the museum and went down without making reservations. Found out that we had missed the tour. One of the museum ladies decided to take us on our own tour. It was interesting to learn more of the history involved. After the mine, we toured through the "town site" answering the kids questions. Their "doll house collection" grabbed the kids attention. The mineral exhibit grabbed mine, especially the "black light" collection.
I noted in one of the reviews they claimed there was no senior discount - not true. Both my wife and I received senior discounts Well worth the trip and cost. Take a senior with you when you take the kids, he or she can tell them what the various items in and around the "town site" were used for.

The underground mine tour was really informative. You get a brief tour of the above ground equipment before going underground. You really get a sense of what it must have been like to work as a miner. After the tour I spent about an hour looking at the above ground exhibits.

our guide was knowledgeable and entertaining.good tourto take if you want to learn more about history and economics for butte in it's hey days

Very interesting replica of a mining town, to include 50 buildings...15 of which are the originals, moved onto the property.

It was a very interesting tour and the museum has a lot of good history and information. The tour down into the mine shaft was 100ft below the ground so wear tennis shoes or good walking shoes. The tour itself was very informative. The museum has several out buildings that include room setups that were very interesting

We went here for the underground mine tour but it is much more than that - there is a small minin down - you can walk up the headframe - there is a train and mining equiment and multiple buildings and exhibits to explore. The entry fee enables you to go back for a second day and continue to look around which was great for our party. I just wish they had a cafe or food truck there where you can get a nice cold drink or a lunchtime bite as the whole exibit takes ages to look around.

We drove into Butte and went up the hill into historic Butte and toured around among the old buildings. They have kept most of them up and most are still in use today. After that, we drove to the “World Museum of Mining” which was our goal destination for the day. It is located behind Montana Tech. Signage wasn’t bad but it would have been nice to have more signs along the way along Park Street. The museum was well worth the visit. They have assembled a small mining town of buildings and businesses, probably 25 or more all told. There is also a good selection of old mining equipment. Most is rusting away but many of the items have a sign indicating what they are. We were able to climb up the tipple to about the 40 foot level. The view was pretty good up there.

The highlight of the visit was an underground tour. They offer two tours, one to the 65 foot level and a second tour to the 100 foot level of the Orphan Girl Mine. We took the 100 foot tour. When we paid for our tickets to the tour, we were each given a metal tag on a chain to serve as our “ticket” to the tour. We started our tour on the surface and saw the man skip and the two ore skips From there, we went in the dry change room, the office and the winch room. Then, we headed over to the mine portal. We were each given a hard hat and an LED helmet lamp. We also had to hang our metal tag and name slip on a pin in the office. We left our hats on the hard hat rack. Our tour entered the mine in a new sloped tunnel built by the tech students which went underground to the location of the shaft 65 feet from the surface. We could step in the man cage at that level. We continued down to the 100 foot level and came to the other side of the shaft. The water level in the shaft was within about 4 feet of the floor, about 104 foot level. When the mine was closed, the pumps were turned off and the mine filled with ground water seeping in. The mine water in this mine is clean and can be pumped out and disposed of without treatment. The Orphan mine is isolated from all the other mines by an impervious rock layer. The water in the Berkeley pit and the other mine shafts is heavy with metals and sulphur and needs extensive treatment before it can be pumped out to the river. The man cage had doors on both sides and held seven miners. At this level, they had an operating mine locomotive which was battery powered and dated back to the 1920's. Our tour gave us some history of the mine and showed us a mucking shovel and ore car which the students are still using to extend the tunnels for the museum. They also had a drill set up. The tour took about 1-1/2 hours.

During our visit to the mining museum, we were able to leave the museum and return later after we took a break for lunch.

We we're glad we took the 100 ft tour of The Orphan Girl. Our guide was knowledgeable and it gave a good insite into what is going on under the ground in Butte.

This museum and tour are wildly expensive for what you get. The 65’ tour itself doesn’t go very far and there is very little to see. Our guide was good and very friendly but still...there isn’t much to see. The buildings are set up as the actual ones were originally-law office, laundry, sauerkraut factory-but that’s about it. The gift shop is boring with very little in it. Then on the way out there is a collection of dolls and Star Trek characters. We never figured out why that was in a museum about mining. Unless you’re VERY interested in mines this is a waste of time.

If you are in Butte, don't miss this. It's the history of the town and so interesting and well presented. The Orphan Girl mine tour is great but if you don't want to do that, it's worth seeing the museum and the replica town. Well worth the money.

We prebooked a tour and entrance to the museum was included, it's a great piece of Butte mining history and fun to do. Our tour guide was a hoot and did a great job explaining how the mines worked back in the day. You can't go as deep as some other mining museums, but if you are in the area and are interested in mining, do it.

Take a tour of the mine, our guide was very enthusiastic and knowlegable. It is all so interesting, so much to see from the original mines to the reproductions of the whole town. Well worth a visit.

We spent 3 hours here on a recent stay in Butte. It was a neat place to see. Tour was very informative and the kids really enjoyed the scavenger hunt.

Great experience. Did underground tour for 1st time. Guide was very knowledgeable and outgoing and interacted with everyone. Very pleased with tour, exhibits and he'll roaring gulch

We toured the Orphan Girl mine. We lucked out and had a small group - only six of us. Tour guide was supreme! He had a great sense of humor but literally gave us as much information as he could. Surprisingly it did not seem like it took an hour and a half. There is SO much information both above and below ground it was well worth the admission price.

Tour guide was very knowledgeable, informative and very personable. Tours are a small group. A great way to spend the afternoon and discover the history below our feet.

This was such an interesting place. I was able to learn about mining and view a large assortment of minerals. It's amazing, the history of mining in Butte, Mt. Go! It's interesting, informative, and free, with good parking.

It is a fun, historical and accurate museum. There is a "head frame" of the Orphan Girl mine. A very special place is the memory garden listing dates, mine and the name of men who died in the mines for the last 100 years. The rest of the museum is a collection of old buildings that have been moved into what might have been the original town. Fun to see.

It was raining on our only Saturday in Butte. We went here because it was the number one thing to do in Butte. It was ok and most of it was outside, luckily the rain had mostly stopped. The museum was nothing like what I expected, it was a walk through replica of a mining era town. All you could do was look into the windows of the different buildings. A bit strange.

What a lesson about mining!! We did not have the opportunity to venture to the underground part of the Museum and that would have only increased the rating!! America runs on electricity - and the copper that gave us that energy came from Butte - and the story of the mine/s is both interesting and comes alive at the Museum, Montana Tech is to be congratulated for this presentation. Just wondering the grounds was worth the visit - even with a 12, 10 and 8 year old who did a lot of reading and a lot of asking questions and a lot of learning about industrial America. The cost is minimal - the learning is significant.

This 5* rating is good the excellent underground tour. They have built a walkway so you can go down into the mine. Our tour guide was Jim, who had previously worked as an electrician in a mine. He was interesting and so informative. Besides the tour, browse through the museum. Also consider visiting the mineral museum at the college, the memorial from the 1917 fire and the Berkeley Pit. And read Fire and Brimstone, an excellent nonfiction account of the 1917 mine fire in Butte.

Much more than expected. The mine tour was as expected, but to our surprise, an entire old town had been gathered for a literal stroll down history and memories of a foregone time.

It was an amazing experience. Ken our tour guide was very friendly and really well at explaining everything also made it entertaining for us! Quite the experience

We had fully expected that this museum would be boring and not hold our attention. Boy were we wrong.

First -- we couldn't get on the underground tour even though we were there about twenty minutes after they opened as they were already booked ! Make a reservation in advance if you want to go.

Second -- Be prepared to spend a lot of time here anyhow. Since it is self-guided, you can spend as little or as much time as you choose.

First they have a doll museum to walk through. Then you have an entire full size 1800's copper mining town (Hell Roarin' Gulch) to walk through with an impressive group of period pieces in each business. You can see an old doctor's office, a dentist's office, a Chinese laundry, a carpenter shop, a saloon, a town hall, a general store, funeral parlor, a school, a bank, etc.

They also had a memorial to all those who had died in mining, and lots of old equipment and displays to explain copper mining. I had thought in my mind that at least these men didn't get black lung disease like the coal miners, but one of the displays taught us that they had their own calamity -- silicosis. Much of the ore which was mined was quartz which contains silica. Once that silica dust got into their lungs it sealed the alveoli, and the men couldn't breathe and would die a slow and painful death. A hospital was built to give them as much comfort as possible as they died. Lovely.

Don't miss the underground exhibit which explains the mining process, and climb to the top of the mining derrick. It was all very interesting.

Much more than just a mining museum. We also did the mine tour which we enjoyed. Awesome exhibits!!!! Would highly recommend.

Fantastic day out. Tim the tour guide obviously loves his job and goes the extra mile to bring the history to life. If they had a coffee shop we would have stayed even longer.

The World Museum of Mining in Butte, Montana, probably isn't what you think it is. Sure, it is a museum in the sense that there are 66 major exhibits, including a re-creation of an 1890s mining town with 15 intact historic structures and 35 buildings constructed from old materials, with dozens of smaller items that give you a feel for the kinds of equipment that were used in mining from the 1860s to the 1970s. But the museum is mostly outdoors. It is one of the few museums in the world located on an actual mine yard--the Orphan Girl Mine. The Girl, as it is affectionately known, produced silver, lead and zinc from 1875 to 1956. It is marked by a 100-foot-high steel headframe and Hoist House, which houses original equipment. It once mined to a depth of 3,200 feet. See the equipment, touch the rock and hear the stories of miners who worked in the Orphan Girl Mine. Then get fitted with a miner's hard hat and cap lamp and proceed on a tour to see the original shaft station and Orphan Girl vein. Venture 100 feet into the 2,700-foot deep mine. Remember, the cap lamp is the only light underground except for two lights that are used to highlight the shaft to the water. Close toed walking shoes and light jackets are recommended. Also a little bit of courage. Decades ago, thousands of men worked in the mines below the city of Butte. This underground mine tour is unlike any tour you've ever taken. Founded in 1963, when the close of Butte's mining heyday was less than two decades away, the World Museum of Mining exists to preserve the enduring history of Butte and the legacy of its rich mining and cultural heritage.

Not worth the time! I sufficient signage to explain anything or discuss. No cohesive message/story about the place. Maybe because of Covid things are different...but Very disappointing.

Amazing walk through mining history. How much this town contributed to the growth of the United States with mining of copper and other minerals is shown in great detail. Whole family walked away a little smarter and appreciated what it took to get the copper out of the ground.

Ken our guide was the man, the myth, and the legend! Great tour; he walked us through the equipment, history, and down into the depths. He even took on another tour group in the mine when a rare sighting of a Cave Karen burst out of the tour group ahead of us. After she was safely, and gently acknowledged then herded to the exit. She made sure to share her complaints to the other tour guide, our tour group, and every poor ghost down there about her anxiety before being set free above ground to be with her people. 10 out of 10 would recommend! Was fun, informative and brought Butte into a whole new light!

You actually get to tour a mine that closed in the 1950s. This was an awesome unique industrial experience. Much of America was built by and wars were won by what was mined here. On top of the mine they built an old west town that kids would love.

Includes reconstructed historic 'town', actual copper mine tour [to 65 feet down] and lots of cool history about mining and Butte

The Museum’s location is well signed in town. Drive past the quaint mining college at the top of a hill and you’ll find plenty of parking space in front of the entrance. To be honest, the area around the front ticket counter is rather tacky- trays of trinkets and colored crystals imported from China- ugh. But once you get beyond that room into the adjacent display rooms the samples of minerals and gems you’ll see behind glass are quite amazing.
Continue on outside again to a miniaturized frontier town reminiscent of something resembling Disney Land that I found immensely boring.
But continue on- there’s lots more to see! The underground walkway museum is stunning. You simply can’t leave this place without gaining an education and appreciation for the twentieth century mining industry.
Figure on spending at least several hours here exploring the grounds.

Very fun and engaging tour guide. We so enjoyed the time he took to explain and answer our questions. Would highly recommended especially if you love history.

Although the mine , museum and old time town itself was interesting, the guide was a instructor from the local college.
He was as dry as toast. We had trouble hearing him and he could have given some more facts and antidotes about the the people who had worked it and their stories .
We had a mine tour in Julian Cali... it was fantastic not only because it was a real gold mine but because the guide was a riot with plenty of stories about its history and operation.

We took the guided tour into the mine. The tour guide was knowledgable and the tour was very interesting.

The highlight of our visit to the World Museum of Mining was the walk through a formerly working mine with our guide, Matt, a student at nearby Montana Tech. He was very patient and detailed in explaining the many different practices, tools, and parts of the mine. If you have an interest in Butte history the mine tour provides experiential context.

Very informative trip, our guide was funny and answered all our questions. Liked the total darkness experience. Exhibits were good reflection on that time frame.

Super interesting experience. Ken, our guide was great! So much to see and learn that it could easily have been twice as long and still interesting. Well worth the trip & money.

Jake was a great tour guide. My boys (10 and 6) loved it and had a great time.
we'll definitely be be back. thanks!

This is such a great museum, for both kids and adults. Most of the exhibits are outside--little buildings staging various businesses and organizations that would have existed in the boom days of mining in Butte. The underground tour is a must! I've done it twice, and both times the guides have been very good--knowledgeable and entertaining. Our most recent guide was Ken, and he was outstanding.

A great place for a history lesson. Lots to do and see and learn about Butte and it's mining history. Definitely visit if you have time.

I loved this experience, we did the guided mine tour our guide was full of information and led us to the 100ft below the surface level. I learned so much about Butte and its importance to the mining world. there is also plenty of space to explore. Step back into history. We spent about 2.5 hours here.

We had a group of 18 adults exploring the old mining town. We couldn’t go in the buildings but you could see in the windows. There was no tour guide so we were free to explore where we wanted to go. There is an underground tour but they only take 6 people every 30 minutes so we didn’t get to see that.

The Underground tour is the best that Butte has to offer! Reserve online ahead of time to reserve your spot. The underground tour was informative and fun. It’s hard to imagine miners used to work underground by candlelight! Also you’ll learn how mules were taken underground! Our guide was super personable and knowledgeable. His grandfather was in a black & white group photo in the museum…how cool is that?! Do not miss the tour…it’s the best. The other parts of the museum were also fun. We loved spending our half day there.

Fascinating! From stepping into the building, pleasant helpful staff. Chance was our tour guide and dove into so much of mining and the history of the mines.

We did the paid mining cave tour. The guide was terrific - knowledgeable and enthusiastic. I highly recommend this if you're in Butte. It gives you a great appreciation for the history of the area and what life was like for those who worked in the mines.

Really enjoyed the underground tour on the Orphan Girl mine out of the museum. The guide was very knowledgeable (a native of Butte and a local teacher). You only go 65 feet deep but it feels much deeper. Good education.

My husband and I visited the museum yesterday. Enjoyed our knowledgeable tour guide and learning about the life/conditions in mining in Butte. We bought the 100 ft. down tour. Also, learned about the lives of the mules that worked alongside the miners. Rather sad, but I get it. Also enjoyed peering in the windows of the homes/businesses as they were long ago. Included were homes, dentist office, law office, women's boutique, dr office, drug store, hair salon, blacksmith shop, sauerkraut factory, etc. - set up as they were eons ago. Just lve going back in time, and getting a glimpse into their lifestyles and struggles.

With such a grandiose title, you might think you'd get a wide variety of mining techniques, equipment and science covering all manner of mining - coal, gold, bauxite, uranium, silver, gems, etc, Or about the many nations and locations of mining operations from deserts to sea beds. But we're talking specifically mining for copper within a 50mi radius of Butte, MT. While there are a few impressive pieces of heavy equipment - compressors, hoists, drills and railcars, the vast majority of the complex is basically an early 20th century mining village panoply of shops and offices (of which you can peek in windows). And it's poorly documented or directed (unless you buy the $3 guide or pay for a guided tour AFTER you spend $8 or $9 for admission). I never did find even a mention of the infamous nearby Speculator Mine Disaster of 1917 that killed 166 men. The whole experience seemed like a bit of a cheat.

Great tour and Rick who worked in the mine was so nice and knowledgeable. If we come back to Butte, we would do this tour again.

Took the excellent mining tour with Jim C., who worked in the mine for several years as an electrician. The tour and the exhibits in the hoist house were very good as was a display of various minerals/booklet on their various properties. We watched a documentary on Butte until the tour began, but couldn't hear very well because of talking in the "snack bar" on the other side of the partition. Unless I missed it, some basic info should be provided (e.g., where did the buildings in the mining town come from; what is the definition of a mineral; what's the significance of fluorescence in minerals; who owned the doll house, etc.). Despite these minor quibbles, the museum served its educational purpose by prompting us to Google additional info on Butte's decline, the polluted Berkeley Pit, copper king William Clark, and Clark's reclusive daughter Huguette Clark, who died in 2011 at the age of 104.

Love the tour and beautiful specimens displayed at the museum. Very interesting! The history of the mining town once know as the richest little hill on earth, is educational and touching. So glad we visited.

The Tour guide was very good, she held our interest and answered many questions. The replica town was loaded with incredible artifacts.

The above-ground portion of the museum was closed on the day of my visit, due to the weather. But, the underground tours were still offered. Take the longer, deeper 100-foot tour if you can, to see more of the mines. The tour was very informative and interesting.

The tour guide had knowledge and stories and was also just downright fun. I was a little concerned about walking down the mine because I am no spring chicken, but I had nothing to worry about. Safety was most important to our guide, and we went slowly. I have a whole new appreciation for the miners who risked and sometimes lost their lives.

We reserve the underground tour at the World Museum of Mining, and it was one of the best things we did in the Butte area. We had a very knowledgeable tour guide and he really gave us more than we really wanted and it was wonderful. He let us 100 feet down into the mine and explained how all of the mining was done from the older days to the more modern days. It is a great museum.

The underground mine tour was great. The guide was excellent, experienced and knowledgeable. He welcomed and answered questions. Highly recommend the tour as part of a visit to this museum. The site has a recreated mining town, which gives good insight into what life was like during the early mining years. The research staff is friendly and willing to answer questions, and the staff in the gift shop also was welcoming. Good experience overall

Great tour guide… he was knowledgeable , friendly … funny with the kids.
He enjoyed his work.. great day out

Growing up in Butte, of course one thinks about seeing what it’s like in these underground mines. When I recently heard about an underground mine tour, I was excited to visit. My daughter & I decided to go, & what we saw & heard about was a definite eye opener. You will have to visit there yourself to find out about it, but Ken, our tour guide, was informative & fun. I am very glad we visited.Also, I felt safe in there, & the tunnel was quite large, my guess would be 10x10 feet.

We were sad not to have the time to go down into the mine, but we were leaving town and couldn't wait. However, we did tour the museum and the deserted mining town. All very interesting. For me the huge rock and mineral collection owned by one man, a former miner as well as the huge doll and dollhouse collection of a former board member at the mine were must sees. The doll house collection had been growing since 1943, and there were dolls from every old tv show, super hero, Star Wars, etc. it was simply an amazing collection, and the owner specified in her will that it be placed at the mine museum. If you want to go down into the mine, the tour is guided and about an hour and a half.

The folks at the World Museum of Mining have done a great job re-creating an "old timey" town circa the height of activity at the Orphan Girl mine in Butte. But don't just check out the aboveground displays and exhibits; definitely take the underground tour, which includes a walk through a portion of the actual mine (hard hats required!). Tour guide Mike was excellent: informative, friendly, and funny. I learned a lot in a relatively short amount of time. Well worth it!

This is an exceptional tour. The guide was a former miner and had a wealth of knowledge. Definitely put this one on your bucket list

The one thing I really came to see, the underground mine visit was closed. The rest of the tour of the museum was very interesting but I felt that I was shortchanged with the visit being cut short. Only being here in Butte for one day I do not have a chance to return so I left disappointed.

Great tour of the mines! It was really interesting to hear the history of Butte and go 100ft underground to see the actual mines. Our tour guide, Clint, was great! I definitely recommend this tour as it’s probably the best ‘touristy’ thing you can do in Butte, MT.

The tour was a pleasant surprise and pretty cool. Ran in to a couple of guys that work there while exploring the "mining town" and learned even more about Butte and other attractions.

We had such a great time at the museum. We booked online to do the underground mine tour and it is an absolute must. Our tour guide (who’s name I can’t remember but he is in my picture) was hilarious and super informative. The mine was awesome and cold which was wonderful since there was a heat wave outside. We arrived an hour before our tour and checked out all the exhibits. I would suggest giving yourself an hour to look around and see everything. We had a blast and would love to do it again.

This visit was a highlight of our trip out west. After a week in Yellowstone and Glacier Nat. Park, we were heading to our flight from Bozeman and almost passed Butte by. So glad we didn’t! How many opportunities do you get to go down an actual mine and hear a great narrative about the history of mining in this area? Fascinating stuff! Our wonderful guide is a grandson/great grandson of miners who now teaches school here. You can only envy his students as his enthusiasm and expert knowledge we’re marvelous.

Very well Guided Underground Tour and overview... you learned about the history of the mines and the Butte area ! Strongly recommend that you make reservations as the tours fill up fast ! Learned the history and importance of Mining industry for our Country !

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit. The exhibits were very interesting and informative. Our guide through the mine was entertaining and knowledgeable. I learned a lot about mining in the Butte area.

Fascinating place with lots to see, some interesting old photos and explanation of the tools of the trade. We didn't go underground as we are from a mining community but found enough of interest just walking about.
We also enjoyed the oportunity to take some very artistic photos of all the metal work and machinery scattered about the site - quite sculptural.

The museum not only provides great mining exhibits but also reflects life in Butte and has a bit of everything like a nice rock collection, doll collection and music machines. You can also pan for garnets. There is fun underground tours available and the tour guide was a local who had family that had worked the mines. He was extremely knowledgeable. There is a wide tunnel and a short walk and the shaft for the 65 foot tour was nice and wide. I did not feel claustrophobic at anytime. It was nice and cool on a hot summer day. Hard to imagine 7 to 10 guys fit in the man lifts.

We took a tour of the orphan girl mine 100 ft down. Fabulous! Very safe and so fascinating to see how the miners worked back then. Our guide was Tony, a 7th grade social studies teacher who was so knowledgeable and fun on the tour. We were so impressed and learned so much. After the tour we spent the day on the grounds touring the massive headframe, shops set up like a little mining town and looking at old mining equipment. It is worth seeing. Great gift shop as well.

It was a great time. They had a lot in the town and museum to see, a lot of buildings with antiques to view. The tour guide was fantastic and loved going in the mine. I would recommend this museum and tour to anyone visiting Butte.

My family and I went to the museum and the associated mine tour (book early -- it was sold out a few days). I would say the museum itself is 4/5 and the mine tour is a 5/5.
For the museum, it has multiple, the largest is an outdoor recreation of an old town. They have close to a hundred buildings to look at, with period pieces inside (I think 17 of the buildings are original). You mostly just get to look through the windows are everything; I would have given 5/5 if there were any tours that took you inside and you could see more. There is also a mining area with an old gallows (hoist for the "elevator" to get down into the mine). That's pretty neat to see the inside. I think you can see the museum in 2 to 2-1/2 hours. The 2nd part is the mine tour (mine tour cost gets you into the museum too). That was really neat. You walk down a tunnel to get into an original mine (and see that shaft that the gallows pulled from). It's cool down there; suggest at least a light jacket. Wear old shoes, too -- some parts of the mine floor are wet/muddy. You go down over 100ft and see various pieces of mine equipment. The tour guides are a wealth of information; seems that all of them are good. Really would encourage everyone to do the mine tour -- assuming you're not claustrophobic (they STAY AWAY!).

I stopped here on a family road trip and had a wonderful afternoon. We did not do any guided tour, but it was interesting to walk around it and explore the place. There is a cool outlook if you climb up the tower steps, and all the buildings are fully set up in time period. Was very impressed with the meticulousness of the set ups. I have been to the 1880s town, in which many of the buildings are filled with junk. We really enjoyed our time learning about mining, which is why Butte is there really in the first place.

The underground mine tour is great. Was fun to see the mine lift “chippy” and get our picture in it. Definitely recommend the tour.

Our guide, Rick I believe his name was was so informative we enjoyed every minute of the tour! It was good to see and hear about the history of the mine and the conditions that the workers endured. Also it was great to see and understand the equipment that was used for them to work with.

Our guide was enthusiastic, a miner himself. He was energetic and fun. I'd never been in a mine and I thought the time spent was 100% worthwhile. BOOK THE TOUR!

We opted to take the 100-ft underground mining tour and it was well worth the cost of admission. Our guide, who's also an 8th grade teacher, was excellent and informative. After the tour, one can meander through the re-creation of an 1890s mining town.

We weren't able to take a tour of the mine, so my review can't speak to that and from other reviews it seems to be where this museum shines the most. We didn't realize until we got there that the tours were only at a few times during the day and on the long side, so we weren't able to fit one into our schedule. The rest of the "museum" isn't much of a museum, though--a small room with minerals that is dwarfed by the free and much more impressive MBMG Mineral Museum around the corner, and a recreated mining town that is fine, but the displays are just for looking at, i.e. there aren't any signs or interpretive aspects to the town that educate visitors about mining life during the time period represented. The mannequins throughout are also extremely eerie, and we wondered if they were trying to be weirdly funny, but it cheapened the feel of the town and made it seem even less of an educational experience than it already was.

The museum is just so-so and I'm glad they've saved the outside buildings but I've seen enough of them on this trip. It's the mine tour that makes this a must do, and reserve your tour in advance. I didn't and wound up getting the 65 ft underground tour instead of the 100 ft. and I missed the Copper King Mansion because after missing the 11 oclock there was no way to fit in the 1 1/2 home tour and get to Glacier before dinner. You'll be lucky if you get the Jr. high teacher as he makes the tour and you'll learn a lot about life underground in a different era.

My wife and I loved the museum. The front desk staff (Aidan) and our underground tour guide (Ken) were superb. Allow for at least a couple hours outside the underground tour to see all the above ground exhibits. Absolutely worth the time and money!

We took the tour to 65 feet below ground. There is alot of history mining history here. The orphan girl and orphan boy mines are no longer active but are used as training sites for the Montana tech mining school.
There is also a recreated moning town of what Butte may have been like in the 1900s.
Everyone needs to know our history how without metals and fuels we would not be able ti eat, shop, etc. Well worth the visit.
Highly recommend.

We had an excellent tour of the Orphan Girl Mine led by Michael. The World Museum of Mining focuses on the mining in Butte although there are displays that weren’t used in the Orphan Girl Mine. The displays in the mine are interesting. They have an eclectic collection of items on the property-some vintage from the era and town and some from other areas. Much restoration is still needed on the mines and grounds. Included in the modest price is admission to the doll house/doll displays and rock display from around the world. Worth a stop if you’re in the area.

Great tour. If in warm weather have sun screen. Very cool place to visit. Not a place for little attention span minds.

Our tourguide had excellent information and lots of great stories to share. Lots of local lore, and kept things moving along on our walk. You really get a flavor for the people of Butte MT and the life that was.

We loved the tour guide's humor and interaction. Hanging out in the mining town and exploring after the tour was also very very fun! It was a great experience overall! Definitely worth the money!

We took our family of 16 here ranging in ages from 8-66. We enjoyed checking everything out in the museum displays and their ghost town. The tour was great. Our tour guide was awesome. The walk into the mine was easy. I think we were a bigger than normal group, so if you have a big group I'd call to ask becasue online only sells 10 tickets per tome slot.

It's on an old mine site with lots of equipment spread around plus a recreation of a period town. Interesting to poke around the site & reading the plaques describing the equipment. If you're a photographer the shapes & textures will keep you busy for quite a while. The town is cute, but the find is the rust & peeling paint of the mine equipment.

Wonderful, informative tour. Guide was great. Absolutely love all the history of this little town. Would highly recommend.

What a great place to learn about the history of Butte and the miners life that comes with it. This museum is very small and I would only go there if I was also going on the mine tour. So book the mine tour early because it's worth it. Our tour guide was a fun guide and knew alot about the history of the town. I believe his name is Michael and he helps run the place with his sweet family. If your only in Butte for one day you can take the earliest cave tour, view all of the old buildings and get to downtown for a later historical underground tour...

If you go nowhere else, this place should be #1. Great history of this mine and the world of mining. Experience the darkness the miners dealt with day to day. You are able to walk a mile into the mine. The replica mining town self-tour and climbing up the tower was awesome.

We spent 4 hours at World Museum of Mining and could easily have spent more. The museum has many features: an underground mine tour; the mine yard of buildings, tools, and machinery; a mining town re-creation of buildings and artifacts; a mineral and rock room; a doll and dollhouse exhibit; a fallen miner memorial; and other artifacts. We are so glad that we took advantage of all that the museum has to offer. The underground mine tour is with a group. Our guide was terrific! The rest of the museum is toured on your own at your own pace. We definitely recommend this stop on your trip!

Our guide Michael was very knowledgeable and entertaining. Being underground helped make the experience feel more tangible and gave a very small taste of how it was back in the old days of mining.

It was really fun to go to this museum because many of the things to see were outside and they had a replica of the town that the museum is located at. The museum building was a little smaller than we thought it was going to be but it did have interesting affordable souvenirs. We feel it is worth taking time out to see and especially if you have kids.

Wonderful 22 acres to explore!! Town shops and mining tools and shaft. Didn't have time for the underground tour though.

We came for the museum and I was very glad I did the 100 foot Orphan Girl mine tour. The museum and buildings are interesting but going into the mine was a lot of fun. Our guide is a middle school teacher who had lots of history to share and a great sense of humor.

Underground tour sold out so I was a general admission only. Basically comprised of two parts - an old west town and the mine (+ related buildings) itself. The old west piece is largely a recreation (1960's interpretation assembled with old materials). Mixed bag - exhibits are severely restricted (many limited to window viewing only). Have been to many recreation towns and this is the most limited type of experience. Many will let you walk through the rooms themselves (yes, without a docent in every room even!) or at least have a viewing vestibule constructed: nothing like that here. These are not the most high dollar artifacts and even taking into account kids, a little more accessibility is possible (really). On the other hand, the mine and related exhibits were very interesting with a good amount of backstory given as you walk through even without the QR option. I would say 2-2.5 hours is more than sufficient, but obviously budget more if you have scored an underground tour.

Had a great experience at the museum. The materials and equipment on exhibit were very good. Also took the underground portion of the tour. Being a mining engineer myself, i can say our guide Ken was knowledgeable and entertaining. The information provided painted a good picture of the life of a hard rock miner and the mining industry in the Butte area.

My husband and I took the Orphan Girl mine tour. It's a 90-minute walking tour with about half above ground and half below. Both were interesting, but the part under ground was just amazing.

It is kinda steep walking down 100 feet and back up, but doable for even this 68 year old semi-couch potato grammie. I'm pretty sure my backside is going to haunt me tonight and I don't care.

I knew mining was hard dangerous work, but this really solidified it for me. Especially in the days were the only light was from candles. It's amazing more people didn't seriously injure themselves mining by hand.

Anyway, I can't say enough good things about the tour. My only regret is that we didn't have enough time to spend looking at the rest of the 22 acre campus.

This place is huge, lot's of things to learn and explore! Coin operated machines showing how mining worked and looked like under ground! And you get the chance to see how folks lived back in the mining days in Butte, MT.!

History of mining in butte and recreation of mining town. Town buildings are time capsules for the period. Mostly self guided but I highly recommend underground mining tour.

I visited the World Museum of Mining with my husband and two sons 17 & 14. Our tour included the 100ft underground mine tour. We arrived early to view the above ground museum prior to our mine tour. Ground side had an interesting disply of buildings from the early era of copper discovery. There is also displays of mining equiptment from throughout the mining eras. You easily spend 1 1/2 hr looking at the top ground side display. It gives you a good look at "how things were". The mine tour was fantastic. Our tour guide was exceptional. Just an FYI....you will walk down a large tunnel to get to the mine. No elevators that I'm aware of. That means you will have to walk up at the end of the tour. It was not a long hike & I did not find it to be difficult. Make sure you bring a light jacket. The mine is cold & damp. Wear closed toed shoes that have a good grip sole. My entire family enjoyed the mine tour & our guide was very knowledgable. If you are brave, look over the railing at the mining elevator display. You will see what looks like boiling water at the bottom. We got to experience what it was like to work by candlelight & "see" what total darkness is like. I highly recommend this tour. Very educational, interesting & fun.

Thank you for the sweet underground tour, giving us an idea of what those poor miners experienced. This is a great museum with a lot to see. Great for kids too.

Did not do the underground tour. Walked around above ground. Old mining town with displays in the windows. Able to step into several of the buildings. It was informative and somewhat sad at the same time. A little rough around the edges, needs a bit more ‘preservation’ so this treasure does not disappear. Old mining equipment with fading info cards. Amazing headframe from timber still standing.

One of the best mining exhibits with displays depicting actual above and below ground mining operations.

We had fun learning about mining and taking a tour down into the mine shaft. Kids and adults all had a great time.

This is a great place to spend a couple or several hours. Very informative and interesting tour of the mine provided by local college graduate student. The frontier town they have assembled from various historic buildings brought in from elsewhere is fantastic. We were so happy that we made this a stop!

An unplanned stop I Butte turned into a great two days with the highlight being a trip to the past. Our 9 and 16 year old rated this a winner. We arrived at 9 am opening time on Sunday to book the longer underground tour at eleven. There is so much to see on the 22 acre site filled with old building full of historical artifacts, lots of mine stuff, mineral collection and dolls house collection and a lovely friendly tabby cat the kids had a wonderful time. Then comes the information packed walking tour down to the hundred
Foot level taking 90 mins very very good. Rates are reasonable
With a seniors discount. Don't miss this if you have kids over six

Our tour guide, Ken, was amazing. He explained the mining history, kept the group safe, was knowledgeable and had a great sense of humor.

We did the mine tour with Ken. He was one of the best tour guides I have ever had. It was so interesting and we really learned a lot. He had great jokes and didn’t talk too much. The tour was a good length and would recommend if you are in Butte. Plus it gets you admission to the museum.

We somehow took the worst route in. There ARE paved roads leading here. Once we arrived, it was great! Friendly greeting, tour confirmed. Best to book ahead, if you want to do the mine tour. At least in July, when we visited. Toured the town until mine tour started. You can use smart phone to scan at many buildings and get more info. Tour guide was great. Safely led us all through mine and shared a wealth of info. There were some younger children in our group and he kept them interested too. Highly recommended.

Awesome feature of Butte. The village constructed on the mine property is filled with artifacts and memorabilia of bygone eras. The mine tour is informational and fun. Our guide, Ken, was knowledgeable, fun, energetic, and kept the tour moving along. Well worth the cost. Well done!

Visited on our way through town and enjoyed the great variety of shop window style displays and mining exhibits. The tours were sold out, but it was still a good two hour visit.

I have been to dozens of old towns: the 1880s Village, old Sturbridge Village, Fort at #4... but I had no idea about mining life. The World Miners Museum opened my eyes. For example, they have a drying room next to the miners showers. Why? Miners would come out of the mine so filthy and wet that they would walk into the showers fully clothed and then walk home... in February. So many caught pneumonia that they installed a heated room with lockers and hooks hanging from the ceilings to dry the clothes for the next day.

They have lots of miner’s machinery including a huge motorized winch that would pull itself up the mountain

How about a two seater rolling toilet that ran on the tracks?

Just totally enjoyable

Wife and I really enjoyed the tour to the 100ft level of the mine. Our guide was very informed and answered our questions. I would highly recommend the tour.

Guide talked too much about brothels. A tour about the mine could be limited to info about the mine and still be interesting. Guide didn't talk about ratio of product to excavated material, didn't explain the drill process, lots of stuff that actually pertained to this mine. We didn't really think it was really worth the money.

This experience gave us a real appreciation of the difficulties and hardship the underground miners experienced. Our tour guide, Walker, presented detailed historical information and best of all, geologic insights. Our grandkids (ages 8-12) really enjoyed the tour.

Doug Ammons, author of High Plains Book Festival Finalist *A Darkness Lit by Heroes*, conducted a headframe tour that included the memorial for the Granite Mountain-Speculator mining disaster of 1917.
On the tour, it is evident that Doug did some amazingly fine-grained research he did for this book. Doug is a research scientist who combines unusually broad and distinguished academic background with exceptional achievements in a highly demanding area of adventure sports. To gather his story, he exhaustively researched every detail of every person, every technology, every financial angle, etc. As an example, when we were driving around, he was able to point out houses where individual miners lived, name the miner, and explain their roles in the events. Comprehensive 3d maps did not exist for the hundreds of miles of mine, so he drew them, pulling together the levels and layers going down thousands of feet. Standing at the surface, he could relate the information of the maps to features we could see, describing the situations of individual miners as they responded to the catastrophe, many of them having to flee for miles underground in pitch darkness to find an escape for themselves and others.
It is an amazing and well-told story. If you get a chance, you should take this tour. The tour itself took two hours. You should give yourself time to wander about the Museum itself.

Incredible preservation of Montana mining history and culture. Highly recommended to anyone that wants to hear a good story and understand the greater picture of Montana's development. Very educated staff.

Our tour guide Ken had a great personality and it made for a really fun tour! He kept the teenagers engaged with learning.

We were taken back by the information and history of this mine.
Very informative and knowledgeable…
Definitely recommend this tour.

We had one day in Butte and this was on the lists we saw of best things to do. We got the underground mine tour tickets in advance of arriving. The display of the mining town is a good concept. It was self guided so limited in what you can really learn about life in a town like that. For example, I was wondering where the miners actually lived. There was a phone app for information that I didn’t use and may have helped.
The underground tour was definitely worth the visit. Our tour guide made it come alive with great stories, demonstrations and sharing his personal experience.

My son (9yrs old) had so much fun & spent much longer then I first thought we would. There was so much to look at & learn. I really enjoyed the room that was fulled with Old Dolls/action figures and doll houses/ play sets. Also most the buildings were fulled with historical information making it a great learning experience.

Allow at least 2 -3 hours to tour all of the buildings and exhibits. We didn't take the mine tour because they were over for the day, but we were not disappointed. There were so many buildings to tour and see how life existed in the 19th century. We are definitely going back again!

Was an amazing experience, we learned so much about the history of Butte and mining and we walked away with a greater appreciation for what those before us had gone through to bring us the things we use every day and take for granted. Just a note to those who have any difficulties walking it is pretty steep going down into the mine and the ground is uneven and wet! Loved the trip will come again!

It was our first time in a mine- highly recommend the 100 ft tour! Our guide was VERY knowledgeable. So glad we came.

This is a must see. I loved the mining village. Make sure you look inside the windows to see what each business would have looked like inside. Some of the structures you can go in. Must go into the mine also. Loved that portion too. This was my favorite out of all the things we saw on our trip out west

If you like mining history, you must see this place. Mining is Buttes past. They mined 24hrs,365 days a year, and this display shows part of what they did. Easy and find, and is handicap accessible. Kids will love this place.

What a fun museum! We really enjoyed the open, hands on approach to the museum. Being able to explore and get close to everything was great. We’ll definitely be back.

We were not able to take the Mine tour as there were no available openings. You can still wander around and look into the old town buildings that have been set up & are filled with time period items & designs. Those were nice. Then we wandered around the grounds. Lots of old mining equipment @ the Mine exterior as well. I wish there was an alternative, a guide to tell you history & information on all you see even if a mine tour isn’t possible. Some have information tags. It was Ok. I think I expected more or something different.

This updated version of the museum is a solid improvement. The story of America's industrial power, especially in the war years from 1917 - 1945 can be seen in the mining exhibits at the World Museum of Mining. It includes cultural as well as technological features and reminds us of how the Butte mines not only helped America move into electrification but also win two world wars. Excellent experience.

Fantastic place. My family and I have been to the museum before, but this was our first time going on the underground mine tour. The tour guide (I think his name is Bobby) was amazing and got my shy son to participate in activities with him. We were given a lot of information about mining and Butte. I highly recommend going on the underground mine tour!

We had a great time doing the underground tour. Lots of info on how the mines worked, mining in Butte as a whole, the different instruments used, etc. Our guide was awesome, answered all kinds of questions and was really excited to share his knowledge. Bring a sweatshirt if you get cold easily (it was summer, but it's still cold underground)

Well Done!! The mining tour was so educating & fun. The little town was loaded with tons of stores,home& business all set up with antiques& period specific items
We spent several hours here & wish we had lunch with us to stay longer. Lots to see & experience. Small entrance fee and a fee to do mine tour
Please check for mine tour times

It is a well illustrated museum of Butte's and the World's mining. A tour will enlighten one on what mining means to one's future.

We have been traveling for three months mostly in the Southwest and have wanted to see the inner workings of a mine. Unfortunately none have been open in Arizona or Nevada and we were quite thrilled when we got to Montana and visited Butte specifically for that reason. We went on a guided tour with Ken who was excellent. We not only saw the workings above ground and began to understand what it took to actually get the rare material out of the ground. We were taken 100 feet below the surface and saw how they communicated.how the minors actually got the raw material out of the ground, how they protected themselves from collapses and how it was sent above to be handled.I give it a five star. And I also went down to the mineshaft using my gogo scooter, which made it nearly the whole way. Had a little problem on the way going up, but it didn’t fail me , it just got a little overheated and stopped three times but it started going right away and did not hold up the group.

Excellent educational tour and excellent guide for the underground tour. Gave a real understanding of the hardships and accomplishments of the early miners.

The old buildings made it seem as though I stepped back in time a hundred years. Well preserved and very informative. I made the trip from Philipsburg to Butte just to see the museum and it was well worth it. Thank you for preserving such an important part of our heritage!

Our knowledgeable and personable guide Dan gave us a wonderful underground tour. The museum is an amazing resource! We spent three hours there on a beautiful fall day.

Our group of four had an excellent visit at the World Museum of Mining. Our tour guide was exceptional and provided us a rich history of minjng in Butte and answered all of our questions.
The museum’s historical re-creation of a mining town was also enjoyed by all. It’s a must-see if you are traveling in or near Butte MT.

If you like oldies the buildings were fantastic! Visit the Dentist office to see why today’s dentist is an improvement. The mine tour is a must to understand why miners are crazy. Loved it!

I grew up in Butte. Whenever I return "home", I make it a point to take the tour. Our guide, Ken, was a great guide and a lot of fun. Not only is Butte rich in minerals but also rich in history. This is a great place to get a little taste of both! Spending the extra money for the underground tour is worth it. Learning about how the gallows frame worked is interesting and then awe inspiring to look around Butte and see how many still remain standing around town. Bring a snack and clear your calendar - you are going to want to spend a lot of time looking at all they have on display both inside and out!

A great underground tour and an very interesting museum overall. Highly recommend the underground tour; ours was given by a Professor at Montana Tech. The open air museum with all of the artifacts was just as interesting. And Butte itself is a fun little town that deserves exploring.

Yeah, sure. Nice museum. Make absolutely the visit in the mine in depth. Lots of machines, tools, anecdotes.

My dad lived in Butte most his life, so I’ve been there often yet never even knew of this. Our guide was knowledgeable, as a Montana Tech student, but we felt rushed. I learned a lot. What a hard job, being a miner. If you have bad knees, I wouldn’t suggest doing the underground part. I thoroughly enjoyed this. Quite the scattered thoughts here, but you get the gist. 😉

This is a must visit location in Butte,Montana. So very interesting, great exhibits, and the staff were wonderful. Book the underground tour and you are in for an excellent 90 mins with tour guides that are so knowledgeable...our guide was Ken, and he knows his stuff... his attention to detail is superb, and he made our visit exceptional...

Thank you for a wonderful visit...we will be back for sure!!

I went on the 100 ft tour and learned so much! First, I toured the ‘town’ and enjoyed looking in the various establishments. Then, I went on the 100 ft. Tour, which was well worth the cost and a lot of fun! I think this would be a great tour for late elementary/middle school kids (although I did not have my kids with me).

The above ground exhibits taught us lots, and we found the air compressor room and the personnel office so worthwhile. So interesting to read the waiver that the employer made all potential employees sign where they agreed to have no Workers’ Compensation, but instead if they got hurt, they would just receive medical care from an organization that the mining company had a private agreement with.
We booked the underground tour based on other reviews, but our particular tour guide seemed to believe his primary goal was to entertain and not to share as much historical information as possible. Due to him, we considered the underground tour an expensive missed opportunity. We did learn some information that interested us by reading signs on ground.

The underground tour seems to be on the top of most visitor's list, but we decided not to due to time constraints. However, the grounds and buildings are fabulous. On a hot summer day, there were few other takers to meander among the vast collection of vintage mining artifacts. Lots to photograph and read.

Very engaging history seeing all of the workings of a mining company town. Highly recommend. It would be great with kids

We had family here from Tennessee, and we took the underground mine tour of the Orphan Girl. Our tour guide was Ken, and he was terrific! What made him terrific? He had great communication skills; he spoke clearly and made the mining terms understandable to everyone on the tour. He explained all of the equipment we encountered. He was personable and had a sense of humor. He warned everyone of potential safety issues and made sure we were all safe. He answered everyone’s questions and wasn’t condescending. The tour was a 10/10! And, Ken, if you’re reading this, Chris F. has nothing on you!!

Mineral exhibit. Old saloon Town recreation. Mining information. Outside and inside exhibits.
Information guide to provide answers to your questions.

Extensive presentation of the mining techniques and equipment by the staff. They were very friendly and knowledgeable about everything at the mining part of the facility. As a retired Mining Engineer I saw that their technical explanations were very accurate and complete.

The Underground Tour of the Orphan Girl Mine was a great experience. We had a very knowledgeable guide who had a lifetime of information about the mining history of Butte. There were some novices on the tour, uncertain about being underground. However, the guide was very good about insuring the safety of everyone. I think it would be safe enough even for school age children.

This is a great mining museum with both indoor and outdoor displays. A big surprise was the multiple block town replicating the typical old mining town. Also don't miss the mining memorial located right outside town that is free to the public.

Excellent tour with Ken. I learned a lot about mining and the trip down to a hundred feet was very interesting. I would recommend this tour if you are in Butte.

Wonderful surprise! The underground tour into the mine is an absolute must. Our guide was FABULOUS - a retired miner himself and his family worked in the Butte mines. The area's volunteers are responsible for this museum reflecting the areas pride.

I was giving a talk for work in Butte and my mom came to visit after for a Montana road trip. We both really enjoyed the museum and especially the Orphan Girl mine tour. The best part was our guide. He was friendly, knowledgeable and funny. We learned a lot and had a great time. We hope to go back with the rest of the family in the future.

The World Museum of Mining is fascinating because Butte claims to be built on the most valuable mountain of minerals and so mining has always been associated with Butte itself. The museum is located on the property of the Orphan Girl Mine and there are wonderful displays and plaques which describe mining in Butte, the evolution of the mining technology and about the lives of the miners themselves and their ethnic and cultural backgrounds. It is another great starting point of a tour of the city because it explains how Butte evolved from very humble beginning to a very well to do city because of the mining industry.

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.

We really enjoyed this tour. Our only mistake is we didn't allow enough time to really take it in which was totally our fault. We did the underground tour on our way out of town. Don't make that mistake. Way too much to see in a short amount of time. If possible take advantage of the two day deal which is available with the underground tour. We'll go back and pay again because we want to see it all!

I absolutely loved it! Rick was a great guide with 35 years of experience as a miner. Going on the underground tour was one of the best parts of my time in Montana.

Had occasion to take a private tour headed up by Logan Dudding. What a colorful tale he wove of Butte’s past, mining, and the life of those who worked in the Richest Hill on Earth. If you are interested in Butte’s history, mining, or some good stories about a wide open mining town, i would highly encourage you to take this tour.

Troy, the tour guide, did a great job describing the workings of the mine and the history of mining in Butte. It was impressive he could maintain his voice so all could hear throughout the tour!

Awesome mine tour done by a middle school teacher descendent of miners and this fella knows his stuff. If stopping in Butte you should definitely do it, but maybe not on St Patricks Day if you are crushing the open beverage town policy.

Some of the best and most authentic collections of early mining life anywhere. You can walk down the streets of an old mining town and feel what life would have been like plus you can even go underground to experience the miner's working life too.

Our guide was very knowledgeable and led our group safely through out the underground mine. But, I suggest highly this tour state it’s a long walk, there is a rather small but steep slippery decline and incline at the mines entrance. We’re both 72 and found it just a bit testie. There were also areas where the ceilings and ground trail were wet even to where my tennis shoes got wet and my top occasionally was dripped on.

The whole family enjoyed the tour, the history was very interesting and great for any age. Definitely worth the time and minimal ticket price.

This place has some amazing buildings and artifacts for the history buff. I was there almost two hours and didn't have enough time to see everything.

We toured the outside area of this museum. It was well done by a army of very dedicated volunteers. In the outside area there is a re-creation of an old 1890s mining town with some intact historic structures. Lots of walking and some stair climbing which is optional. The 100 foot high headframe was very interesting. It is always fascinating to imagine what life was like back then and how hard times must have been. If you don't have time or inclination for the underground section, the outdoor area is worth a visit.

We had a great time at this museum. It isn't the biggest but is very interesting.

We had a guide by the name of Ken, he was just unreal. He ensured that he interacted with everyone on the tour and was good at getting everyone to laugh.

The museum certainly was interesting and makes you wonder how strong these men were in the day.

Not overly expensive.

Would recommend this tour and would do it again.

My wife and I had a great time during the tour. Part of it was above ground explaining hwo things are done at ground level and then we descended to the 100 foot level and saw how miners made their living and the hardships they had to endure.
Our guide was very knowledgeable and patiently answered all our quesitons.

Our guide was friendly and informative, really cool to hear about the miners life and mining in Butte, MT at the time of the most productive copper and silver mining of that era. The museum held many photos and artifacts. The underground tour was the best, we went down 100 ft and could only imagine what it would have been like to go down 2,731 feet. This is a must see and do with family and friends.

We had a great time walking around and on the tour. Ken was our awesome guide. He made it really informative, but also interesting. He was great about taking photos of each group so we left with memories we were in. So much to see! We arrived about 10AM and left just before 2PM. It’s nice you can leave and come back as we had a sandwich in our cooler in the car for lunch. Highly recommend the tour, great value for $25 and easy to reserve ahead on the internet. The walk in and out of the cave was easy. The QR codes on some od the buildings were interesting and quick, so we enjoyed that part. Just walking around all the original mining areas was so cool, esp after the tour so we had an idea what we were experiencing.

The underground mining tour was incredible. Our tour guide was really knowledgeable about mining and had a lot of insight about miniing in Butte and the mechanics of the mine in general. My six year old nephew (who loves trains and infrastructure) had such a good time, and I'll definitely bring family back again.

This was an outstanding tour! Everyone we encountered who worked there was very friendly and extremely knowledgeable. Our tour guide was a young man (who has his own blue hard hat and now lives in Butte!) who knows so much detail about the mine, the geology, the technology and the history of the mine and the copper mining industry in Butte and across the world! It was a very interactive and informative tour. A reasonable price for what you get! A tour that lasts about 75 minutes and the ability to explore the mining town replica on the grounds and the museum inside. You get a hard hat with a light and physically walk under the ground into the mine shaft so it's extremely interactive and tangible which helps you learn and get a real feel for how the miners worked to mine all the minerals we enjoy and use today! Shout out to everyone for a job well done. I'd definitely come back and would certainly recommend it to anyone visiting the Butte area. Definitely worth it!!

What a surprise spot. Very well designed and packed with great information and artifacts . Sorry we didn’t take the underground tour

This museum was a wonderful surprise in the little town of Butte! The set up of it is very cool--it's as if the original miners left all their equipment, and an expert came through and categorized and labeled it all. In addition to the mines and all the equipment, they've built a full recreation of a 1900's old west mining town...for a few bucks extra, you can even go below ground to see some of the actual old mines that have been curated and made safe.

The museum has some sobering spots nearby too--the monument to the miners that lost their lives there is break taking, with THOUSANDS that died in accidents right at that spot.

If you're passing through, definitely check it out--though I'd say it's even worth the hour detour from Yellowstone just to see it and the Berkely Pit nearby.

This place is a lot of fun. You can actually climb up the old mine elevator and see where the ore was deposited and sent down chutes, unless the ore got stuck and was dislodged by dynamite! There is a lot of old equipment to observe. The is a built up town from the era to walk though. We regret not doing the mine tour.

Stay the day, there is so much to see and do. Be sure to go on the tour to the underground mine. Very informative with lots to learn of the history of Butte and the mining industry. How life was for the miners is a hard life of long ago. The tour guide was so fun and made the tour so interesting you didn't want him to stop.

Stopped in today because we had some time to kill. Didn't know what to expect and initially thought it was going to be just one of those hokey places that show what an old mid west town was like in the late 1800s. You walk around the grounds and there are a few streets of old time town stores (doctor, school, post office, blacksmith, etc.). There are also pieces of old equipment and buildings associated with the mine. The highlight of the attraction was the mine tour. We were too late for the 100' tour, so we did the 65' tour. Wow, was that neat! you walk through the mine to a level of 65' below ground level. Our guide was really good, taking time to explain things and answer everyone's questions. Definitely the best part of the tour and made up for the rest of the place. They do have a few rooms inside; one has a rock collection and the other had doll houses, dolls and action figures. Both very cool. I highly recommend stopping by if you are in the area.

I stopped into the museum while vacationing in MT. It was very informative and displayed an excellent part of history of Butte. The mine tour is definitely worth the time as well. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

This was an excellent mining tour. We have taken many others in the past, but this one was more in depth. We got to go farther down in a real environment and the guide was so very knowledgeable.

Wow, I loved this place! We included the underground mining tour on our visit and glad we did! It was fascinating. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and laid-back. I learned so much about mining.
This is a must see in Butte!

Our family went on a whim to check out this experience when visiting Butte, MT and we are glad we did. Though we were somewhat "out of season", the experience was great and our guide was incredibly knowledgeable and quite funny to boot.

I have been to several of these "experiences" around the US and this was most authentic when it came to feeling what miners would have experienced back when the mine was active.

I’ve visited a few years ago and enjoyed the town again. This was my first chance to take the mine tour. Being familiar with mining and working underground, I thought our tour guide very knowledgeable and courteous.
I definitely recommend the underground tour to anyone.

Would have been much more interesting if there had been a docent around for questions. Didn't see anyone affiliated with the museum except the young lady who acted as cashier at the gift shop.

Small tour groups with very knowledgeable and friendly tour guide (George was fantastic). Loaded with information on Butte mining history and the history of the orphan girl mine (you descend to the 100 foot level of this mine). They also have a replica of a mining town and numerous pieces of mining equipment as well as a memorial to the miners list over the years. I think this is a hidden gem and an absolute must if you visit Butte or anywhere even close. Good for all ages an you will not be disappointed!

Super neat tour! Ken the tour guide was the best part he answered any and all questions. Would highly suggest checking the mine out

Opted for the general admission and didn't go into the mine entrance. Both tours let you wander the grounds where there is a reconstructed early mining town with all types of businesses you might have seen including implements and equipment. Relatively well done but can't do more than peer in through the window for most of these. More interesting is the discarded old equipment and machinery used when the mine was active. Seeing the "dry room" where the miners came in to clean up after a shift, take off clothing saturated with acids and oils and silica dust provides an immediacy to the story of their lives. Also on site is information about the worst US mining disaster ever. The photos show the terrible conditions that miners suffered in order to enrich the owners with wealth beyond belief.

Great info. Highly recommend.

The gentlemen who gave the tour was knowledgeable. But you don't get to see much in the 65 ft tour. I was expecting to go down 65ft but that was not the case.
The museum has some nice stuff but not unique in any way. The weather was great so we enjoyed the scenery the rest was okay.

It is a little hard to locate as you have to drive through the college campas to get to the entrance. Once there you will be impressed with all there is to see. I would recommend this during good weather not in winter. You can spend several hours exploring the outdoor exibits. We did take the mine tour which was very easy. No stairs just a decline like a ramp into the ground. The tour guide knew a lot and had some interesting stories. They will provide you with a stafey helmet and lamp. I never did need to put my sweater on. Even the tour guide was in shorts and t-shirt. It was cool but a relief from the summer heat. You could even bring your lunch and hang out if you like as they have a nice clean pavillian area.

Sooooo much fun! Our tour guide went through all the history of the area and answered any Questions. He took us down into the mine and did a few examples of what the mining experiences were like back then- including seeing by candlelight to mine! Holy crap it was dark down there and all you have is your little hard hat for light. When you turn that off it's like another level of depth perception that just vanishes.

It was an awesome experience that I highly recommend! We did have to wear masks the whole time during the tour due to covid but I'm just thankful it wasn't closed as most musems have been on our vacation!

I had never heard of this place but I’m so glad we stumbled on to it!! We took the mine tour and it was a really great experience. Our guides name was Walker and he is a geologist and was very kind and friendly and he was amazing with my 8 year olds. He made the tour fun and informative all at the same time. I’m not one for going into tunnel or cave but I would totally recommend this tour!!

This was amazing! We could explore all kinds of rocks and I took my time to enjoy them.

Some of these stones could be put in the dark and it showed light in different colors.

It was so fascinating.

This is a must see!

We looked forward to this given that we were running thru the town. Unfortunately we visited during Halloween season and they had placed a bunch of Halloween scarecrows around the town which absolutely ruined everything. No change of taking a nice picture without having some
Hideous (some were falling apart) scarecrow in the picture. That pretty much ruined the whole trip. Recommend they do the scarecrow competition to the side next time instead of
Placing them around town

A great review of the down hole & open pit mining methods of the past and present. Great layout, interesting town and lots of mining machinery from the days gone by.

The underground mining tour was awesome. Be sure to reserve ahead of time bc each tour can only have 10 people and we saw multiple people get turned away that didn’t have tickets already. Michael was our guide and he was so nice, funny and knowledgeable. Be sure to wear sneakers or boots as underground can be a bit slippery since it is downhill. Also long pants and a jacket/fleece-pretty cold down there!
The grounds of the museum are just beautiful. I can easily see spending an entire day there. Also, be sure to climb up to the headworks. FYI, your ticket is actually good for 2 days

To start with my wife and I paid for admission ($8.50) but did not pay extra for the underground tour. So we only saw the above ground village. It had many interesting artifacts but very little information- we were not handed a map of what was where, for example. The various recreated businesses and other buildings needed some context. The undertaker's office and the cafe were both tiny. Were these typical of the time or would the actual business have been larger? The cafe was literally too small to eat in. I understand economics may limit the availability of space, but please tell me - "The actual cafe was on 2n street and seated 20 diners" would have helped. Just a few typed placards would have helped me enjoy the museum a lot more.

We had a wonderful time at this museum. The pass gives you two days and we used both of them. We first took the 100' underground tour with a marvelous guide who had worked in the hard rock mines in Butte. After donning hard hats and lamps we walked down the tunnel into the mine. He explained everything, the mining, the timbering, the removal - and answered all questions.
We also took the bus tour of Butte around to all the head frame sites still remaining. Our bus driver was very knowledgeable and also had pictures to show what they used to look like in their prime - back in the late1800's and early 1900's.
We also took some time to walk up into the head frame of the Orphan Girl Mine and down into the underground exhibits which were marvelous.
Finally we walked though the recreated town called Hell Raisin' Gulch, which has several original buildings, a plethora of artifacts and quite a few faithfully recreated buildings.
Very worthwhile and we learned so much about hard rock mining.

My 12 yr old grandson enjoyed the tour and gave it a 10/10. The tour guide did and excellent job and was very knowledgeable. We were rushed because a Girl Scout troop encroach on our time. Recommend.

Extremely interesting underground mine tour. Our guide, Rick, was incredibly knowledgeable and entertaining.

This started as a side step to our main trip, but it turned out to be great. We were early for our tour so we got to meander around the grounds that are a simulated mining town with many antique artifacts that made the experience more realistic. The mine tour itself was informative. Going down only 100 feet was quite an experience. We could not fathom how a miner went down 2,700 hundred feet or more. Our guide lit a candle and we experienced what a miner had for light. Hitting a chisel with a hammer for hours by candlelight gave me a new appreciation for what miners have done for our benefits. Highly recommend this tour.

I can't say enough about how much I enjoyed this experience. For the price it was well worth it. I took the 100ft tour so went down the mine to the second level; definitely worth it since you get the 65ft portion as well. The tour guide was very informative and made it interesting. Even without the mine tour I though the recreated town and actual mine site self-guided tour was wonderful. Worth seeing if in Butte.

My grandfather and great uncle worked in the Butte mines, so this experience was all the more powerful. My two children also loved the experience. They are 12 and 13 and hard to please, but this was captivating for all of us. This tour is well worth the money.

My husband and I went on the underground tour in August 2021. It was entertaining and informative and I’m very glad we did it. The Guide was excellent and had many interesting historical facts and stories to share with us. There was a lot of in-depth mining information included in this tour, more than I was expecting. The guide also did an excellent job of including the children in our group. Groups are capped at eight. Tickets can be hard to get, plan ahead and pre-purchase them.

I forgot the name of our guide but he had a mustache and dark hair working on 3/12. Anyway, he did a wonderful job and was very informative. He made sure that the little ones got to see and hear it all and got to participate. Answered all the questions and seemed to really enjoy giving the tour. The tour itself was really well put on. Lots of interesting history and once it was over you really did feel like you left modern times for a bit. The mine part was awesome, very interesting to actually get to go down benieth the surface seeing and feeling what its like. Some of the other features wer still closed being the off season but we will return in the summer to check other other parts. Well worth it.

We only spent 2 hours here but could have easily spent twice that much. Our guide for the tour had great personal stories that just increased your curiosity about working and living in this area back in the day. What a great collection and thanks for sharing.

Excellent tour of the mine and grounds. Excellent tour guide who was very knowledgeable. Guide told us about other mines in Butte and the history of the mines and miners.

Good stop to learn about the Copper mines an d history of Butte!
Reasonably priced self tour. Guided tour available.

I took this tour as a child in grade school and loved it enough to return maaaany years later with my wife and we both loved it. Much better as the information given means so much more as an adult. Great for kids. Fantastic for anyone interested in mining, Montana, history or everything in between.

The guide was great, but much of the museum was lacking. The impression that I got was that most of the displays were just there with no explanation as to what it was, how it was used, why it was there. It just seemed like it was half done.

Step back into the early days of mining in Montana. Great underground tour with our guide Ken. Very informative and interesting. Incredible to see the conditions that so many early miners wored under and the technology they used. There is a recreation of an early fronteir town with amazing exhibits. Great way to spend a few hours and suitable for all age groups over 6 years of age. Would recommend.

This was a great mine to visit as we took the tour below ground. This was an actual working mine in the day. We had a top notch mine tour guide who is a local school teacher and his family where all miners. The town has some original buildings, most were brought in to provide an authentic feel. You can walk the streets and feel like you are back in time.

Great take when in the Butte area.

Very interesting stop on our car trip across the country. Our tour guide was very informative and really wanted us to have a good experience. He even took 2 different opportunities to set up photo opportunities for us and took our pictures. Everyone should learn of this foundational occupation that is a backbone of our economy.

We enjoyed a great tour of this museum. The guide who took us deep into the old copper mine was excellent. The exhibit also includes a recreated 1890 mining town. Other parts of the museum include many gems and other rocks from around the world. Also a good collection of old dolls.

While staying in Helena, I drove to Butte hoping to learn more about the mining tradition and industry in Montana. This World Museum of Mining was a disappointment. It is a rather faded dusty replication supposedly of an old mining community. There is very poor signage to explain the purpose of the various structures. There is a lot of mining equipment which could be of interest to a mining-buff. I had planned to go down into one of the mine shafts, but when I found out that it was an hour tour and the temperature is a constant 45 degrees, I knew that I hadn't brought a jacket and so I cancelled that part of the tour.

First and foremost, make reservations to go into the mine. It is an hour and a half tour full of facts and stories. Give yourself an hour prior to the tour to experience the mining town. The buildings are equipped with appropriate era items that match the purpose of the building. If possible request “tour guide Tim.” Wow did he do a great job! Thanks Tim!

I did the 65 ft level tour. I wish I did the 100ft level tour instead. 65 Ft did not feel like we went very deep into the mine. The tour guide was very informative and was able to answer questions. The museum is cute with old buildings and displays of what it may have looked like in the earlier 1900s. I definitely would return to do the longer tour next time.

There is much to see. The tour in the mine is a must do! The gide was energetic and knew very much about the history of mining.

What a memorable experience! Out tour guide, Kenny, was exceptional--even took time to be sure we had personal pix of this heartfelt experience. Miners had a hard life, maybe the most difficult job about which i've learned. The mining companies in Butte offered nothing for these incredible men or their families once they left--whether upright or lying down. Take the time to understand.

Very interesting museum! Great underground tour and very knowledgeable tour guide. It is worth the money. We have learned so much about mining and the hard life of the miners.

The restored village was really awesome, though you can't enter the shops and restored houses, just look inside them through the windows.
The outer area of the mine was rather disappointing... Lots of old metal stuff but no signs describing what you see. I assume that with a guided tour it is more interesting. We didn't go into the mine itself.

This was much more than I expected. The mining part of the museum was very informative. I now have a much bigger appreciation for miners. Great displays and “real” stuff from the old days all over the place. Besides that, there was a re-creation of Hell Roaring Gulch from the old days, complete with supplies and goods displayed in the various stores. These could have been better lighted as they were somewhat hard to view through dark windows, but still nice. A bonus was the mineral display - not as huge as the mineral museum up the street, but very beautiful and engrossing. This is definitely a worthwhile place to spend half a day.

An interesting and intriguing place although it's not really "the world" of mining as it really just focusses on mining in and around Butte in Montana. But it has aspirations. But there is lots of see and it is worth visiting. Along with all the mining meorabilia, there is a re-created fronrtier town which is great to wandre round and expore.
We decided against the undergroung tour (we've done similar elsewhere), but that is an added bonus for those who are not claustrophobic.

So much I didn't know about the mining industry or the history of the industry. Very nice staff and gift shop and well worth the tour.

Guided underground tour pretty interesting. Reservations required, and desk was very accommodating when we had to reschedule at last minute

We stopped here to take a tour of the Museum and a tour of the mine. The museum has a lot to see, a replica old mining town, cars, mining equipment and exhibits, and mining tower / shaft that you can actually go inside. We took one of two tours and thoroughly enjoyed it. The guide was very knowledgeable and explained things as we went two stories down on a walking tour. Great tour.

Great tour and guide! If you are in Butte, it's worth the time to learn about mining history of the area. The descent in to the mine was a bit challenging but doable. I used good walking shoes and walking poles.
Would go back to learn more.

10/10 would recommend! My partner and I took a little work-away vacation in Helena, and in looking for things to do around the area, soon realized we were out of season for most of them. In searching for Museums, this one came up and we decided to venture out an hour to go see what it was all about.

We were not sure what to expect but we were absolutely impressed. The team of volunteers and sponsors, story tellers, former miners, architects and creatives that built this gem of a museum deserve applause. We spent over 5 hours in this interactive museum, admiring the attention to detail in each of the stores, learning about the real shop owners via the QR codes located in the windows. Mind you, only two of those hours were taken up by the tour.

Plan to spend your day here! There is so much to learn. We decided to tour the grounds first before our tour and it only got better from there. Our tour guide, a former miner was so knowledgeable and engaging and absolutely AMAZING. He provided another layer of context for the mock miner community before heading into the Orphan Girl Mine. He taught us the various methods miners used throughout the years of this industry, including a candlelight demonstration that made our mouths drop in disbelief (I won't spoil it the tour for those of you who haven't gone yet).

Our group was the last of the day, and he asked us if it was okay if he shared two more stories, even though that would have added time to our tour. No one was in protest and we all sat there listening intently like we were all back in storytime in grade school.

All in all, this place is definitely a gem. Whether you are a history buff, want to learn more about an industry that served as a building block for this nation, or you need something interactive to do with your family, this is a must see for anyone in the general Butte vicinity looking to get your hands dirty with some amazing local history without breaking the bank.

Excited to go back again and see the other museum installations!

Really cool tour wish seen more minerals in the mine but Ken our tour guy was awesome knowledgeable and funny worth the tour and that

Our tour guide was extremely knowledgeable about the mine's history. The replica mining town was very interesting. Its a define stop if your planning a trip to Helena. Kids will love it!

The Underground Mine Tour is worth the time. Our tour guide was cheerful and informative. Handrails are available for most of the tour.

As a resident of Montana, I'm questioning why I've put off going on this tour for so long! Very knowledgeable tour guide who made sure he checked in with all of us to ensure we were enjoying ourselves and learning something. I especially appreciate the guide was willing to help take our pictures.

I stopped in Butte for the night as it was the half way point between Seattle and Mt. Rushmore. What a suprise to discover the World Mining Museum. This place was wonderful. I went down in the mine 100 feet. It was educational. They have a small town set up back in the day of mining. It was fun to walk through the town and see all of the old fashioned things in each building. Free parking. Museum admission $19 for 100 foot level.

What a great tour. Guide was very knowledgeable of the history of the mine and surrounding. We took part in the under ground tour, a must do for anyone visiting, especially from Australia - this is something we would not experience in AU. It was cold and down there, so take a jumper! I have young adult, the both enjoyed the experience also. Unfortunately the weather went bad and we didn't completely see the entire museum, so not many photos were taken.

Never expected that I would go down 100 feet into a mine shaft. Guide was informative but repeated himself a bit much. The old mining town was very neat to tour. Would definitely stop again. Well worth the money.

Ken was a great guide. He had a lot of history about the mine and mining industry. There were lots of neat old western buildings also. Fun place to visit.

Excellent. Guide was a great storyteller. Learned a lot about the history of Butte and mining in Wyoming. Tour was not strenuous.

Interesting tour with knowledgeable tour guide. There were many interesting displays in the various buildings.

A decent museum of a part of US history that everyone should know about. It was hard to imagine the work conditions back then and how so many men risked and ultimately sacrificed their health and lives to make a living on supplying our country essential minerals.

As for what’s on site now and what visitors can ‘experience’, Cherry Wonderdog gives the museum a satisfactory rating. To begin, most of the town was a collection of stores in replicas that we could not enter. Peering through glass has its limitations. Even the “orchestrion” player-piano (at cost) was covered in faded glass. The mining apparatus seemed mostly authentic as was the mine and the towering structure above it. Signage was mixed – sometimes there was too much, sometimes not enough.

In general, I felt like more could be done rather than throw together a bunch of stuff from the era and have visitors fend for themselves to make sense out of the mishmash. For example, there could have been an introductory film of 5-10 minutes to set the context and explain what people were about to see. Even better, there could have been at least ONE staff member wandering the premises to answer questions. A museum like this begs for teaching, and presuming that everyone can educate themselves intelligently is unrealistic. It’s not fair that the only teaching comes from a guided door at additional cost, especially when the tours are so few and far between.

One of the most interesting museums my wife and I have visited in quite a while. Well worth a few hours of our time. Our guide, Bobbie, was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic. He was good with all ages in the tour group, ages 5-70. We will bring friends to see this when they visit us in Montana. Butte and the mines have a fascinating history and this museum does a great job of sharing the area's rich history.

Great Museum, even better u derground tour. Really worth visiting. Staff is very friendly and the have loads of information to share. Loved it!

The Orphan Girl mine tour we took was well worth it! To see how the mine operates and how hard the miners worked was very interesting. Our guide, Ken, was very informative and made it a fun adventure! I definitely recommend this and am actually going again with my husband.

We took the mine tour and our guide was a 7th grade teacher. Note: his students must love him. He was knowledgeable, interesting and fun for both kids and adults. We didn't have time to wait for the 100 ft. level tour, so we took the earlier 60ft. level tour. As we are rockhounds and mine enthusiasts, we didn't learn a lot of new things, but we found the tour to give us a lot of local facts and would recommend it to folks with kids. After the tour, be sure to save time to look around the old town. They've done a great job.

Been down 100ft in a silver mine lately? Thought not! Unique & unusual tour led by veteran mining brainiac Scott from Montana Tech. Knows his stuff -- from drilling & blasting to mules & the honey pot. Full 90 minutes of listening, looking, walking into & out of the mine wearing your handy dandy headlamp. I give it a solid silver medal!

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Kind of a tourist trap, Expensive for what we saw, had some educational value. May not be a place for elderly as walking into mine was slick.

There is so much history and a variety of collections to see at this museum. We went on one of 2 mine tours offered (a stroll down 65 feet led by the wonderfully entertaining and knowledgeable Raven) and were able to relay our enjoyable experience to our local friends!

I was there for ghost hunt lockdown which I'm a paranormal investigator. It's awesome place to visit the old historic place. Great story of mining. I love it and I would go back to visit this place again!

Stopped in on a whim, we were not disappointed. If you are ever in Butte, take the time to visit. The real mine tour is a most see and the guides are knowledgeable and very interesting.

We did a guided tour with Scott who was excellent. He walked with us around the mining grounds, explained the equipment and how the hoists work, and finally took us into the underground mine. We found the underground portion to be very interesting. It is only accessible with a guided tour - so we highly recommend getting a guided tour. Afterwards we walked around the town and also climbed up the stairs of the Headframe. It was a very interesting and enjoyable trip. We highly recommend it!

Our family thoroughly enjoyed the mine tour going to the 100 ft level. Our guide was fun and knowledgeable about the history of the area and mining itself. It was a fun, educational experience and we would highly recommend it to others.

A lot of visitors, but I'm not convinced it was worth the fee. You just sort of wander around, not quite know what you are covering, where to go, or what to see. Some of the buildings had a cut out or step in the door area, where you could look into the room, but others did not. Some had limited signage and descriptions; others had not. We just sort of wandered and wondered about the buildings that didn't have a sign outside stating the purpose, even with the signs, we still had to make up our own scenario. Most had dirty windows so, even there was some sort of explanation, you couldn't really see it or the display. It would have been helpful for the few displays to be in larger text for easier viewing too. Very difficult for someone with mobility issues to access; one sideway had has a ramp, but others had uneven board sidewalks, limited railing on the sidewalk or steps, and pretty much non-existent rails for assistance on the doorways with a step inside for viewing. My sister finally ended up just sitting on one of the rare benches. We did get a sense of individual personalized contact with the description of the Chinese laundry owner whose family contacted him about sending money home. We enjoyed looking at the mine equipment and wanted to see more exhibits on the lives and jobs of the miners.

If you like dollhouses or collectibles, you may like that; the houses were intricate and extensive; I couldn't believe the number of pop entertainment figures!

We didn't really know about the mine tours; but those might have been interesting. You have to put your name on a list.

I was expecting this place to be a bit boring to anyone who didn’t have an interest in mining. What a shock I was in for.
It’s a well laid out and informative history of mining that includes hands on displays, examples of equipment, a replica mining town and so much more.
As you enter there’s a terrific display of doll house sized rooms that depict life during the time the mines were operating.
There’s also a memorial with all the names of miners who lost their lives in cave ins and accidents and we were able to find the name of one of my husbands ancestors who worked there in the early 1900s.
We were very glad we stopped.

Totally worth the extra money for the under-grand tour! We spent about an hour looking around before our guided tour started.

Ken was an amazing tour guide! He gave a lot of the history of the mine before we went underground. He has a great sense of humor and interacted with our group in a fun way. He was also very safety concious and made sure we all observed the rules. We learned so much about Butte mining and would recommend this tour to anyone who is a history buff!

What a wonderful and informative place! The mining history of Butte is explained in detail and the lives of the miners as well. I loved all the old photos and their descriptions. The" living history town" was so well organized and it really gave a glimpse of what life must have been like in early Butte. If you enjoy looking at various rocks, minerals and ores, you will want to see their large collection. There is also a display of many old, handmade dollhouses and cabins and the miniature furnishings are amazing.
The Underground Tour is fabulous and NOT scary. The guide was so knowledgeable, kept a comfortable pace, and I felt very safe. We were told, when we made reservations, to wear closed toe shoes with good soles and take jackets and we were happy we did because the ground was wet in spots and the mine was cool. The underground was really like walking upright in a large cave, certainly not in narrow shafts.
The local Rotary Club maintains the landscaping and the large grassy picnic area with well maintained picnic tables. There are also modern, clean restrooms.

Amazing opportunity to get up close to a piece of industrial history that empowered the USA during the late 19th and early 20th century. Butte America, with a workforce made up of immigrants from over 50 countries, has a rich mining and trade union history. The mining museum tour was excellent and the photo archives are amazing. A celebration of a time when America welcomed immigrants who built the nation as well as the hardship they went through as the Copper Kings lived lavish lives above ground!

Great little diversion and rest stop on our way from Yellowstone to Glacier. We spent about 2 hours between the tour into the mine and walking the small town on site peeking through the windows and doors to see artifacts from the mining era. The tour started with a discussion of the mine’s history and name at the gazebo before walking into the mine. There was a fairly steep ramp going in (and uphill going out) but a member of our party had 2 artificial knees and had no problem with the grade except that he held arms with his wife. He was about age 70 if that helps and medium weight. Once the short grade leveled out more, other than some wet spots and loose stones, we had no problem navigating the mine. It was about 40-45 degrees inside but on this very hot day, it felt great to most of us, although I tied my sweatshirt around my waist just in case. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable about the mine and its operations as well as mining in the area. We asked specifically about the clean up at the Super Fund site in Butte and he gave us the background and progress there. If you have time, we recommend the tour.

We weren't sure what to expect from this museum, and it turned out to be surprisingly fascinating. We spent about 4 hours exploring, and there were plenty of sections that we barely delved into. The mine components and equipment (both current/functional and historic) are really interesting, and most items have helpful signs that explain what the equipment was used for. We loved being able to walk around inside the headframe and touch all the old equipment. The information was all incredibly thorough, from the mechanical specifications of various hoists to a detailed display about the evolution of miners' headlamps. The mine tour was well done (we did the 65 foot) with a nice interactive presentation. Although it covered a lot of the same information that was presented in displays elsewhere, hearing it in the context of stories about Butte miners made it all much more vivid.

The reconstructed town was a surprising highlight for us. While visitors are not allowed to actually go in the buildings, they are fully outfitted and chock full of interesting artifacts and displays which can be seen through the windows. I particularly enjoyed the medical offices with their gruesome equipment, but there's something for everyone -- a millinery shop with period clothing and advertisements, a tobacco shop, a Chinese laundry and herb shop with descriptions of the medicinal values of the plants, a school, etc. Many of the artifacts are directly connected to local history, like the cabbage chopping equipment displayed in the sauerkraut factory that was used by the Sauerkraut King of Anaconda.

The pricing / ticketing description on the website was a little confusing. I thought we needed to pay separately for the tour and the entry fee, but I bought our tour tickets online for $10 per person and when we arrived we were told this included entry to the museum as well, which was a nice surprise.

We were in the area and looking for something to do, when we came across the World Mining Museum. It was a GREAT experience, you actually get to go down into a mine. Plus they have an old mining town that includes countless actual antique items. Very much recommended if in town.

The WMM is a great place to learn about all the mining things you see around Butte. The museum consists of three parts. There is the smallish museum building, where you go to pay. It contains several small rooms of geology exhibits and a lot of old photos (don't miss the picture sequence by the door as you head out back where a horse is being lowered into a mine). The second part is out back of the museum building where there is a re-creation of an old west town. Here you can wonder around and look inside the buildings, like the doctor's office, the bank, the school house, etc. - all containing many period pieces. From the village you go the the third area, which is the old mine yard. Warning: keep an eye on children in the mine yard, it is definitely not kid-proof.
I highly recommend doing an underground tour and calling ahead to reserve your spots before arriving, especially if you will be going late in the day. If you do an underground tour, you will get a guided tour through the mine yard on your way to the entrance to the mine. I recommend doing that first and then exploring the head frame building and the rest of the mine yard in more detail after the tour.

Well, it is a great museum about the history of mining in Butte, Montana. However, to call it the "World Museum of Mining" is totally misleading! I enjoyed finding out about the history of mining in the area. It has some very family friendly areas, and so I actually loved it, but it should change its name.

The tour guide ken, was very informative and funny. He made the tour. We also like the replicas of the stores of days gone by.

Highly recommend booking and taking the small group tour ahead of time. It is the tour that goes into the mine (about 45 min above ground and then about 45 min in the mine). Our tour guide was Chase. He had the spirit and energy to share so much. He was great. We learned so much.

Be sure to stop here if you visit Butte. Butte was built on mining, and most people really have no idea what it takes to get minerals and ore out of the ground.

Great opportunity to get the whole family to enjoy a fascinating interactive piece of Butte history.

This was a great Butte experieince! The mine tour was very interesting, and our tour guide (Troy) was both knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the topic. Going 100 ft down was super cool, and being able to wander "hell-roarin' gulch" was so awesome-could've spent the whole day there!!

Fantastic tour! Knowledgeable guide, cool experience, and plenty of opportunity to take photos. Love the little recreated town on sight too. Would definitely go again and recommend to solo travelers, couples, families, etc.

We had a great tour guide who took us through the mine. The ghost town section was not that interesting so I would definitely not visit without paying for the tour.

I stopped here on a fluke a while back and VERY glad I did. The number of things to learn here of mining the area is endless. And ad to the times all the machinery was developed you will gain new found respect for the scale we were willing to do things back then....yes, take the time, get yer face outa yer phones and explore this museum to the fullest extant available.

Wonderful tour, with a Great, engaging tour guide! All our kids (14,12 and 9) had a great time, and we did too!

Having read the book Fire and Brimstone about the 1917 mine disaster and accompanying labor disputes in Butte, we found the visit here fascinating. The exhibits, including those around an old head-frame and the reconstituted mining town, were very interesting, but even better was the underground tour. We were only able to schedule the 65-foot-level one, but that was vivid enough. Our guide was a young man who works as a teacher during the school year, and he was lively and informative. We were especially happy that he wove into the visit some of the history of the events of 1917. This place gets at the heart of Butte.

What a great experience getting to see and learn more about underground mining with a guide as knowledgeable as Ken, who put up with my countless questions. I greatly regret that time travel doesn't exist and won't allow me to visit Butte in the palmy days of its mining past when the Orphan Girl and the hundreds of other mines were in daily operation. But visiting your museum is how I nevertheless enjoy the rich history of western mining and better appreciate what the miners did, how they did it, and how they lived---and how some died. I've enjoyed visiting your museum many times but am always anxious to return as I always discover something I had not noticed or understood. Well done!!

I'll admit, I was reluctant to tour the museum of mining, but went on the underground tour because my husband really wanted to do it. Our guide was personable and informative and the tour - which was 1.5 hours - was well worth it. I really enjoyed it! The whole place is well done. You can also tour a replica of an old mining town and it was a fun experience. We spent about 3 hours in the place and then got some recommendations for some local cuisine and made a day of being in Butte, MT. This was a day trip from our week in MT where the majority of the week was spent in Yellowstone National Park.

It was a nice museum. There is not much to do in Butte, so this was on my list of things. I wish I had known that they took people down the mining shaft, but I missed the last tour. The mineral collection is fantastic. The mining town seemed to be artificial, but the mining equipment was real! And it is mind blowing how technologically advanced all of it was! And how less the owners cared about the miners. It is worth a visit (about $8) if you have time.

We had a great afternoon exploring the World Mining Museum! There are a great variety if things to see, both about hard rock mining and life in Butte 100+ years ago. The underground tour was fascinating!

Don't miss this museum! It's absolutely fascinating, very educational, and we've never seen so much equipment and buildings available to roam around (outdoors). We learned so much about Butte's mining history that we would never have otherwise known. There's something for all ages and all interest levels.

I worked on some of these exhibits so that made me curious, All still standing since 72 and much more .A must see if in Butte lots of hard work put in and great exhibits of our history

We loved the World Museum of Mining! Our underground tour was fascinating and history was brought to life by our tour guide. The replica town and being able to see all the equipment was awesome. I especially enjoyed the memorial to all the fallen miners. This was a great experience for everyone in my family.

I thoroughly enjoyed this museum. The displays are very informative and the engineering marvels are astounding this is a great place for anyone interested in mining and mechanical things

The museum is basically a mock mining town, you can look in the windows of the buildings and some have entry ways you can stand in to see inside, not too bad but the best part was the mine tour. Since the mines are flooded you can only go down to 100 ft or 65 ft. I arrived late afternoon so I could only do the 65 ft tour. Thy man who led the tour was amazing - I wish I could have retained a fraction of the information he told us. it was really fascinating. There is also and Underground Mining exhibit that goes over a lot of what we learned on the tour. I think it was $15 for the museum and tour, it's pretty much all outdoors so check the weather before you go.

If there is a better mining mining museum on this earth, I would love to know where it is. The one-hour mine tour was spectacular, informing, and unique. There is an amazing collection of mine machinery. This is a stop that is well worth driving out of the way for.

This is a must-do in Butte! Take the tour to the one of the lower levels to get the real experience of a miner.

If you've seen one of the other mind shafts in town, you've seen all you need to know. No price ddiscount for seniors and town looks rather small and shabby. Did not want to take tour (which was $15.00) so I decided to leave.

The tour is so very interesting! Our guide (older gentleman) was full of wonderful stories and information ! (He actually worked the mines in Butte for a while !)
Jeanette (the Director) was fantastic to work with on the phone... I had some questions before I booked the tickets. WORTH EVERY PENNY !!

My husband and I took the tour with approx. 10 other people, Ken was our tour guide who was excellent in every way. He was very knowledgeable, patient and had a good sense of humor! He took us through the underground and stopped along the way to give us a little history. He also offered to take pictures of anyone who choose at different points on the tour. The tour was approx. 90 minutes long and we enjoyed every minute of it. I highly recommend this tour.

Had visited the visited the museum back in the early 2000s with the entire family and loved it them. Revisited it on 6/15/24, did the underground tour for the 1st time, and loved it. We learned many new things from our excellent guide Ken. I highly recommend a visit to the World Museum of Mining AND the underground tour to anyone visiting Butte "The Richest Hill on Earth" MT. It's well worth your time.