California State Mining & Mineral Museum

Great collection, some nice specimens. old and tired displays, but certainly worth a look through. We were the only two there on a slow Saturday afternoon… but it was nice to take a gander at all the pieces and exhibits. I hope they’re able to spruce this place up a bit and make it a more popular attraction.

I’m sure the desolate location has something to do with the highly rated reviews because this museum was average. Even the mine shaft exhibit which sounded unique and a fun thing to see ended up being like walking through a dirty alley.
I had recently been to the superior Gem and Mineral Hall at the Natural History Museum in Los Angeles which jaded me (pun intended) because the National History Museum has more on display except for the 13.8-pound Fricot «Nugget» of crystallized gold. Oops. That unique part of the Mining & Mineral Museum wasn’t on display and won’t be until they can improve the security of the nugget. Of course, it would have been nice if the state website had said that before I went out of my way to come here.
Located at the main entrance to the county fairgrounds, Mariposa is a terrible location for the state gem collection. If you are driving by or somehow staying in Mariposa, it’s worth the 45 minute stop, but don’t go out of your way like we did. It only confuses me more why this collection was moved away from San Francisco’s Ferry Building which was an incredibly accessible location.

Great place to see some excellent samples of minerals, etc from California and around the world. Really cool replica of a Gold Rush era mineshaft. Staff was very helpful and informative. Low admission, $ 4 per adult, for a great couple of hours of learning. Plus it is located right outside historic Mariposa main street area. Between the two, you can spend the better part of a morning or afternoon. And then get something to eat at one of the establishments in town … Enjoy…

A fun couple of hours

This was a very good museum and the staff was very friendly and knowledgeable.

Although I don’t get super excited about rocks & minerals, this museum is a great little gem! The staff (just one ranger that day) was really nice and very informative. You can tell he really loves his job. There are examples of lots of the native (and non-​native) minerals and rocks, and mining artifacts. Learning about how mining was done in the 18 – 1900’s was very interesting. We used our knowledge from the mineral examples to pan for gold the next day!

Loved this place. There are many different rocks and minerals from all over the world. The best part was the mine dug into the mountain attached to the museum.
Sadly, this museum is slated to be closed in 2012 due to our government’s inability to control their spending on bureaucratic nonsense.

We loved taking the kids here. They have a junior ranger program that helps the kids learn about the gems and minerals on display. Neat mine shaft andminerals mini stamp mill. Great way to pass the day.

Great museum, Set up with a self guided walking tour. You could spend hours there. Great original artifacts and the docents are fun to talk too. Great for kids too.

Fun spot on a not so busy day! It is true the guy w/​curly hair was awesome. Your will learn a lot of good info about the area!

We came here this weekend during the Mariposa Gem & Mineral show. We had such a great time! It happened to be a free weekend, too, so it was that much better.
This museum houses unique mineral and rock specimens from around the state. It is also focused heavily on their many uses to us.
I have always liked rocks and minerals, but you don’t have to in order to find this museum fascinating! There were so many things I had never heard of, and all the plaques around the displays were really informative. There were even neat little interactive things. They also had a fun scavenger hunt for kids to keep them interested as they explored the museum.
California’s gold rush is an important part of our history. Mariposa is the southern end of the famed Mother Lode, the areas where much gold was discovered (and much more is waiting to be discovered!). I have visited mining museums around the state, but this one was the most extensive.
They have a long tunnel you can walk through which is an example of what mining life was like. There was a warning on the door that there was mold inside and people with severe allergies and asthma-​like me-shouldn’t enter. Don’t tell my asthma doctor, but I had to go through just to see what it was like. It was like the gold mine ride at Knott’s Berry Farm, but much mustier and moldier. The smell hit me like a truck, so I ran through the tunnel with my shirt over my face. Still fun!
Anyway, head up to Mariposa for a fun day trip. Beautiful scenery, and very fun and interesting museum. We rockhounds loved it, but you don’t have to be a geology geek to appreciate it and have fun.

We had an amazing experience at this museum primarily due the the state park employee with curly hair. He has an intrinsic love and comprehensive knowledge of geology that made our experience at the museum incredible. The museum has a beautiful collection but this person makes it real and tangible.

We loved this small museum that had amazing specimens! They have over 20,000 items but only display about 250 at a time. We had the opportunity to see the rare Benitoite which is only found in San Benito County, CA.