UW Geology Museum – a Relic of a Good Time in Madison!
Rocks, meteors, fossils, even dinosaur bones--you name it, the University of Wisconsin Geology Museum has it. I go there at least once a year, with about 40 six and seven year-olds in tow. And we are never bored.
This is where you can check out Wisconsin's geologic history in all its glory. While some items are behind glass, there's still lots you can touch. How cool is it to sit on a million year old petrified tree stump? Well, okay, maybe not a million years old. Or is it? Anyway, it's really, really old.
The gems and minerals will take your breath away. Who knew the earth could be so creative? You'll see dramatic examples of sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous rocks in colors and shapes you could never have imagined forming naturally in the earth.
You'll definitely want to check out the Glow-In-The Dark rock room. You'll think these rock have been painted, but they haven't. Their coloring under ultraviolet light is natural and awesome. All those little atoms dancing and bouncing around under the light is apparently what causes this amazing phenomenon. What I want to know is, who discovered rocks could do this? They look like just plain ol' rocks when they're under plain ol' light. Flip on the Black Light, and...well, you have to see it to believe it.
The dinosaur and mastodon bones are truly awesome to behold. The mastodon was dug up by a family of kids on a Wisconsin farm over a hundred years ago. The tyrannosaurus skull makes you feel small, kind of like food for thought, or for a hungry dinosaur. And of course, there's the dino poop. What kind of museum would it be without a blob of coprolite?
And, you can get a peek at how the paleontologists (those are dinosaur scientists, just in case you're not up on your Jurassic terminology) work. There's a window into their workshop where they are usually cleaning something awesome, like the bones of a triceratops or a t-rex.
This geology museum in Madison is definitely worth a visit. Maybe two or three! (I won't tell you how many times I've been there, but it's a lot). Their website is pretty cool, too.
- Museum Hours: M-F 8:30-4:30, Sat. 9:00-1:00
- Self-guided tours are FREE
- 1215 W. Dayton St., Madison
- Located at the corner of Charter and W. Dayton Streets on campus
