Sterling Hill Mining Museum and the Franklin Mineral Museum
National Historic Landmark · Ogdensburg, New Jersey
Two museums three miles apart in Sussex County sitting on THE MOST MINERALOGICALLY DIVERSE PLACE ON EARTH — the Franklin-Sterling Hill zinc district has yielded around 360 distinct mineral species, roughly thirty-five of them first discovered here and about ninety that fluoresce, which is more than anywhere else on the planet. STERLING HILL WAS THE LAST OPERATING UNDERGROUND MINE IN NEW JERSEY, worked until 1986 and opened as a museum in 1990, and you walk a third of a mile into the workings. THE RAINBOW TUNNEL IS THE POINT: the lights go off, the ultraviolet comes on, and the rock walls blaze green and red.
30 Plant Street, Ogdensburg, New Jersey, 07439, United States
TWO SEPARATE MUSEUMS THREE MILES APART WITH TWO SEPARATE TICKETS — there is no combined admission and no shuttle. STERLING HILL IS UNDERGROUND-GUIDED-ONLY on a fixed daily timetable, so check the times and arrive for a departure; outside a tour there is only the surface exhibit. Roughly $14-$20 at Sterling Hill, $8-$12 at Franklin with an extra charge to collect on the mine dump, where you keep what you find. BOTH KEEP SEASONAL AND LIMITED HOURS with weekend-only or closed periods in winter — check both before driving ninety minutes. The mine is a constant 56°F, so bring a jacket in any season; a hard hat is issued and must be worn. Free parking at both.
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