rice nw museum of rocks and minerals

The location of this museum can come as a surprise: tucked into a luscious fir forest is a mid-century, almost sprawling, single-story home built with loving care of gorgeous flagstone. Nothing significant hides that this was once a dream home not far from Portland. Yet you might miss the beautiful woodwork and interesting floors when you are dazzled by the array of rocks. A whole new meaning comes to light when you remember Charlie Brown saying "I got a rock" in his holiday stocking. These rocks are not just the color palette of Mother earth as painter, but also the tantalizing texture of the tales of what might lie beneath your feet.Go. Go again. It's worth it. It's fun, pretty, peaceful, and an education. Not to mention a gift store.

This is a must stop for those with an interest in gems. It is a vast collection of some spectacular specimens. From meteorites, petrified wood, moon rocks, a rock from Mars, to fossilized dinosaur eggs, this place will entertain and educate.

It's also great for the architecture and beautiful country setting. There are many specimens chosen for beauty including a very impressive collection of petrified wood. I liked it as well as the Smithsonian's exhibit.

I was very surprised by the huge variety of objects. Rocks from all over the world, not just Hillsboro. Everything is labeled with name of rock, original location, properties within the rock. Some are lit by black lights so they glow in pretty colors. There are examples of gold and gemstones cut in a large array of shapes. Little kids may get bored pretty fast but older kids and adults will like this.

We have lived within 5 miles of the museum for several years and finally took the time to visit it.We were totally surprised by how extensive the quantity and quality of the rocks on display were.A great experience for All ages.

Nice little museum of a personal rock collector. Specimens from around the world and from every geological age. Nice country drive to get there and a rock pile for kids to dig around in.

A Sunday afternoon, Feb. 8, 2015, gave us the opportunity to view the Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals, an amazing display. Raised as a child going to rock and mineral shows, this by far surpassed anything I had ever seen. Near Highway 26 in Hillsboro, OR, West of Portland, though small compared to most attractions, it is a must see. The collection originally begun in 1938 by Richard and Helen Rice grew to encompass their basement, then their house, and finally was donated to the public. The collection is housed in what used to be the Rice home.Check the hours Wednesday through Sunday and start at the middle building, the small but well stocked store, to purchase your tickets. I felt the moderate admission price was appropriate to the amazing collection.Though we toured the museum with three granddaughters, and it held their interest, adults or seniors would enjoy a more leisurely pace. Some aspects we especially enjoyed were the amazing Northwest collection, the building on the right from the store. It contained the largest opal-filled thunderegg in the world. In the house I loved the display of meteorites, as I collect them myself. The rainbow gallery of rocks and minerals exposed them to untraviolet light, revealing stunning colors. The display of agates and stunning mineral formations was beautiful. The pertified wood gallery not only exhibited sizeable pieces of petrified wood, but stunning polished sections. The fossil gallery was another amazing feature, including dinosaur eggs.Enjoy this stunning collection and take your time.

We incorporated Rice Museum into a day long birthday/anniversary event with friends following wine tasting and to end up at Helvetia Tavern with even more friends. We didn't allow enough time and virtually had to tear ourselves away from this interesting and captivating museum.

My BFF asked if we would join her as she is an avid rock and stone collector. We are so pleased with this little gem (pun intended)! We have been meaning to stop there for some time too and really glad we did. We explored every room, with the help of the nice host who kept us clued in to what was special in each room and what was to come. So many beautiful pieces and great stories of our NW rock hounds, My daughter enjoyed it too and we left with some really great rocks from the gift store. Recommended for sure.

If you like rockhounding and looking a some wonderful geological specimens this is the place to go. They also have a great gift shop with many beautiful goodies!

There are actually two buildings full of rocks and minerals from all over the world and beyond. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable. The gift shop has some amazing stuff for sale.This museum is a treasure.No food, drink r video cameras.I know I will be coming back a lot.

We easily spent a couple hours here just looking at all of the rocks and minerals. There are two buildings of displays, with tons of local, as well as international specimens. There were several people around the rooms who were very knowledgeable, and they do run tours that tell you about the minerals, the Rice family, and the house itself, though we went through it just by our selves.We went just as adults, It would probably be something kids would find interesting, but they may run through it much more quickly than an adult would.

Saw this museum on Groupon and decided to see what it was all about as it was on my route from Tillamook to Portland. I am certainly glad that I did! Is a little hidden but not far off the beaten path at all and there is signage all the way to guide you. I was only expecting to be there maybe an hour or so but I ended up staying over two hours as there is no way to see it thoroughly in just an hour! Collection is quite extensive to include petrified wood and dinosaur eggs to name just a very few and there are many hands on opportunities as well. Great way to spend a few hours and see some very cool things!

Excellent Museum. I Was Highly impressed with their collections. I never seen a trilobite with such detail.

We were just looking for something in the area for ourselves and the grandkids when we decided to check the muse in out. Nobody in our group is a rockhound but we found this museum to be very interesting if for no other reason than to be amazed at Mother Natures detail and beauty. Very unusual specimens and informative exhibits. Looking at rocks in a new way.