UW-Madison Geology Museum
www.geologymuseum.org

Established in 1848, the UW-Madison Geology Museum has spent more than 150 years gathering geological curiosities from around the world. Its mineral exhibits are teeming with colorful crystals and include many fine specimens from the lead-zinc mining district of southwestern Wisconsin. The museum also has a dark room with roughly two hundred rocks and minerals that glow brilliantly beneath ultraviolet light

Fearsome skeletons of dinosaurs and other creatures from the distant past dominate the fossil display area. Visitors can also view meteorites, gemstones, petrified wood, and ancient insects trapped in hardened tree sap. In addition, the museum regularly holds special events for the public including a story time for children twice a month.