Cliffs Shaft Mine Museum
Cliffs Shaft Mine Museum
4.5
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
5:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Full view
Top ways to experience nearby attractions
The area
Address
Best nearby
Restaurants
17 within 3 miles
Attractions
13 within 6 miles
Contribute
Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
45 reviews
Excellent
33
Very good
8
Average
2
Poor
1
Terrible
1
Charlotte W
Evanston, IL2 contributions
Aug 2021 • Friends
Worth a special trip! Gary, our tour guide, was a miner for 30 years. He was very knowledgeable and friendly. My young son loved seeing the mine and the mining truck and I enjoyed learning all about mining in the UP.
Written August 3, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
CMIRily
Negaunee, Michigan17 contributions
The Cliffs Shaft Mine Museum in Ishpeming is open June - October. Walk back in history, via the Ishpeming Historical Society room, to see local historical artifacts representing the local community during the great mining era. View historical displays of miners and mines past and present, headgear & other safety equipment available to miners of yesteryear, and displays on blasting and diamond drilling equipment. Stop in the Ishpeming Rock and Mineral Club's room and view over 500 minerals from the local area, the Upper Peninsula, Midwest and the world. Take a guided tour of the tunnels that the miners walked to the base of the C-Shaft and listen to the history of mining from those who worked the mines. Follow up the stairs past old underground iron ore cars with a stop at the blacksmith shop. Go outside to view towers 97’ to 174’ high which were used to lower miners 1250’ into the bowels of the earth. Stand beside a 170-ton Iron Ore Truck with tires 12 feet high. Don’t forget your camera so you can have a memento of your visit standing inside the 30 ton shovel bucket in front of the Dry building or in front of the 170-ton Iron Ore truck. The museum is located at 501 W. Euclid Street, Ishpeming and open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 am to 4 pm with a nominal admission.
Written September 18, 2006
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Chantel R
Downers Grove, IL63 contributions
Jul 2017 • Couples
Educational tour of the remnants of the iron ore mine. This tour does not go underground, but does go to the inside, ground level of one of the shafts. There is an extensive tour of the buildings on the ground. The guides that we had both times we took the tour were retired mine employees, so they really knew their stuff and had personal stories to make the tour very interesting. There is a small gift shop up front and a strange gift shop for rocks inside one of the mine buildings. This was the only downside - because the rock shop "owner?" followed us around and tried to pressure us to buy something, so that was uncomfortable!
Written September 6, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
cmbbtb
Chadds Ford160 contributions
Aug 2012 • Family
Sorry to have to write a poor review, but this was not a highlight. We have toured several mines in the area, including both the Delaware and Quincy mine, and this was sub-par in comparison. To be fair, the little museum is pretty cool, and we all thoroughly enjoyed this part. However, our issues began with the tour guide himself. I understand that many are volunteers who spent time in the mines, but when you have children who really are interested, and you pair them with a "not very child friendly older tour guide", it is bound to end in a not good way. No engagement whatsoever, and when the kids asked questions, they were not answered. We had to move very slowly, and when you have 3 active, interested 8-12 year olds, that's tough. But to then chastise the kids because they were loosing interest - not good. We were told upon entry it was ok to touch some items and I even read reviews about holding items. Our kids were literally yelled at by our tour guide for touching a mining hat that was on a table. Not a polite, "we would prefer you don't handle these items" but literally a "PUT THAT DOWN" . And when we reached the huge mining truck out back - a huge "boy attraction" - the stink-eye thrown the kids' way was enough to have all of us hoping that this tour would end soon. Let me close in saying that these are not wild kids - we have toured many places, including castles in England, museums across the country, and my boys know how to respect "a please don't touch" sign.
This place can be so much more - I hope they pay more attention to their tour guides though. It really ruined the adventure for us.
This place can be so much more - I hope they pay more attention to their tour guides though. It really ruined the adventure for us.
Written August 27, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
nancy j
Chico, CA140 contributions
Jun 2014 • Family
I had never been to a mining operation before. Coming from California, this is a whole new experience for me. Cliff Mines is sure a "not to be missed." They give you a lot of information and actually take you right into the working processing plant. So interesting...
Written June 29, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Laurenhartsyou
2 contributions
Aug 2019 • Couples
We are from out of town but love stones and crystals so we were super excited to see this place pop up on our “must see list”! Upon entry the place seems super old (which I love and think adds character). The man at the front desk (David) got us squeezed in with the last tour before us so we didn’t have to wait another hour! He was so knowledgeable on all the stones and rocks and super helpful! David the ultimate rock seller! Once we joined the group, our tour guide Gary, was nothing short of excellent. He himself was miner and had amazing stories to share. Being that he had done the job himself, he had no problem answering any questions any of us had. On top of that, he was so funny and personable. We ended up staying an extra half hour after the tour just to chat and exchange stories and laughs. He gave me one of his favorite rocks he always keeps in his pocket. For those who don’t know me- THIS IS HUGE AND IM A GIANT ROCK COLLECTOR! So for someone to give me something so simple, yet important to him was so touching. We will definitely be back to visit just for the staff alone. The mines and everything are almost as beautiful as the people who run this place!
Written August 29, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kingshott
Brighton, MI121 contributions
Aug 2019 • Couples
Currently we are taking a western UP and have visited several museums. This is our favorite museum. There a several different mining museums in the UP, but none have brought the personal connection as Cliffs Shaft.
The director’s parents are involved with tours and cataloging every item in the museum. Many of the tour guides are former mine workers. Everyone who is involved with the museum seems to have a personal stake in the success of it.
Also, the museum has original documentation of the company’s employees. They were able to find a tourist’s grandfather’s records, including and injury report, hospital bill and worker’s compensation.
Stop by. There are four tours a day with the last at 2:15 pm.
The director’s parents are involved with tours and cataloging every item in the museum. Many of the tour guides are former mine workers. Everyone who is involved with the museum seems to have a personal stake in the success of it.
Also, the museum has original documentation of the company’s employees. They were able to find a tourist’s grandfather’s records, including and injury report, hospital bill and worker’s compensation.
Stop by. There are four tours a day with the last at 2:15 pm.
Written August 9, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
tnk9581
Fond du Lac, WI126 contributions
Jul 2019 • Couples
A good way to get a glimpse of Ishpeming’s history. Our tour guide did a nice job. We had time to look through the museum before our tour. I enjoyed the rock collection, especially the light booth. Very cool.
Written July 12, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Amanda F
39 contributions
Jun 2018 • Friends
A friend and I stopped in here on a whim after seeing the mine shaft and being curious. We were the only ones there and got a tour of the area. While you dont get to go into an actual mine, you get to see many components. Theres so a museum with lots of artifacts and information. Take time to look through and read through these displays! I wish I could remember the name of our guide, I do remember he said he was a retired miner himself and that first hand knowledge only added to the experience. Anyone who is interested in michigan history, mining or just neat old stuff should definitely check this place out. I was surprised how much I enjoyed it
Written March 13, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Doug G
Gladwin, MI346 contributions
Sep 2018 • Couples
The volunteer guide ( Gary) was by far the best part of this visit. He had worked underground in the mine until it was closed, then went to work in the nearby open pit mine. His stories of working underground held us captive. There is a very nice museum and artifact display.
The only "underground" portion of tour is walking through a man made area to the hoist building. There we found a very large concrete cap covering the former opening into the underground portion.
The only "underground" portion of tour is walking through a man made area to the hoist building. There we found a very large concrete cap covering the former opening into the underground portion.
Written October 1, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Cliffs Shaft Mine Museum (Ishpeming) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go
Frequently Asked Questions about Cliffs Shaft Mine Museum
- Cliffs Shaft Mine Museum is open:
- Tue - Tue 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM
- Tue - Sat 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
- Hotels near Cliffs Shaft Mine Museum:
- (0.59 mi) Magnuson Country Inn
- (0.57 mi) Country Village RV Park & Campground
- (0.57 mi) Next to Ishpeming High School Art Park and Iron Ore Heritage Trail
- (0.59 mi) Your RAMBA Snow/Mountain Biking Headquarters
- (0.73 mi) Jasper Ridge Inn
- Restaurants near Cliffs Shaft Mine Museum:
- (0.36 mi) Congress Pizza
- (0.38 mi) Buck's Restaurant
- (0.46 mi) Rare Earth Goods & Cafe
- (0.43 mi) Mama Mia's
- (0.36 mi) Paradise Bar and Grill