Guided Tours
The Geology Museum is a popular tour destination on the University of Wisconsin Madison campus. Tours are approximately one hour long and feature hundreds of rock and mineral specimens, a black light mineral display, many Wisconsin fossils, and dinosaur bones. Admission to the museum is free, but for our guided tours we have a fee of $3 per person. Please check this chart to make sure you will have enough adult chaperones for the size and age of your group (tours are considered a “commuter program/campus visit”).
If you are interested in scheduling a guided group tour, you can use this online form to begin the booking process. Alternately, you can email tours@geology.wisc.edu with details of your request. Please plan to contact us at least two weeks in advance of when you would like to visit. Spring months (March-June) are particularly full with visiting groups, so please plan ahead if you are interested in coming during that time period.
For school groups interested in going to multiple science-focused destinations on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus, you can fill out this interest form to begin scheduling a visit.
Self-Guided Group Visits
The museum is free and open to the public Monday-Friday from 8:30 to 4:30 and Saturdays from 9-1. If you are coming in a group of 10 or more we ask that you contact us in advance to schedule time to come explore the exhibits. This allows us to try and avoid groups overlapping in the museum, improving everyone’s experience.
To focus and enhance your group’s visit, we encourage you to use our scavenger hunt sheets (K-2nd, K-2nd teacher key, 3rd-5th) and self-guided tour booklet (espanol). Please print and bring along enough copies for your group to use during their visit. In addition, please check this chart to make sure you will have enough adult chaperones for the size and age of your group (self-guided tours are considered a “commuter program/campus visit”).
If you are interested in scheduling a self-guided group visit, you can use this online form to begin the booking process. Alternately, you can email tours@geology.wisc.edu with details of your request. Please plan to contact us at least two weeks in advance of when you would like to visit. Spring months (March-June) are particularly full with visiting groups, so please plan ahead if you are interested in coming during that time period.
We recommend self-guided groups limit themselves to 50 people or less for each reservation and budget 30-45 minutes for their visit.
For school groups interested in going to multiple science-focused destinations on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus, you can fill out this interest form to begin scheduling a visit.
We look forward to hosting your group in the museum!