Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals

It was my first time visiting the Rice Museum this past weekend. I was invited by a friend and had no idea what to expect — was it all about grains? Seemed unlikely. A quick drive from Portland and we pulled off the highway onto a long driveway lined with tall evergreen trees, up ahead lay a beautiful mid-​century home and a sign stating «Rice Museum of Rocks and Minerals.» You enter the exhibition via the back door of the house and are immediately surrounded by objects (ie. the work) that took millions of years to form in the depths of the earth — a humbling feeling to say the least. The first table displays rocks on plaques that resemble meteorites. You are encouraged to participate in a guessing game of which ones are in fact meteorites and which ones are not… flipping over the plaques gives you a yes or no answer along with explanation of the materials history. There are various rooms in the house dedicated to such things as petrified wood, gems, phosphorescent rocks and minerals, different types of crystals, fossils, and thunder eggs. You are invited to touch a lot of the objects, feeling their texture and formed layers over time. There is documentation stating where the objects came from and how/​when they were formed. There are photographs of excavations and mines showing men holding drills and axes trying to extract their treasures from the earth. There are no women pictured in the excavations, though many of the objects themselves have feminine qualities. There is a classroom downstairs where there were students polishing gems which we were invited to explore.
As I traversed the house I began to draw connections between the site and the objects themselves. The textures and aesthetic qualities of the work seemed to inform the site. The hallway wallpaper resembles an earthy green, rough uneven texture similar to the outside of the rocks, the pink and green tiles and fixtures in the bathroom mirror the colors and smooth texture of many of the minerals, and the stunning wood grain in the kitchen tied to the petrified wood pieces. The outside of the house is constructed with narrow bricks sitting at varying depths in an array of muted natural orange colors which also seems to mimic the work that it displays and protects.
Experiencing this exhibition is unlike most museums I’ve been to. Having the opportunity to touch the work (not a usual luxury at a museum) felt intimate and caused me to think about my relationship to time and history of the planet. It’s also interesting to think about the time in history (1952) that Richard and Helen Rice built this house based around their «roundhound» hobby. While most of America was consuming the American Dream, they spent their time collecting earth treasures and building a space to display them as art. You can feel the history in the site and in the gift shop you can take a piece of it home with you.

My family, including my 12-​year-​old son who complained about having to go, thoroughly enjoyed our visit. He spent the whole time exclaiming over the different minerals with their amazing shapes and colors. The collection of fossils is small but has some of the best specimens I’ve seen. Great family experience.
They just raised the admission price to $ 10 for adults and $ 7 for kids, but I felt it was worth the price. It’s kind of charming that the museum is in the Rice’s former home. The self-​guided tour is set up well. It was cold when we went, but the grounds are pretty and it would be nice to spend some time outside, too.

This museum exceeded all of my expectations. The collections are world class and the presentation was very engaging. Highlights included: trilobites with antennae, fossilized pine cones, fluorescent rock exhibit, every petrified tree you’ve ever wanted to see and the expansive downstairs mineral gallery with beautiful specimens in every color of the rainbow.
Set aside 2 – 3 hours and prepare to be inspired. Thank you to the staff who help keep this place clean, engaging and available for the small admission price of $ 8. Worth every penny.

Fun excursion with a friend from out of town. We especially enjoyed getting to touch so many of the rocks and minerals. It’s hard to get to, down one lane back roads, but the overall experience is worth it.

Do this at least once. And bring your kiddos once. Repeat trips may not hold as much appeal for them but it is an interesting place to explore at least once.
It’s pretty cheap overall but they seem to have a lot of even cheaper themed family days throughout the summer as well so be on the lookout for that.

This was my second time to the Museum. They have several excellent exhibits. My favorites were the fluorescent exhibit, the dinosaur fossils, the meteorites and of course the alma rose. Pictures can do the Alma Rose no justice. It is a beautiful gem that is quite large.
The museum has every mineral from the northwest, gems, rocks and several educational displays. I would recommend it to any age. It is family friendly and even has an elevator for your stroller. There is a large outdoor walking trail that I have missed both times that I have come here. Both times I got carried away looking at the indoor museum that I ran out of time. I plan to come again to walk the trail. Their gift shop is very nice and everything is a great value. I bought a local thunder egg and some azurite for my Daughter. They have things for any price point.
One other neat part of the Museum is that it was built by the Rice family. Mr Rice was a logger and quite the carpenter. He built the house and cabinetry. He used Myrtle wood that he cut from the forest. It is the nicest cabinetry you will see. The tile, kitchens and even the carpet are the same that he put in the home originally. He raised his family there and you can see it the way it was in the 50’s. It is quite a treat. Overall, this is the best value for entertainment anywhere I have been. I would highly recommend it!

My husband and I were amazed by the expansive collection at the museum! We popped in just for the hour before closing and ended up wishing we had set aside at least 3 hours for this gem (pun intended). The educational tools they had for simply explaining different formation types were great, and staff were helpful and friendly. Their facility may be a bit outdated, but (no disrespect to my fellow reviewers) who cares what the buildings/​carpet looks like when you’re surrounding by an astounding selection of mother nature’s beautiful creations. We would love to come back here if we’re ever in Oregon and highly recommend it to anyone who is visiting

What an almost hidden gem, literally! A gem full of gems. A pretty location, a great education, only minutes off the highway. And the gift store. This place rocks! I guess that’s lame, but I’ve never seen so many different rocks in one place, and I have a new appreciation of the people who study them and pass on their knowledge.

This is one of those places you need to visit over & over — it is too much to take in all at once. A bit hard to find due to construction but worth the drive. Plus the house the museum is located in is also a «gem» of mid-​century architecture.

I love rocks. It is amazing to see the natural formation that has existed long before I walked on this earth. The collection is larger than I expected. There was a groupon offering 2 for 1. I was about to purchase the groupon and saw it was on the list for Smithsonian museum day. It was well worth the drive and regular price for this «gem.» The exhibit included rocks from Oregon, Utah, and Arizona. They also had exhibits where students had adopted rocks. Outside, students are invited to take one rock. additional rocks can be purchased for $ 1 per pound. Start your own collection with purchases from their reasonably priced gift shop.
I look forward to returning with friends and family.

Oh my goodness!!! Where to begin? The other reviews are spot on. This place is incredible! Great place to duck in for a rainy afternoon and have treasures of the world revealed before your eyes!!! No Natural History museum I’ve ever been to has such a huge, diverse collection. The Rices spent their lifetime collecting so we may now be educated. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

This place is pretty neat. I always saw signs for it driving on 26, and I finally made the decision to visit when I saw a two for one Groupon. Unfortunately /​fortunately, the day we ended up deciding to visit, the museum was hosting an event with free admission.
They have a lot of events going on throughout the summer. I would definitely check out their website — there were a number of flyers posted for things that sounded interesting. The event we attended had some kid-​centric activities that included breaking own your own thunder egg, so it seemed like families were really enjoying the event.
Even on a non-​event day, the museum is definitely worth checking out. There is a detached building with specimens from the Pacific NW, and then the house itself holds the bulk of the displays.
I’m giving the museum four stars instead of five because the facilities could really use an update. Everything on display was pretty solid, but they could definitely build more professional cases, the house-​grade carpet was completely worn down, and the museum just felt pretty dated.
My favorite part was the entire room full of gorgeous petrified wood samples. Second to that were the small gold pieces of jewelry that were labeled as being from a 2000 BC tomb.
We spent an hour here, and that was our max. After a while you get tired of looking at variations of the same thing. There was a gift shop where you could pick up a few rocks to commemorate the experience. Hours are pretty limited, so check the website, and plan accordingly.

What a fantastic museum. The collection is simply outstanding. Awesome! Wait until you feast your eyes on the «Alma Rose» rhodochrosite. What an incredible specimen. And the fossils are great too. The museum home itself is a jewel with its myrtle wood interior. Great little gift shop with very knowledgeable staff to explain the specimens on sale. We were able to get a little meteorite! What a great way to spend an afternoon.

If you are looking for experts on rocks and a great selection to see this is the place for you. Great family outing that is inexpensive and educational. This is a good place to go especially if your kids are rock fans. If you are sensitive to rock energy be prepared to «levitate» in the glass case room in the basement. Awesom energy!