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Mining Tourism

The Drift: Sudbury’s Dynamic Earth aims to tell a ‘modern mining’ story – by Lindsay Kelly (Northern Ontario Business – February 27, 2023)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

$10-million Go Deeper expansion project will be ‘transformational’ for Sudbury tourist attraction

A premier Sudbury tourist attraction is undergoing a major renewal this year, one that its CEO calls “transformational,” both for the city and for the mining and tourism industries.

Go Deeper is a $10-million, multi-year construction and development endeavour to modernize Dynamic Earth, the sister attraction to Science North. The plan involves new construction at the Big Nickel Road site, as well as additional programming and educational materials that will be accessed by users across Northern Ontario and Canada.

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One Way Ore Another: Abandoned-Mine Hunting in Arizona by 4×4 – by Jay Kopycinski (Motortrend.com – January 2, 2023)

https://www.motortrend.com/

The Route 66 area in northwestern Arizona is rich in mining history, so we took five 4x4s on an off-road adventure to visit a few old mine sites.

Here’s something you might not know: The Route 66 area in northwestern Arizona is rich in mining history. Something else: 4x4s are required to access some of the old, abandoned mine sites.

With that in mind, we set out to explore a few old mine sites that were prolific in the past. Our method of conveyance was five well-equipped 4x4s. Our group consisted of three modified Lexus SUVs, a trick Toyota Tacoma pickup, and a modded Jeep Wrangler.

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Science North selects a Thunder Bay waterfront site for regional expansion – by Staff (Northern Ontario Business – August 5, 2022)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Former grain elevator site is the ‘preferred’ location for science attraction

A Thunder Bay waterfront location is the “preferred” spot for a permanent home for Science North’s expansion into northwestern Ontario. In a news release, the Sudbury-based science centre announced that the Pool 6 site in the city’s harbour will be the location to build its 34,000-square-foot attraction.

The property is the former site of the Pool 6 grain elevator, which was demolished and the land repurposed as part of the Marina Park redevelopment years ago. The site also hosts Great Lakes cruise ships.

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The pick of Ontario. A story of amethyst and adventure – by Bill Steer (Sudbury.com – June 22, 2022)

https://www.sudbury.com/

This week, Back Roads Bill stops at an amethyst mine on the way to the most westerly point in Ontario

It’s road trip time, again, and this time we are headed west, not to the oil patch, but to stand on the most western, surveyed boundary of Ontario. The outcome of this trip and the subsequent story remains to be told.

Along the way will gather more day trip information from provincial parks and nearby communities for another travelogue. On the way, though, there will be a stop for a cool souvenir from a Northwestern Ontario back roads repeated destination. So many times a story was warranted but this is the time one was written.

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Science North’s Go Deeper campaign gets major financial boost – by Staff (Sudbury Star – April 2, 2022)

https://www.thesudburystar.com/

Science North on Thursday launched a capital campaign for its $7.4 million Go Deeper expansion project at Dynamic Earth.The project represents the largest investment in mining and earth sciences experiences since Dynamic Earth’s inception in 2001.

Go Deeper will provide memorable experiences that portray modern mining in a realistic way and showcase this rapidly changing and dynamic industry, Science North said in a release. The capital campaign aims to raise $3 million.

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Secret Cities and Atomic Tourism – by Tim Leffel (Perspective Travel – No Date)

https://www.perceptivetravel.com/

In the race to develop the atomic bomb that would end World War II, scientists toiled in instant cities hidden from maps and public view. Our editor dives into the world of experimental reactors and prefab housing to revisit a time when secret places could really stay secret.

Imagine you work in a city that isn’t on any map, in a house that has no postal address. You go to work each day not really knowing the purpose of what you are doing or how it fits into the jobs of the thousands of other people going to work each day around you.

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125 years after gold was discovered in the Yukon, we ventured up to Dawson City. Here’s what it looks like now – by Brendan Kiley (Seattle Times – September 10, 2021)

https://www.seattletimes.com/

DAWSON CITY, the Yukon Territory — The first tourists to Dawson City arrived in July of 1898, a few weeks before the boomtown’s second birthday.

Mrs. Mary E. Hitchcock (widow of a U.S. Navy officer) and Miss Edith Van Buren (niece of the former U.S. president) swept into the new gold-mining settlement, 170 miles south of the Arctic Circle, with opulent cargo: a zither, a parrot, canaries, a portable bowling alley, crates of fancy foods (pâté, truffles, olives), a movie projector, an exhaustive wardrobe (silks, furs, starched collars, sombreros), two Great Danes and a 2,800 square-foot marquee tent for their lodgings.

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MINING TOURISM: From Magical Towns to colorful cities, discoveries await you in Guanajuato – by Lydia Carey (Mexico News Daily – August 9, 2021)

https://mexiconewsdaily.com/

With 32 states and 5,800 miles of gorgeous coastline, urbanscapes and quaint colonial towns — in regions that each have their own special cuisine, distinct accents and beautiful biodiversity — Mexico has so many destinations worth visiting, it can be hard to know where to start.

I’ve gotten to know Guanajuato well during my 13 years in the country, and it still has nooks and crannies I have yet to explore. Tourists who head right to the state’s most famous attraction — the city of San Miguel de Allende — miss out on the plethora of places and activities the state has to offer.

By far, one of the state’s biggest and best destinations is Guanajuato city. As you approach, the multicolored facades of the houses creeping up the mountains glitter in the sunshine.

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Mining tourism still untapped potential in Iran (Tehran Times – June 25, 2021)

https://www.tehrantimes.com/

TEHRAN – Mining tourism as a relatively untapped potential could lead to economic prosperity and fuel boom in the Iran tourism scene by the means of creating new destinations and sustainable jobs for the locals.

Experts say mining tourism is a new category in the tourism industry, which involves tours of both abandoned and active mines.

Last year, Iran started to promote mining tourism by launching the first project in the Anguran lead and zinc mine, located 130 kilometers west of the northwestern city of Zanjan.

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Visit To Virginia City Worth Its Weight In Silver (Escalon Times – August 25, 2020)

https://www.escalontimes.com/

There was a time I would go to Virginia City eight times or so a year. It was back when my idea of fun was driving to the base of Geiger Grade off Highway 395, hopping on a racing bicycle, heading up to Virginia City, dropping down to Carson City, climbing up Spooner Grade, pedaling by Lake Tahoe, struggling up Mt. Rose and then pushing it to the limits downhill often topping 55 mph.

It was 88 miles of pure bicycling bliss involving 8,200 feet of climbing that allowed me to make two trips to the Sizzler’s salad bar for heaping full plates plus dessert in south Reno afterwards.

One time after doing the loop the guys I was with decided it might be nice to see what was in Virginia City instead of pedaling through it at 18 mph without stopping. That is when I fell in love with the place as well as the history of the Comstock.

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Go underground with these 7 exciting Canadian mine tours – by Mark Stachiew (Canada.com – January 17, 2020)

https://o.canada.com/

Canada’s economy has long been reliant on its wealth of natural resources. While the country is today home to a growing number of high-tech and modern industries, natural resources like lumber, oil and gold remain a mainstay and the harvesting of those resources remains woven into the fabric of the nation..

Visitors can bear witness to that history and the human stories behind it by touring one of the country’s many mines that have been transformed into destinations that not only tell the stories of the places and the people who worked there, but also teach visitors about the minerals and ores that were extracted there and their importance both locally and nationally. Here are seven examples for you to check out, several of which are Canadian Signature Experiences.

Bell Island #2 Mine and Community Museum 13 Compressor Hill (Bell Island, Newfoundland

Newfoundland’s Bell Island mine was an underground iron ore mine that was vital to the island’s economy and provided crucial material for the Allied war effort during both World Wars.

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Coal mines turned into culture mines is new business in Poland – by Louise Miner and Chris Burns (Euro News – October 7, 2019)

https://www.euronews.com/

Katowice is a city that built itself on coal, turning the 18th-century village into an industrial powerhouse. Now it´s in the middle of another transformation: developing a cleaner, greener, more sustainable way of living and working. In this edition of Spotlight, we look at how this Polish city has turned coal mines into culture mines and new places to do business.

Silesian Museum – art and history

The centrepiece of this urban make-over is the Silesian Museum, built in a coal mine. Along with underground performances and a meeting space, the main hall is two football fields long, 14 metres deep. There are exhibitions about the region’s history, and on Polish art, including works by coal miners such as Jan Nowak.

Nowak said, “It’s amazing. I used to work here, with a shovel, with a hammer, and so on. And now my works are here in this museum, in this mine (Kopalny).”

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Travel Ontario and Quebec one mining destination at a time – by Greg Klein (Resource Clips – July 2019)

http://resourceclips.com/

Small local museums, historic mines, a major science centre and massive operations demonstrate the industry’s importance and also offer diversions for summer road trips. After covering Yukon and British Columbia in Part 1 and the prairie provinces in Part 2, our survey continues east through Ontario and Quebec.

Omitted were museums not primarily devoted to mining, although many do include worthwhile mining memorabilia among other exhibits. Be sure to contact sites to confirm opening times, ask about footwear and other clothing requirements, and inquire about age restrictions if you have little ones in tow. Part 4 covers the Atlantic provinces.

Ontario

Where better than Sudbury for a mining showcase of global stature? Dynamic Earth visitors can don hard hats to tour a demonstration mine seven storeys below surface, or virtual reality headsets to mingle with imaginary miners and gargantuan equipment.

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Cripple Creek donkeys released into the city for the summer – by Zachary Aedo (KRDO.com – May 15, 2019)

https://www.krdo.com/

CRIPPLE CREEK, Colo. – Cripple Creek is one of two cities in the United States where you could run into a wild donkey herd on the streets.

The Two Mile High Club nonprofit released its donkey herd into the streets for the summer. The local group spends each winter keeping the donkeys safe and healthy at a nearby ranch. But every summer, the donkeys are released to run wild for the public to see.

Clinton Cline, the president of Two Mile High Club, said the creatures remind people of the city’s mining history. “The donkeys pretty much built Cripple Creek originally,” Cline said. During the gold rush of the late 1800s, miners used donkeys to pull ore carts and transport materials to local mining camps.

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On the gemstone trail: A tour of Antwerp’s diamond district – by John Malathronas (CNN Travel – June 12, 2018)

https://www.cnn.com/

(CNN) — With its flat-fronted 1960s buildings and plain color scheme, Hoveniersstraat might be dismissed as one of the most drab streets in the pretty baroque Belgian city of Antwerp. In fact, it’s one of the most fascinating, and there are several high security clues that give the game away.

The street is protected by a police station, dozens of CCTV cameras and several armed soldiers. The reason: Hoveniersstraat is the center of Antwerp’s — and the world’s — diamond industry.

About 84% of all rough diamonds and 50% of all cut diamonds on the planet are traded in this destination today. Located less than an hour from Brussels by train, the Belgian city, has been a major diamond center since medieval times.

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