Local Adventure | Quincy Mine Tours
Recently we had a beautiful Saturday as a family exploring locally. I dread those cold winter Saturdays where getting the kids to go outside is like pulling teeth (and those are coming soon), so I try to find fun things to keep them busy in the fall before the weather gets nasty. Sometimes though, us parents have to join in.
We're really lucky. We live here in the Keweenaw's Copper Country and there's always plenty to do. I realized recently that my husband and the kids had never been on the Quincy Mine tours. I worked there, years ago, and was excited to share something I knew would be educational, inexpensive, and take up a good portion of our Saturday to keep everyone away from the TV. To make it even better, we ended up with amazing weather (bonus!!!).
The Quincy Mine tours are run through a non-profit known as the Quincy Mine Hoist Association. The site is included in the Keweenaw National Historic Park as a heritage site, but it doesn't receive any park funding. All the profit from ticket and gift shop sales goes right back in to their preservation and interpretation efforts.
I know, I'm starting to sound like a commercial and the post has just begun. Really, this is just meant to be a rave review so you'll want to go check it out. I don't make any money off of advertising for this place- I genuinely just love it.
That being said, let me be super biased about how awesome our guide was when we visited this time around. I worked with Tom back in the day, but he is still wildly passionate about this stuff and it's obvious (even if you don't work with him) that he really enjoys sharing his knowledge with visitors. He managed to keep the kids' attention for the entire 1.5 hours of tour and they had a blast. This, as anyone with kids knows, is a nearly impossible feat. I even learned some new facts myself, so he's been adding to his knowledge along the way.
Our tour consisted of three parts. (1) A guided tour of the world's largest steam hoist, which is an absolute marvel of engineering. It's seriously huge. I wasn't able to capture it in a photo as it sorta creeps out of frame, filling the entire building. Pictures don't do it justice anyway because being there in person is the only way to really experience the overwhelming size.
(2) A guided underground tour was next. I didn't take any pictures underground. It's dark and the lighting isn't great for my cell phone camera- but I did capture the kids as we rode down the hillside in the tram to reach the mine. The view along the tram ride really allows for fantastic views of the Portage Canal and Lift Bridge- iconic landmarks of the Copper Country (they are in the background of the photo below if you look really close).
(3) And after the guided portion we were able to wander the museum and grounds to check out the ruins and other buildings- including the trains. This portion was self-guided so we were able to take our time at it.
In the end, it was a really enjoyable 2 hours on a Saturday morning. It got everyone out of the house and even though we spent a bit of money, it was for a good cause. I want to encourage anyone visiting the Keweenaw Peninsula to come check this place out- they are open May thru Oct.
I also want to encourage you to play tourist in your own backyard. What makes your town special or unique? What's the "can't miss" thing to do where you're from? Tell us below in the comments so we can check it out if we find ourselves in your neck of the woods.
Until next time,
Emma Leigh
We're really lucky. We live here in the Keweenaw's Copper Country and there's always plenty to do. I realized recently that my husband and the kids had never been on the Quincy Mine tours. I worked there, years ago, and was excited to share something I knew would be educational, inexpensive, and take up a good portion of our Saturday to keep everyone away from the TV. To make it even better, we ended up with amazing weather (bonus!!!).
 |
| Aerial view of the mine- as seen on a poster in the gift shop |
The Quincy Mine tours are run through a non-profit known as the Quincy Mine Hoist Association. The site is included in the Keweenaw National Historic Park as a heritage site, but it doesn't receive any park funding. All the profit from ticket and gift shop sales goes right back in to their preservation and interpretation efforts.
I know, I'm starting to sound like a commercial and the post has just begun. Really, this is just meant to be a rave review so you'll want to go check it out. I don't make any money off of advertising for this place- I genuinely just love it.
That being said, let me be super biased about how awesome our guide was when we visited this time around. I worked with Tom back in the day, but he is still wildly passionate about this stuff and it's obvious (even if you don't work with him) that he really enjoys sharing his knowledge with visitors. He managed to keep the kids' attention for the entire 1.5 hours of tour and they had a blast. This, as anyone with kids knows, is a nearly impossible feat. I even learned some new facts myself, so he's been adding to his knowledge along the way.
Our tour consisted of three parts. (1) A guided tour of the world's largest steam hoist, which is an absolute marvel of engineering. It's seriously huge. I wasn't able to capture it in a photo as it sorta creeps out of frame, filling the entire building. Pictures don't do it justice anyway because being there in person is the only way to really experience the overwhelming size.
(2) A guided underground tour was next. I didn't take any pictures underground. It's dark and the lighting isn't great for my cell phone camera- but I did capture the kids as we rode down the hillside in the tram to reach the mine. The view along the tram ride really allows for fantastic views of the Portage Canal and Lift Bridge- iconic landmarks of the Copper Country (they are in the background of the photo below if you look really close).
 |
| Kids enjoying the view aboard the Cog-Wheel Tram |
(3) And after the guided portion we were able to wander the museum and grounds to check out the ruins and other buildings- including the trains. This portion was self-guided so we were able to take our time at it.
 |
| Quincy Mine #2 Shafthouse with train in foreground |
In the end, it was a really enjoyable 2 hours on a Saturday morning. It got everyone out of the house and even though we spent a bit of money, it was for a good cause. I want to encourage anyone visiting the Keweenaw Peninsula to come check this place out- they are open May thru Oct.
I also want to encourage you to play tourist in your own backyard. What makes your town special or unique? What's the "can't miss" thing to do where you're from? Tell us below in the comments so we can check it out if we find ourselves in your neck of the woods.
 |
| Fall Foliage looking at the Portage Lake Lift Bridge |
Until next time,
Emma Leigh
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