Orton Geological Museum — Attraction in Columbus

Small, but packed with knowledge.

Brought my daughter in for a quick visit. We are both dino and rock nerds, so finding a museum close by for a spring break brain break was nice.

Parking in the South garage, it is just a few minute walk through the South Oval to get to Orton Hall. Once inside, you are immediately greeted by a Cryolophosaurus skeleton.

Walking into the museum, the displays are laid out nicely, each one having information about what is displayed and most with a connection to Ohio.

The rocks and minerals on display were wonderful. My daughter especially enjoyed the florescent display booth, some of the exhibits glowed much more than anticipated. You never know what can be hiding inside a dull rock.

The Din-O-Store was a nice ending, the wonderful gentleman who helped us had plenty of knowledge and I bet he had exquisite stories to tell if one had the time to sit and chat.

Parking was less than $6, admission was free, pricing in the store was fair, donations were accepted, the knowledge inside...

Collection Showcase

The Orton Geological Museum has a large exhibit case on the sixth floor of OSU’s Thompson (Main) Library that changes about twice a year. The current exhibit is:

“Famous Fossil Sites of the World” with fossils from the Crato Formation (Cretaceous, Argentina), Green River Formation (Eocene, Wyoming), Hunsrück Slate (Devonian, Germany), Linton (Pennsylvanian, Ohio), Mazon Creek (Pennsylvanian, Illinois), Messel (Eocene, Germany), Niobrara (Cretaceous, Kansas), Rancho La Brea (Pleistocene, California), Solnhofen Limestone (Jurassic, Germany) and the White River Badlands (Oligocene, Nebraska). Telling Meteorites from...

This museum is basically one room in a historical university building, with common geological materials such as fossils, rocks and minerals. Very traditional ways of displaying - almost all objects are behind glass cases, with no special lighting (save for one exhibit on fluorescent objects) and little interactive features. And there is no seating inside. But the interpretative labels are informative, and be sure to check out the little gift shop - it has some very interesting items. Worth a stop if you happen to...