You Can Hunt for the State’s Rock Like They’re Easter Eggs Just Off Highway 26

The museum boasts a collection of more than 20,000 rocks, minerals, fossils and gemstones.

(Courtesy of Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals)
By Cameron Vigliotta

Keep your eyes peeled for the Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks & Minerals (26385 NW Groveland Drive, 503-647-2418, ricenorthwestmuseum.org) as you head west on Highway 26 through Hillsboro—the sign is large but easy to overlook. The small stone building more accurately resembles Frank Lloyd Wright’s Robie House than a museum. Inside, however, a well-curated collection showcases not only fine rocks and minerals but also fossils, meteorites, gemstones and lapidary art from the Pacific Northwest and beyond. A small list of events are held at the venue throughout the year, including a museum-Twide thunder egg hunt. And with over 20,000 rotating specimens in the collection, you’re likely to see something new each time you return.

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