The Muse

The Muse The MUSE is a free educational museum offering engaging exhibits for visitors of all ages. Proudly owned and operated by paleontologist Ron.

Our on-site rock and gift shop provides unique opportunities to take home authentic pieces of natural history.

09/01/2026

Haile,
I be at the farm tonight and tomorrow morning
Gathering more Trilobites
My 702 # is only one working
All you other people should Gourgle search the CORRYVILLE FORMATION
To see what the fuss is all about!

08/24/2026

Opportunity!!!
This fabulous DINOSAUR MUSEUM, I have under careful consideration decided to PUT UP FOR SALE!!!!!
It has become more than my heart, stomach, and even Kidneys can handle
Located at 14967 S. HWY 226 SPRUCE PINE this property includes
2+ acre lot with road frontage.
Lots of woods very near the Blue Ridge Parkway.
High, middle, and low-end fossils, minerals ,and gems
REAL DINOSAURS (contractually rented for display)
Outside Event Area, and much more !
$242,190. Which is about a $100,000 loss

👀 What Is It Wednesday 🔍Take a look and see if you can guess what this is! 👀Drop your guesses in the comments below 👇✨ R...
08/19/2026

👀 What Is It Wednesday 🔍

Take a look and see if you can guess what this is! 👀

Drop your guesses in the comments below 👇

✨ Reveal later today!

Join our paleontologist Ron, aka chewy, tomorrow, 2pm, at the Spruce Pine public library for a presentation about local ...
08/18/2026

Join our paleontologist Ron, aka chewy, tomorrow, 2pm, at the Spruce Pine public library for a presentation about local Rocks and Minerals! Come learn about them and see them up close and in person! After the presentation questions are welcome and encouraged! See you there!

08/18/2026

🧠✨ Trivia Tuesday at The Muse! ✨🧠

🪨 What rock can actually FLOAT on water? 🌊

Drop your guess in the comments below! ⬇️

🤔 Think you know your rocks? Let’s see who gets this one right!



👉 Follow us for rock-solid geology facts, amazing paleontology finds, fascinating minerals, and weekly trivia! 💎🦖🦴

💚🌋 Mineral Monday: Olivine! 🪨✨Have you ever seen a beach made of green sand? 💚🏝️ At Green Sand Beach in Hawaii, that inc...
08/17/2026

💚🌋 Mineral Monday: Olivine! 🪨✨

Have you ever seen a beach made of green sand? 💚🏝️ At Green Sand Beach in Hawaii, that incredible color comes from tiny grains of olivine—a mineral that has been broken down from volcanic rock over time. 🌋⏳

Olivine is one of the most common minerals found in Earth's mantle, but finding it concentrated enough to create an entire green beach is something pretty special! 🌎💚

Chemically, olivine is a magnesium iron silicate with the general formula (Mg,Fe)₂SiO₄. 🔬🧪 The amount of magnesium and iron can vary, which gives olivine a range of green shades. 💚✨

👉 Fun Fact: Green Sand Beach, also known as Papakōlea Beach, gets its green sand from olivine crystals released as the surrounding volcanic rock weathers and breaks down. 🌋🏖️💎

Would you rather find a beautiful olivine crystal or collect a little piece of green sand from a volcanic beach? 👀💚

Come explore this fascinating piece of Hawaii's volcanic geology at The Muse! 🦖🌋✨

🌟 Showcase Sunday: Inside the Braswell–Kivett Mine! ⛏️💎✨This week, we’re taking you inside the Braswell–Kivett Mine in S...
08/16/2026

🌟 Showcase Sunday: Inside the Braswell–Kivett Mine! ⛏️💎✨

This week, we’re taking you inside the Braswell–Kivett Mine in Spruce Pine, North Carolina, with a look back at our very first public mine tour! 🌄⛏️

There’s nothing quite like finding your own minerals where they formed naturally in the ground. Our mine produces an incredible variety of specimens, including golden heliodor 💛, aquamarine 💙, quartz 🤍, smoky quartz, feldspar, albite, moonstone, garnet, mica, lepidocrocite, and more! 💎✨

💛 Heliodor is one of the real stars of the Braswell–Kivett Mine, and you can actually see examples of the beautiful golden heliodor found at the mine in the photos in this post! Some of this material can also be cut and faceted into stunning gemstones, showing just how incredible these crystals can be both naturally and when finished. ✨💎

💎 And the best part? You get to keep what you find! Our public tours give you the opportunity to get out into the mine, search through the material, and discover your own piece of Spruce Pine geology. ⛏️🪨

🤔 If you could dig at the Braswell–Kivett Mine, what would you hope to find? A golden heliodor 💛, aquamarine 💙, smoky quartz 🤎, or would you be hoping for a surprise? 👀 Let us know in the comments below 👇

📍 Interested in joining us for a future mine tour? Stop into The Muse in Spruce Pine for more information and to find out when our next available opportunity will be!

💎✨ Saturday Specimen! ✨💎This week we're showcasing these beautiful faceted Andradite Garnets! 💚Andradite is one of the s...
08/15/2026

💎✨ Saturday Specimen! ✨💎

This week we're showcasing these beautiful faceted Andradite Garnets! 💚

Andradite is one of the six main varieties of garnet and is known for its brilliant luster and beautiful colors, ranging from green and yellow to brown and black.

When properly cut and polished, Andradite can make a beautiful and eye-catching gemstone. ✨

💎 Fun fact:Andradite is a calcium-iron garnet, with the chemical formula Ca₃Fe₂(SiO₄)₃.

✨ You can purchase faceted gemstones like these right here at The Muse!

❓️Which do you prefer — rough minerals or faceted gemstones? 👇 let us know in the comments below 👇

🦴✨ Fossil Friday ✨🦴🐚This week, we’re taking a closer look at one of the most recognizable fossils in the world — the 🦂 T...
08/14/2026

🦴✨ Fossil Friday ✨🦴

🐚This week, we’re taking a closer look at one of the most recognizable fossils in the world — the 🦂 TRILOBITE! 🌊

✨️Trilobites were ancient marine arthropods that lived in Earth’s oceans for more than 270 million years, first appearing over 520 million years ago and surviving until their extinction about 252 million years ago ⏳🌍

🔍With their hard, segmented exoskeletons and distinctive three-lobed body plan, trilobites came in an incredible variety of shapes and sizes. Some crawled along the seafloor, while others may have burrowed through sediment or even swam through the water 🪨🌊

🏆Our trilobite display case at The Muse showcases just how diverse these fascinating creatures were. Each fossil is a little piece of an ancient ocean that existed hundreds of millions of years before dinosaurs ever appeared 🦕❌

❓ If you could hold a trilobite fossil that was over 400 million years old, what would you want to know about the animal that left it behind? Let us know in the comments below 👇🤔🦴

📍 Come check out our trilobite display and explore even more of Earth’s ancient history at The Muse! 🦴🌎✨

08/13/2026

⛏️ Throwback Thursday! 💎

Throwing it back to last year’s Denver Gem & Mineral Show! 🤩

The countdown is on—the next Denver show is just weeks away! The Denver Gem & Mineral Show is the 2nd largest gem and mineral show in the world, and we’ll be back in Denver again this year!

📍 Denver Coliseum
📅 September 11–20

Come see us, check out some amazing specimens, and say hello! We can’t wait to see you in Denver! 💎🦖

Shop The Muse in person or online
https://www.etsy.com/shop/Didymoceras?ref=shop_profile&listing_id=1837442439&fbclid=IwdGRjcATqy5pwZG9mAWV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHo8wXEZuYQIaGg6naDf4lETc1OtyIcML7m_dZxRF-4nfAIG58B38qApx5rFG_aem_DQ78UT7stQ6Twk0_RnZJPQ&dd_referrer=http%3A%2F%2Fm.facebook.com%2F

Address

14967 NC 226
Spruce Pine, NC
28777

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 5pm
Tuesday 10am - 5pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 6pm
Saturday 10am - 6pm
Sunday 10am - 6pm

Telephone

+17029946993

Website

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