Strataca Salt Mine is a Tour for Everyone!

We generally aren’t ones to do the ‘touristy’ things when we settle in new areas but after doing a ton of research on the Strataca Salt Mine, we knew this was an excursion worth the time and money! Imagine descending 650 feet down in pure darkness, in the most rickety elevator (with plenty of creaks and squeaks), in 90 seconds flat. The doors open and you are seemingly in a different universe. I jokingly told the elevator operator that it was all for show and we simply didn’t go anywhere. That got a chuckle.

Stepping off the elevator we were met with a comfortable, continuous 68 degree, cavernous room with stunning rock walls. After a quick safety brief we were let loose to take in the variety of educational displays as we awaited our tram and deep tour of the mine. There is so much down there it boggles the mind, our video provides a quick synopsis.

I love that it is accessible to all and even the most discerning person would be enthralled with what they find. It seems like a daunting task at first, but they give you plenty of time to examine each exhibit and learn all things road salt. No, don’t sample the salt surrounding you as this salt is purely designated for our roadways. The exhibits are fascinating, but the best was yet to come.

After an hour spent reading signs and watching videos we boarded a tram for a quick ride into the easy access part of the mine. The tour operator was great at explaining what we saw and this part is certainly for everyone. After disembarking and walking around the corner we soon learned there was much more down there than meets the eye! Turns out the depths are the perfect environment for storage, so Hollywood, Congress, and many others have harnessed the safety of the deep storing countless non-classified documents and memorabilia in the caverns.

Remember when ‘our generation’ had to learn to respond to a nuclear disaster in school? The teacher would tell us to hide under our desks and avert our eyes from the windows - as if those tactics would ensure our survivability. Another exhibit explained Strataca was once looked at as a possible fall out shelter in case our land was nuked. After researching the possibility the government chose a different site, but Strataca still pays homage to the potential, with a wonderful exhibit on all things nuclear war. That prompted so many memories from our childhood!

Aaron examines one of the many displays explaining the efforts of the government to stockpile supplies and create a fall out shelter underground.

Next up was the deep underground tour, the best adventure ever….check out our video below!