Strataca

Experience the only tourist-accessible salt mine in the United States.

Strataca is an old salt mine in Hutchinson, Kansas, previously known as the Kansas Underground Salt Museum. It houses one of the world’s largest rock salt deposits and provides the opportunity to go 650 feet beneath the earth’s surface. The salt deposits there were formed 275 million years ago. The museum is fairly young, being brought to the public in 1999 with several parties' cooperation, including the Hutchinson Salt company and Reno County Historical Society. 

The mine tour begins with a ride on the double-decker, 6-ton hoist, which lowers passengers into the depths of the earth. There are different tour options available, including a self-guided tour through the True Geology exhibit or even the Mining Gallery, which gives visitors a glimpse of what a miner's daily life was like in its heyday. There is also a Permian Room you can look at, plus various guided tour options. Take a 30-minute Dark Ride tour on a tram through some lit areas of the mine, or board the Salt Safari Shuttle with a small group into the darkness with only your helmet lights, or hop on the Salt Mine Express, a train ride into an area of the mine that hasn’t been touched for over 50 years. 

Tours are available Wednesday through Saturday from 9 am to 5 pm, with the last tour departing at 2:40 pm and Sunday from 1 pm to 5 pm, with the last tour departing at 3 pm. There are no children under 4 allowed underground. Ticket prices are $21 for ages 13-59, $19 for ages 60+ and military, $14 for ages 4-12, and $15 for Reno County residents. General admission includes the Dark Ride and the Salt Mine Express ride. The Salt Safari Shuttle is an additional $13, and all riders must be at least 8 years old.