Mineral Junkie

I'm not exactly a big fan of museums but when you're in Washington DC, there's really nothing much to do or see. When I visited the capital last October, my days were spent mostly by this. On the top of my list was the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. The promise of seeing real Tricerotop bones and stuffed African predators got me stoked.


I was thrilled to discover a hall that probably holds one of the world's largest collection of minerals, crystals, rocks and semi-precious stones. I'm a huge fan of rocks so I spent hours going through the entire collection and I went back the following day to see it again. (Admission is free in all DC museums)!


There are thousands on display ranging from the rare "Hope Diamond," Saphires and Emeralds to Pyrite crystals, Stalagmites and Asbestos. It was overwhelming. 

Now boarding:

• Click here for a Google map of the museum.
• To learn more about The Smithsonian, visit its site.