Going Underground Exploring The Sterling Hills Mining Museum [VIDEO]

My wife and I went on a "Daytrip" and another "bucket list" item! This time we went underground... deep into the earth at the Sterling Hills Mine! A Zinc Mine in Ogdensburg (Sussex County), New Jersey. A great "daytrip' for adults and children! They give you a 2-hour guided tour through their museum, fluorescent minerals, and the mines underground! Educational and fun. We even saw the set where they filmed the mining scene from Zoolander with Ben Stiller, which was used for the movie. Another bucket list item done! It's about a two-hour drive from the Shore.

We went for lunch in Sparta at a really cool coffeehouse, "Cloveberry." I recommend the "Buddha Bowl."

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A little history: mining in this region of New Jersey began in 1640. Sterling Hill was the last working mine when it closed in 1986. It became a historical museum in 1990.... It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.

There are 35 miles of tunnels in the mine, going down to 2,065 feet below the surface, but many of the lower levels have been flooded over the years and are now underground lakes and rivers!

The mine maintains a temperature of 56 °F (13 °C)

Check out the video below from our exploration underground!