Visit the museum
We look forward to seeing you at the Karl E. Limper Geology Museum. You can visit two ways: online or on the Miami University, Oxford, OH, campus. Our online museum features up-to-date information about the museum and about geology--including bolded words that are defined in our online glossary. We also offer two online tours--one of fossils, minerals, rocks, and meteorites and the other of Peffer Park.
The museum on campus is free and open to visitors of all ages. Everyone is welcome to come and explore the geology of the dynamic world in which we live.
You can find the museum easily: it is located on the Miami University campus on the first floor of Shideler Hall, Room 8. Shideler Hall is located west of the intersection of US Highway 27 and State Route 73. If, after viewing the directions linked below, you still have questions, please call the museum at (513) 529-3220, or the Department of Geology office at (513) 529-3216.
After visiting the Karl E. Limper Geology Museum, you can visit other Miami University museums while you are on campus. Visiting these museums will give you the opportunity to learn more about zoology, botany, anthropology, and art, especially of the local area. If you enjoy history, the McGuffey Museum is also a place you might want to visit. It is a registered historic national landmark that gives you a glimpse into the life of William Holmes McGuffey and the McGuffey Eclectic Readers.
Directions
The main roads that will lead you to Oxford are State Route 27, running north and south, and State Route 73, running east and west.
From the northeast
Take I-70 to State Route 127 south to State Route 73 west
From the northwest
Take I-70 to State Route 27 south
From the south
Take I-275 to State Route 27 north
From the southwest
Take I-74 to I-275 north/east to State Route 27 north
From the east
Take I-70 to State Route 127 south to 73 west
From the north
Take I-75 to State Route 73 west 
Hours
The museum is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 am until 5:30 pm. You can also schedule evening and weekend visits by contacting Dr. Kendall L. Hauer at (513) 529-3220.
Parking
You will need a permit to park on the Miami University campus. The Parking Services Office, located in the Campus Avenue Building, issues permits to visitors. You must go to the office to obtain a visitor parking permit. The building is located on the corner of Spring Street and Campus Avenue. Registration requires the following:
- A valid driver's license
- A license plate number of the vehicle to be registered
Alternatively, if you notify us of your visit several days ahead of time, we can mail you a visitor parking permit.
For more information about parking at the University, please visit http://www.units.muohio.edu/prk/visitorinfo.html
Food
After working up an appetite at the museum, you can simply walk across Spring Street to the Shriver Center. There you will find Haines Food Court, Spring Street Market, and Tuffy's To Go. Haines offers a variety of options, ranging from sandwiches and pizza to pasta and Mexican food. And whether you are an alum returning to campus or a new visitor, you will probably not want to leave without stopping at Tuffy's To Go for one of Miami's tasty toasted rollsthey are definitely a Miami tradition. If these foods do not entice you, you can see what Spring Street Market, which offers 1,600 items in its 850 square-foot space, has to offer.
For more information, you may go to http://www.hdg.muohio.edu/shriver/?showme=HainesFoodCourt.htm
If your appetite is more hearty, you may wish to eat in uptown Oxford. It has many restaurants to choose from. Just exit Shideler Hall on the Route 27/Patterson Avenue side, turn left, or north, on route 27. At the intersection of Patterson and High Street, turn left, or west, on High Street towards town. Uptown options range from sit-down restaurants to fast food. For more information about Oxford restaurants, please visit http://www.miami.muohio.edu/parents/restaurants.cfm
Group visits
You may schedule group visits and field trips by contacting Dr. Kendall L. Hauer at (513) 529-3220. Special programs are available.
Gift shop
If you would like to continue learning about geology, purchase our books for sale.
Cincinnati Fossils focuses on the Ordovician rocks and fossils of Cincinnati, Ohio, edited by R.A. Davis, and published by the Cincinnati Museum Center. The cost is $7.00.
We also offer the Miami University Geology Field Trip Guide to Localities on Indiana Rt. 101 between Brookville and Liberty. The cost is $2.00.
