Field trip to Martin Marietta Minerals Rock Quarry, Raleigh
Our local homeschool group arranged a trip to the Martin Marietta Minerals Rock Quarry in North Raleigh.
Our time began with a safety talk and then a Q&A session with the plant manager, Mr. Matt. He was very friendly and handled the kids and their questions well.
He let them know that they were allowed to take home ANY rocks they found in the rock pit. Â Instantly, there was a collective groan from the moms. Â HA!
He revised his statement to add that you could take home as many as your mom would allow.
Next, there was a snack and bottled water provided for each of the participants. Â The kids were quite excited about this! Â It was a very nice touch before heading out to “the pit”.
Our drive to the rock pit was filled with action scenes. The pit was in full work mode as we toured.
You have to be prepared to take home a dusty car. Â The road on the way down is dirt and gravel.
There was lots of action in the pit because they had exploded the rock in one section the day before. Â The drivers were working hard to clear out the rock.
We made it to the bottom of the pit!
An area was blocked off for the children to explore. Â Two of the vehicles used in the quarry were set up for the kids to check out.
“I can’t believe people get paid to do this all day.” – My son, age 8
There were three piles of rock, crushed and finished, but at various sizes. Â Each one was “delivery ready” depending on what the customer ordered. Â The kids could climb the piles and check out the rocks.
It was a great day in the pit!
I was very impressed with the plant manager and the crew at the Martin Marietta Rock Quarry in Durham. Â They were able to move the group through safely, but also allow time for exploration and fun in the pit for the children. Â I highly recommend this tour.
You can contact the plant manager to arrange a tour. Â They love having school (or homeschool) groups!
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