Browse in the visitor centre with a model of a Bronze Age village depicting life in Bronze Age times. Take a look at some original 4,000 year old Bronze Age artefacts and a selection of Bronze Age mining tools. We have a well stocked shop with rocks and minerals from around the World and a Second-hand bookshop.

The Visitor Centre, Shop, Second-hand Bookshop and Tea Room are open to non mine visitors.

Take a seat for a few minutes and watch 2 short films. Film one taken from a News at ten feature about the mines gives a good introduction to the site followed by Channel 4's Scientific Eye explaining the extraction of copper ore on the Great Orme to its transformation into copper metal.

After you have watched the films take a helmet and make your way down to the mines. Walking through tunnels mined nearly 4,000 years ago whilst looking into some of the smaller tunnels visitors get a feel for the conditions our prehistoric ancestors faced in their search for valuable copper ores.

Returning to surface stroll around the surface of the site viewing the prehistoric landscape that is being slowly uncovered. Excavation on surface will continue for decades. Click here to have a look at what we are doing this year.

Make your way to the Great Opencast viewing area. This is where we believe mining began on the Great Orme. With the help of our artists impression imagine the opencast as it may have looked 4,000 years ago.

Standing on the bridge provides an ideal opportunity to view the mine site and its surrounding area. Peer down the 470 foot deep Vivian's Shaft the original entry into the mines when excavation began in 1987.

Moving on from the bridge, make your way to our reconstruction smelting site. Follow the information boards for an explanation of our ancestors methods for turning the copper ore Malachite into copper metal.

Any questions? There is always one on the original excavation team on hand to answer them.