Top Things to do in Montana
Top Hotels in Montana
- 1. Kelly Inn-West Yellowstone
- 2. Best Western Plus Grant Creek Inn
- 3. Hampton Inn & Suites Whitefish
- 4. Country Inn & Suites By Radisson
- 5. The LARK Bozeman
- 6. Lodge at Whitefish Lake
- 7. Best Western Rocky Mountain Lodge
- 8. Explorer Cabins At Yellowstone
- 9. Gray Wolf Inn and Suites
- 10. Best Western Desert Inn
Countries
10 Natural History Museums in Montana That You Shouldn't Miss
No matter where you look in Montana, you’ll find unspoiled nature, charming small towns and relaxing hospitality. Explore Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks, then hit the road to discover more natural wonders. You can hike, bike or horseback ride through rugged mountain landscapes, fly-fish blue ribbon trout streams, paddle scenic rivers and lakes, or spend winter days carving fresh powder at ski resorts — then end your day wandering a vibrant main street or relaxing in a cozy lodge.
Restaurants in Montana
1. Blain County Wildlife Museum
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 8 reviews
Reviewed By tncgreene - Trout Creek, United States
Went to this museum yesterday (June 1st) with my 4 year old grandson. When you enter you think it will just be some taxidermy animals on display but it’s far more than that. It’s an informative, educational and unbelievably realistic and beautiful displays of the region’s wildlife. We absolutely loved it and the museum employee was fantastic in assisting us with information about the displays. Don’t miss this one; too bad it’s only open during the summer months.
2. Fort Missoula Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 142 reviews
Located at one of Montana's first military posts, this museum houses rotating exhibits and devotes an entire wing to the 25th Infantry Bicycle Corps. A recreated Western town of the late 1800s takes visitors back in time to the days of carriage houses and homestead cabins.
Reviewed By georgecQ397DZ - Coeur d'Alene, United States
I grew up in Missoula and When I visit I always seem to want to go visit the Museum. From stories about Ghostly things seen on the grounds to just Montana History itself. Can't get enough of the place and theirs a lot to see if your a history buff.
3. Boone and Crockett Club
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 20 reviews
A citizens group founded by T.R. Roosevelt along with a group of concerned individuals to save wildlife and Yellowstone. It was the first effective conservation measure in the US.
4. Old Trail Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 31 reviews
Reviewed By 731dianes
A very nice stop. The grounds are clean and maintained. Nice grass so it is a cool place to stop in the warm weather. It is a Rest Area also so has nice bathrooms and an information center. The actual museum is small but well organized. One whole room is devoted to dinosaurs since this area of Montana has produced many fossils. The lady in the museum was fun to talk to. There was a whole binder of old arrest descriptions with pictures of those arrested. Very interesting. We'd never seen anything like it. This particular lady in the museum had done the preservation work on these papers. I believe she said they were found at a garage sale and had been stuck together and in bad shape. She did an amazing job of restoring them. The out buildings were fun to go into and they each had an exhibit. We were disappointed that the "Made in Montana" store was closed but the ice cream parlor made up for it!!
5. Children's Museum of Northeast Montana
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 5 reviews
6. Depot Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 3 reviews
7. Museum of the Rockies
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,785 reviews
Museum of the Rockies at Montana State University is a Smithsonian Affiliate, recognized as one of the world's finest research and history museums. It is renowned for displaying an extensive collection of dinosaur fossils, including a T. rex skeleton! MOR delights visitors with changing exhibits from around the world, permanent indoor and outdoor regional history exhibits, planetarium shows, educational programs, insightful lectures, benefit events, and a museum store. The Museum Store sells healthy snacks such as juice, yogurt, nuts, and string cheese. Snack and beverage vending machines are located in the lower lobby. There are numerous cafes and restaurants nearby.
Reviewed By 866TaylorB - Chicago, United States
The Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, Montana, preserves and tells the stories of Montana and the Northern Rocky Mountains, educating visitors about the region's rich history, which includes its paleontological roots. Located at 600 West Kagy Boulevard, it was founded in 1957. Its collections focus on the physical and cultural history of the Rocky Mountains and the people and animals who have lived there, dating back more than 500 million years. The museum houses the largest collection of dinosaur remains in the United States, possessing the largest Tyrannosaurus skull ever discovered, as well as the thigh bone of a Tyrannosaurus rex that contains soft-tissue remains. The museum's collections have grown to include 300,000 objects that cover more than 500 million years of history. In 1980, the museum acquired over 10,000 photographs and negatives from the heirs of Albert, Alfred and Chris Schlechten that chronicle the Bozeman and Yellowstone National Park areas over two generations, from 1905 until the late 1970s. Other permanent exhibits include: "Enduring Peoples," which chronicles the life of Native Americans on the Northern Plains and near the Rocky Mountains; "History of the Northern Rocky Mountain Region," whose inhabitants included Native Americans, fur traders, gold seekers and white settlers from the frontier days through World War II; the Living History Farm, which includes the Tinsley House, where costumed interpreters demonstrate life in a turn-of-the-century home; and the Taylor Planetarium, a 104-seat domed theater. The 100-year-old Tinsley House is preserved as a living history museum where visitors learn about the life of the Tinsley family and others who lived at the time. The house includes a functioning outhouse, water pump and kitchen where food typical of the time is sometimes prepared. The Tinsleys migrated west during the Civil War and worked in Virginia City, Montana, then relocated to the Gallatin Valley. The house was built in 1889 and provides an overview of homestead life in the 1800s in the Gallatin Valley. The newest addition to the complex, the $4 million, 20,000-square-foot Curatorial Center for the Humanities, will provide storage and curatorial space for the museum's humanities collection, which includes art and archaeological, historic, Native American and photographic items.
8. Montana Natural History Center
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 30 reviews
The mission of the Montana Natural History Center (MNHC) is to promote and cultivate the understanding, appreciation and stewardship of nature through education. MNHC offers numerous programs for children, including week-long summer outdoor day camps for pre-K through 5th grade, weekly pre-school programs, Saturday Kids' Activities, and Center Visits. Adult programs include Naturalist Trivia, evening lectures, and Naturalist Field Days, as well as several Montana Master Naturalist certification courses throughout the year. MNHC has a newly-renovated Exhibit Center filled with local animal specimens, information on Montana's ecosystems, and an exhibit on Glacial Lake Missoula. There is an interactive Kids' Discovery Room and a Nature Adventure Garden for outdoor play. MNHC also provides a tri-annual publication, Montana Naturalist magazine, free to members and the public, with feature articles about the flora and fauna of Montana, their ecology, habitats and conservation issues.
Reviewed By 866TaylorB - Chicago, United States
The Montana Natural History Center is a truly ingenious concept. Established in 1991, its mission is to promote and cultivate the appreciation, understanding and stewardship of nature through education. Located at 120 Hickory Street in Missoula, near Osprey Baseball Stadium and Currents Aquatic Center, on the Kim Williams Trail, near McCormick Park in the heart of Missoula, the encompasses the flora, fauna and natural history of western Montana. There are several interesting exhibits, including Explore Montana Ecosystems: discover Montana's four main ecosystems, from prairie to montane, and view mounted species, including bison, bears, birds and badgers; Explore Glacial Lake Missoula; Explore as a Naturalist; Explore fossils: view a life-sized replica of a Tyrannosauras rex skull and learn about fossils from various geological eras from thousands and millions of years ago; Explore Pollinators: learn about insets and other animals that pollinate flowers; Explore fire ecology; Explore Geology: learn about Montana's wealth of rocks and minerals from copper to agate to quartz; Explore our kids' Discovery Room; and Explore our Naturalist Lab. Look for the big green and brown building with the gorgeous dragonfly mural. You'll enjoy the visit.
9. Yellowstone Trading Post
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 61 reviews
Reviewed By tlewiswatts53 - Bozeman, United States
We LOVE this store, right in the heart of Cooke City, MT! If you love T-shirt variety, look no further! They have dozens of designs, & most of them are UNDER $10, which makes it so much fun to pick out several: On Saturday, June 13, 2020, we bought 5 T-shirts & a super-cute kids’ bear blankie/back-pack for little more than $62! Tip: Many of these same T-shirts will be inside Yellowstone, for 30-40% more, so support a local business, & enjoy shopping all their other selections—Pendleton wool items, yummy huckleberry treats, sweatshirts, denim shirts, gorgeous jewelry, kitchen items—such a great selection of so many terrific gifts! The two shirts in the photo below? The maroon one on top has a “glow-in-the-dark” feature, & the teal T-shirt on the bottom features a grizzly: Both are under $10 each!????????
10. Fort Peck Interpretive Center
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 42 reviews
Reviewed By bauman147 - Sweetgrass, United States
Interesting place with plenty of information about the history of the dam, as well as some paleontic and prehistoric information about the area (including some dinosaur replicas), wildlife in the area and the Lewis & Clark expedition. Three films are shown (one on the building of the dam, another on the Lewis & Clark Expedition, and a third on the CM Russell Wildlife Refuge). This would be a great place to start a trip through the area, of you have never been.
