What to do and see in Montana, United States: The Best History Museums

Visit the American Computer & Robotics Museum and find out why distinguished Harvard scientist Edward O. Wilson described us as, “Inch for inch, the best museum in the world.” $7.50 for Adults, $4 for Youth and Seniors. Located in beautiful Bozeman, Montana, the ACRM is the oldest continuously operating museum devoted to the history of the Information Age and Computing. Our exhibits span 4,000 of human innovation, from original cuneiform tablets to the first personal computers, and include topics such as Artificial Intelligence, Quantum Computing, the Space Race, Cracking the Enigma Code, and more.

The Big Horn County Historical Museum has been showcasing the area's rich western history since 1979. The 35 Acre complex has 24 restored historical buildings arranged in a beautiful setting, all containing period items. Two barns are filled with restored tractors, cars and trucks. Two Exhibit buildings contain galleries, a gift shop, and a state visitor's center. There is a very large parking area that easily accommodates RV's, and picnic facilities. You can check out events and more information on our Facebook site: facebook.com/bighorncountymuseum

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.

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.

The Conrad Mansion Museum is located in Kalispell's east side residential area atop a bluff overlooking the valley and the Swan mountain range. The home sits on three landscaped acres,surrounded by a dry stone fence with iron gates. Six large annual flower beds and extensive ever-blooming perennial beds provide constant color during the summer season, with pruned hedges, evergreens, and spacious lawns serving as a lush background. MISSION To preserve and exhibit the 1895 Charles Conrad Family Estate through public tours, educational programs, and community events.

Museum on the history of transportation through Yellowstone National Park opened seasonally from May to October. Housed in the original 1909 Union Pacific Railroad Depot, the Museum features permanent and temporary collections telling the story of travel to Yellowstone and the town of West Yellowstone. Free walking tours of the historic center are available in the evenings during summer.

The mission of the Yellowstone County Museum is to collect, preserve, research, and interpret the natural history and diverse cultures of the Yellowstone Valley of Montana and the Northern Plains. We share this legacy through a full range of exhibits and educational programs for the enrichment of the cultural and intellectual life of our community.We make it our priority to keep the history personal and relatable. This history belongs to everyone and we're just the storytellers here at the Yellowstone County Museum

The Custer Battlefield Museum houses hundreds of Indian War Period artifacts and manuscripts related to Custer, Crazy Horse, Sitting Bull and the 7th Cavalry as well as the acclaimed photograph collection of D.F. Barry. Home to Sitting Bull's death mask and the gauntlets of George Custer, the museum and town sits where the Battle of the Little Bighorn began at Sitting Bull's Camp. Located in front of the museum is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, containing one of the first 7th Cavalry Casualties.

Located in Red Lodge's historic Labor Temple Building, the Carbon County Historical Society and Museum is the county's central source for historic, genealogical, and archival information about Carbon County, Montana. The museum was first established in 1959 by Alice Greenough to house the collection of her world-renowned rodeo family. The Carbon County Historical Society was formed in 1974, and incorporated as a 501(c)3 nonprofit in 1975. In 1990, the three-story Labor Temple building was gifted to the Carbon County Historical Society by an anonymous donor. In 1909 the Labor Temple was completed in Red Lodge on the corner of 8th and Billings Ave (now Broadway). This four-story, 20,000 sq. ft. Labor Temple Building was constructed by the Red Lodge Miners Local No. 1771 for $36,000, using a quarter of a million bricks from the Fromberg brick yard. It once served more than 1,000 union miners in Carbon County. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. The historical society received money through grants, and private donations to restore the main floor and basement. In June 1999, the Labor Temple once again opened its doors to the community as the county's museum. The historical society is in the process of raising funds to restore and renovate the top two floors, with a completion date goal of 2017.

Explore more than 50 structures, ranging from the 100 ft high headframe to the many buildings of Hell Roarin' Gulch, a turn of the century mining town. Displays and exhibits focus on mining and the related culture that made Butte, MT. The World Museum of Mining offers two mine tours. One takes you into the depths of the Orphan Girl mine and provides the history of mining, gives visitors the opportunity to see the Orphan Girl vein and is approximately 1.5 hours long. Get fitted with a miner's hard hat and lamp to experience life underground! The other tour is a Mine Yard tour. The guide walks you through the Mine Yard showing guests where miners started and ended their day. Space is limited and reservations are required. Reservations can be made on our website. The Museum is open seven days a week until the end of October with limited hours in November. Weather conditions may affect our ability to offer all services.