The Museum of the Rockies offers a wonderful, multi-faceted educational experience.
Called “Montana’s most entertaining museum” by Lonely Planet, the Museum of the Rockies is Montana’s premier natural and cultural history museum. It houses permanent exhibits on dinosaurs, geology and Montana history—including Native American cultures—as well as a planetarium, living history farm and museum store.
The museum is known for its paleontology program, and is home to famed paleontologist Jack Horner. Horner was scientific advisor to the Jurassic Park movies, and is a commentator on many Discovery Channel specials.
The Museum of the Rockies has one of the largest dinosaur collections in the world, and the largest dinosaur fossil collection in the United States. In 2007, the museum opened its Siebel Dinosaur Complex, featuring fossil dinosaur eggs, nests, interactive games and giant sculptures.
During the summer, try the outdoor Lewis & Clark experiential challenge course, in which visitors can see what it was like to climb aboard a keelboat, outrun a bear, and lift a cradleboard like the one Sacajawea carried.
Additionally, the Living History Farm (closed in winter) has daily activities, programs and livestock to illustrate life on a 19th-century Montana homestead.
Summer hours are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily from Memorial to Labor Day. The rest of the year, the museum is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Saturday, and 12:30 to 5 p.m. Sundays. Located on the MSU campus at 600 West Kagy Blvd. Call 406-994-2251.
