Many towns in Montana have a very rich history that dates back centuries.
From mining towns to regions originally occupied by Native Americans, to animals that long-lived in its beautiful landscapes and are now extinct. Yes, I’m talking about dinosaurs. This history is preserved in the many museums found around this state.
Learn about the culture and heritage of Native Americans, the Jurassic era, artifacts that were unearthed all over the vast landscapes, and the history of the people who once built the Big Sky Country as we know it.
Visit art museums and enrich your creativity with masterpieces from excellent artists and the best paintings from historical painting geniuses.
To give you a tour into this fantastic world of history and art, here is a list of the best Museums to visit in Montana. Make sure you check out our list at the end of the article to check out more museums in Montana!
The 10 Best Museums in Montana
- C. M. Russell Museum, Great Falls
- Montana Historical Society, Helena
- Museum of the Rockies, Bozeman
- World Museum of Mining, Butte
- The American Computer and Robotics Museum, Bozeman
- Museum of the Yellowstone, West Yellowstone
- Yellowstone Art Museum, Billings
- The Moss Mansion Historic Museum, Billings
- Range Riders Museum, Miles City
- Miracle of America Museum, Polson
1. C. M. Russell Museum, Great Falls
This largely visited museum in Great Falls is home to the most admirable art pieces of one of the most remarkable painters that ever lived in Montana.
Charles Marion Russell, who they named the Museum after, did an exceptional work of capturing the rich heritage of the North Plains in his ink paintings, illustrated letters, watercolor paintings, oil paintings, and clay models.
His art pieces depict the 19th-century Montana cowboy culture and the beautiful Montana landscapes.
This marvelous block comprises 16 galleries that host over 3,000 art pieces, academic centers, a research center, and a sculpture garden.
Here, you’ll find out everything you need to know about the Northern Plains and the Indians that inhabited it in the 1800s, their cultural heritage, and their way of life.
Some exhibitions you should expect to see on this visit are The Bison, C. M. Russell paintings, firearms, and many more. The Bison exhibition focuses on the cultural and historical significance of the Bison in the 19th century up to the early 21st century.
From the firearms exhibition, you’ll learn its evolution in size, usage, and design over the years, why it was a valuable tool, and its impact. You’ll see pieces of some of the most significant firearm designs there were.
Education is available in this museum block for both children and adults who wish to nurture their talents. They also encourage group and school reservations for those who wish to visit.
These are customizable and you are free to specify what your focus will be upon your visit, as well as if you prefer to be guided by experts or not. There’s also a virtual museum tour available if you can’t visit physically.
2. Montana Historical Society, Helena
With over 50,000 artifacts collected from all over the land and its neighboring regions on display, you’ll experience the richness of the history of the Big Sky Country right here in the heart of Helena.
These pieces include everything from archeological artifacts, art pieces, agricultural tools, and mining objects, you name it.
The Native American culture from different tribes around Montana is also represented here. Of the 6,000 artifacts, you’ll find pieces from the Blackfeet tribe, the Salish tribe, and the Sioux people.
There are also garments worn by Chinese immigrants in 1890, ceremonial clothes by the Rebekahs, and Old Fellow fraternities. Firearms and riffle pieces from the 19th century are also displayed here.
This museum preserves the Original Governor’s Mansion, an architectural marvel, and a historical landmark. Clothes worn by the Governor on his inauguration are also preserved in the museum.
Paintings of the great C.M Russell and other decorative art and furniture are also part of this broad display. You’ll see pictures of Native American Soldiers involved in the world wars and a history of their involvement.
Plan a visit to this museum for an extensive learning experience about Montana’s past and recent history. Guided tours are available. You can also go shopping for artifacts and history books in the available physical and online stores.
3. Museum of the Rockies, Bozeman
This museum has one of the largest collections of dinosaur archeological remains in the world. As you arrive, a 15 feet tall picturesque model of one of Montana’s Tyrannosaurus rexes graces the entrance.
Take a tour into the Jurassic world at The Siebel Dinosaur Complex, where you’ll get a peek into the history of these once ferocious predators. You’ll be shown their eggs, babies, adult dinosaurs, Tyrannosaurus rexes, Triceratops, everything from the Mesozoic and Cenozoic eras.
Besides dinosaurs, they display other animals now extinct in the region, such as rhinos, mammoths, and Borophagus (bone-crushing dogs). The Living History Farm is where you’ll get to experience a typical Montana homestead in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
This homestead was built in 1889, along with a barn that was built in 1990. Other parts of this homestead, such as the chicken shed, blacksmith shop, and granary, were recreated to look like a typical 20th-century home.
Here you get a live experience of what life was like then, how labor-oriented it was. From cooking, milking, baking, mending clothes, to splitting wood. There’s a garden that gets plowed and they harvest produce and all other agricultural practices from back in the day.
There are lots of other displays here, such as bison murals, and pictures of Native Americans. The history of these North Plain Indians is well narrated in this museum if you’d be interested in learning their heritage.
There’s a children’s museum rich in Yellowstone history as well as a planetarium for both entertainment and learning purposes. Visit their stores and get souvenirs for your family and friends.
Plan your visit and get the best of the paleontological world in Montana.
4. World Museum of Mining, Butte
Founded in 1963, the World Museum of Mining is one of the few museums in Montana that gives you an actual life experience of what a mining yard looked like in the 19th ce