Idaho State Museum — Attraction in Boise

This is a one of the best medium-sized museums I've ever been in! The building and exhibits are recently built and in great condition. You can tell a lot of money, thought and effort were put into making them.

There are a lot of good interactive exhibits that kids will enjoy, including a basement area with a mock mine and locomotive that smaller kids will enjoy, along with and exploration area that should interest older elementary and middle school kids. Many of the exhibits in the main area will also appeal to this age group while still being interesting to adults.

The first section on the main floor speaks briefly about the geologic origins and natural history of Idaho.

Another section there introduces the first human settlers and the five Native American tribes who were here when Europeans first arrived. On the way to the upper level (kind of a mezzanine), there is a section about transportation.

The main level has sections for the main regions of Idaho: lakes and forests in the north, rivers and mountains in the center, and deserts and canyons in the south.

Lakes and Forests has exhibits about mining and forestry, including an intense video presentation about the terrible first fire in 1910. It also has exhibits about the missionaries who were the first non-native Americans to permanently live here.

Rivers and Mountains focuses a lot on the history of outdoor recreation in Idaho, especially skiing and fishing, along with the struggles of the first homesteaders in this section of the state.

Desert and Canyons focuses on the Oregon trail pioneers who passed through this area, irrigation and agriculture, and idaho's largest cities, which developed in this area. One exhibit lets you tour those cities while pedaling a stationary bicycle.

A large exhibit on the lower level explores the lives and experiences of ordinary people over the years. I found this to be especially interesting and wish I wasn't already tired and pressed for time after seeing all the upper level stuff.

While the museum doesn't gloss over negative events, like the tragic experiences of the native Americans in their encounters with white settlers, it also doesn't carry the overall negative tone of the"woke" historical narratives one hears so much these days. The museum doesn't fail to celebrate the struggles and successes of the settlers as they built Idaho into the great state it is today.

While the exhibits give justice to the wide diversity of people who have lived and worked in this state, it doesn't get all preachy about it. Lord knows we hear enough sermons these days.

We didn't visit the Pioneer Village area outside the museum. It is only open from May to September.

Allow at least a couple of hours for your visit. If you are like me and like to read every caption on every display, you should probably add a couple more.

We visited during the Covid pandemic, and the museum was opened, though the special exhibit rooms were closed. Face masks were required and entry was limited, but on a Tuesday afternoon, it was almost empty anyway. I suspect in normal times, weekdays would find would find the museum busy with school kids on field trips, so now might be a good time to come if you prefer to have the place almost...

Most state museums fall into Best! State! Ever! sorts of narrative and the Idaho State Museum is no exception. But it's well laid out and has some really neat video elements throughout. I will say that I don't taking the volunteer-led daily tour adds much, at least it didn't for me.

On the main floor as you walk in is a lovely gift shop and the "origins" area - this is where they talk about the formation of Idaho, nature & wildlife, and there's an interactive digital "stream" and a wall with shifting projection mapping that you can view from two levels. A small theater plays Native American stories that is well worth watching.

The second/upper floor holds the bulk of the museum, with three areas, split into north, central, and south Idaho. The exhibits cover mining, forestry (with an immersive forest fire experience), skiing, rivers, pioneer history, agriculture, & industry. And many are interesting and interactive. There's even a video "bike tour", though it's currently not working. Historically, it seems to work best to tour from north to south, or from the right door first, but it doesn't really matter and there are "back" ways between all the rooms. Don't miss the "extra" Art Deco room and the Native American room at the far left of the building.

The basement/bottom floor is a really fun kids' play area with a train and touch screens, plus a large room dedicated to notable Idaho natives. Many of the displays come with push-button music or examples for that person.

It's definitely worth it for the price and I spent much more time here than I thought I would - about 3.5 hours! If I had it to do over again, I wouldn't take the 40-minute tour and would have felt a little less rushed towards closing time, but I still was able to take my time and see...

Took my daughter and her friend to explore this museum. It's self guided, full of Idaho history and easy to maneuver and enjoy. Parking can be challenging and is time limited so you may have to move your vehicle if you spend more than 2 hours here. Admission price is reasonable and offers free admission during first Thursday of every month, from 5-7pm. It's recently remodeled and it shows with lots of natural light, open spaces, interactive and hands on exhibits. The museum is divided into 7 - 8 different areas. Each area covers alot of information without being too overwhelming. Origins was my favorite area to explore as it covers the 5 federally recognized tribes of Idaho. How the Indians help shape the Gem state. Idaho history is also covered in 3 different areas that include; Lakes and Forests (North Idaho), Mountains and Rivers (Central Idaho) and Deserts and Canyons (South Idaho). Two changing exhibits rooms offer changing exhibitions thoughout the year. On our visit the exhibit was the Japanese Inturment Camp and it's ties to Idaho. A very moving and emotional display. The Idaho Room which features local Boise history. Boomtown is for kids and is a hands on experience and very interactive. History Lab and Stories from Idaho are also worth browsing through. Plan to spend at least two hours here if not more. The gift shop is also worth a look as they carry a lot of unique, local and hand made...