Montana Natural History Center — Attraction in Missoula

It's a good place for kids, it's inexpensive, and short.

I was disappointed with the lack of education though. I love natural history - it's the whole reason I'm traveling the US - I want to see every natural history museum I can!

The first room we saw had all kinds of taxidermied animals. They were up high, on the floor, and everywhere in between. They were excellently done and I loved being able to see so much of the animals, but the only information given for 99% was the name of the animal. A few got special treatment with informational signs, but nearly all just said what it was.

I also think they could do a better job with the flooding from Glacial Lake Missoula. What an impressive series of events that was! I don't want to put dirty headphones on, but I enjoyed reading the signs. They were just overly wordy and boring. I'm a total nerd so that's really rare for me. They could easily make that area more exciting, easy to understand, and interesting. Luckily I began studying about it decades ago, but I think most people would go through it in no time at all.

The "glowing rocks" exhibit was pretty cool, but hard to find and I wasn't even sure at first if I was supposed to be there. There were boxes to the side, coats hung up...I almost went past it, thinking it was an employee area.

For wheelchair users: The ramp starts behind some bushes, so I didn't see it at first, but it's actually a lovely little roll. People using the stairs are missing out. From there it's a tight turn into the door - a 6 point turn for my scooter.

The museum itself was very easy to navigate, with plenty of room. The bathroom was not though. I wasn't sure I'd be able to get in at all. There were 2 available - one with a couple of stalls, and one that was single person/large. I chose the single and maybe that was the problem - but it took me a long time to get in. Once inside there was plenty of room, and backing out was...

This place is wonderful. I was in the area visiting with friends and was invited along to bring a friend's kid to a nature class one morning on my trip. The class was literally for small children but I learned a lot about Osprey and butterflies as well as the sign language for wildfire so I feel like that's a win. The content for kids was so fun and informative and I walked out with a copy of the Field Notes book they had near the entrance which has already helped me learn about and identify some of what I've been photographing on my first ever trip to Montana. The people at the Natural History center are so kind and welcoming and if I had kids this is the exact type of place I'd want them to get to visit. It was great to browse as an adult as well.

We are all able to be citizen scientists if we choose to do so and as someone that has recently reconnected with our planet after forgetting to stop and smell the flowers every once in a while, I loved that they had a definition of what a Naturalist is prominently displayed. We can all be naturalists if we just choose to slow down and observe what's going on around us and it's also very therapeutic. Highly...

A fascinating trove of natural artifacts and learning centers, including rare animals and insects as well as some interesting geology around them. Truly an educational experience, everything is properly explained and expounded, and the museum can be experienced either by a friendly guide or through one of the many youth-oriented workshops taking place in one of the classrooms around the building. Recently renovated and the size of a warehouse, the center is a great resource for seeing nature through an educational perspective and you'll learn something new every...