Idaho Museum of Natural History

The place to be in eastern Idaho for paleo-geekery! What this museum lacks in size, it more than makes up for in heart, and they've got some really awesome research going on. If you live in the area, they're constantly doing outreach events such as public lectures and kids' activities. Their annual Fossil Fest is a wonderful opportunity to speak at length to their researchers and learn more about what they've been working on, as well as providing plenty of fun things for kids to participate in (not to be missed is the Helicoprion tooth whorl Red Vine guillotine... if you know, you know). IMNH is the state repository for fossils, so they have an amazing collection of specimens, only a few of which are on display at the moment. Some outreach activities include going to visit collections, and in my opinion that never gets old, especially since they're adding new specimens all the time. I love having the opportunity to get up close with the cutting edge of research.

One silver lining to their small size is that the museum is almost never crowded (I think the only time I actually saw it crowded was at Fossil Fest), so if you or your family need a relaxed environment, IMNH is a perfect place to chill and quietly look at specimens without much else going on or it feeling too people-y. I enjoy going there to do paleoart sketches, and it's a wonderful place to just zen out with the fossils for a few hours.

I'm also extremely impressed with how friendly the staff and researchers are. The staff are super personable, and if you visit regularly they actually start to recognize you and are happy to see you. The paleontologists graciously take time out of their busy schedules to do public lectures, and even allow ample time after the lecture to take the audience around the gallery and collections, answer questions, and generally talk paleo shop. I always have fruitful discussions with them, and I appreciate that I can get as in-depth and technical as I want and they're happy to field my inquiries.

If you're a Pocatello area resident, or just moved here, and you love paleontology, I strongly recommend buying an annual membership because there's plenty to do at IMNH throughout the year (members also get free access to events). If you're visiting town and looking for fun things to do, IMNH is the go-to place to get your science fix in Pocatello. If your trip happens to coincide with a museum event, I would definitely recommend scheduling it into your itinerary.