Top Things to do in Montana
Top Hotels in Montana
- 1. Kelly Inn-West Yellowstone
- 2. Best Western Plus Grant Creek Inn
- 3. Hampton Inn & Suites Whitefish
- 4. Country Inn & Suites By Radisson
- 5. The LARK Bozeman
- 6. Lodge at Whitefish Lake
- 7. Best Western Rocky Mountain Lodge
- 8. Explorer Cabins At Yellowstone
- 9. Gray Wolf Inn and Suites
- 10. Best Western Desert Inn
The 10 Best Museums in Montana, United States
No matter where you look in Montana, you’ll find unspoiled nature, charming small towns and relaxing hospitality. Explore Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks, then hit the road to discover more natural wonders. You can hike, bike or horseback ride through rugged mountain landscapes, fly-fish blue ribbon trout streams, paddle scenic rivers and lakes, or spend winter days carving fresh powder at ski resorts — then end your day wandering a vibrant main street or relaxing in a cozy lodge.
Restaurants in Montana
1. American Computer & Robotics Museum
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 277 reviews
Visit the American Computer & Robotics Museum and find out why distinguished Harvard scientist Edward O. Wilson described us as, “Inch for inch, the best museum in the world.” $7.50 for Adults, $4 for Youth and Seniors. Located in beautiful Bozeman, Montana, the ACRM is the oldest continuously operating museum devoted to the history of the Information Age and Computing. Our exhibits span 4,000 of human innovation, from original cuneiform tablets to the first personal computers, and include topics such as Artificial Intelligence, Quantum Computing, the Space Race, Cracking the Enigma Code, and more.
Reviewed By patrickbN3884CK - Minneapolis, United States
If you’re looking for hard to find, one of a kind historical computer artifacts, this is definitely the place to go. An apple I, first generation IBMs, a Turing Machine. They even had an enigma machine. How the heck do they have an enigma machine?!? Working in software, It was so good to witness so many people that have shaped our lives today.
2. Sunti World Art Gallery
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 53 reviews
Sunti World Art Gallery presents a tasteful fusion of world art, proudly representing masters artists from North America, Europe, and Asia. Sunti World Art Gallery boasts of both culture and class, showcasing Sunti’s sculptures, original paintings, ceramics, live-edge wood furniture, teakwood carvings, American-made raku, antique Turkish rugs, and hand-embroidered zardozis from India. With two floors of fine art, Sunti World Art Gallery includes a gift shop and cafe, offering organic specialty coffee and beverages, as well as a selection of pastries and tea sandwiches.
Reviewed By MJM84 - Joliet, United States
We stopped in the art gallery during a walk around the area when we arrived in Whitefish. The gorgeous flowers outside the gallery stopped me so I could take some photos. We wanted to see what was inside. There are lots of amazing pieces of art -- wood carvings, paintings, multi-media pieces and more! Much of it is large and western-centric; many items are expensive (competitively priced for what you're purchasing). The back room holds more moderately priced pieces that are easy to pack in your luggage to bring home.
3. Fort Missoula Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 142 reviews
Located at one of Montana's first military posts, this museum houses rotating exhibits and devotes an entire wing to the 25th Infantry Bicycle Corps. A recreated Western town of the late 1800s takes visitors back in time to the days of carriage houses and homestead cabins.
Reviewed By georgecQ397DZ - Coeur d'Alene, United States
I grew up in Missoula and When I visit I always seem to want to go visit the Museum. From stories about Ghostly things seen on the grounds to just Montana History itself. Can't get enough of the place and theirs a lot to see if your a history buff.
4. C.M. Russell Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 470 reviews
Charlie Russell documented the West that was vanishing before his eyes, telling the story of the American West as no artist had before. Many of the stories Russell told through Russell's art and life resonate even today. The first museum dedicated to Western art, the C.M. Russell Museum houses Charles Marion Russell's original studio, the home where he lived, and many paintings and bronzes created by Russell and his contemporaries. It also includes a compelling exhibition of Browning Firearms, featuring information on John Moses Browning (1855-1926), one of the world's most important and innovative gun makers. Now allowing photography except for specific pieces (no flash photography). Find out why the C.M. Russell Museum is the art and soul of the American West.
Reviewed By C5747LIjamesr - Alberta, Canada
This is a really great Museum and a must if your a fan of Charley Russell and his art. Spent a day and 1/2 and totally enjoyed the time I spent. Staff are really friendly and helpful.
5. Museum of the Rockies
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,785 reviews
Museum of the Rockies at Montana State University is a Smithsonian Affiliate, recognized as one of the world's finest research and history museums. It is renowned for displaying an extensive collection of dinosaur fossils, including a T. rex skeleton! MOR delights visitors with changing exhibits from around the world, permanent indoor and outdoor regional history exhibits, planetarium shows, educational programs, insightful lectures, benefit events, and a museum store. The Museum Store sells healthy snacks such as juice, yogurt, nuts, and string cheese. Snack and beverage vending machines are located in the lower lobby. There are numerous cafes and restaurants nearby.
Reviewed By 866TaylorB - Chicago, United States
The Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, Montana, preserves and tells the stories of Montana and the Northern Rocky Mountains, educating visitors about the region's rich history, which includes its paleontological roots. Located at 600 West Kagy Boulevard, it was founded in 1957. Its collections focus on the physical and cultural history of the Rocky Mountains and the people and animals who have lived there, dating back more than 500 million years. The museum houses the largest collection of dinosaur remains in the United States, possessing the largest Tyrannosaurus skull ever discovered, as well as the thigh bone of a Tyrannosaurus rex that contains soft-tissue remains. The museum's collections have grown to include 300,000 objects that cover more than 500 million years of history. In 1980, the museum acquired over 10,000 photographs and negatives from the heirs of Albert, Alfred and Chris Schlechten that chronicle the Bozeman and Yellowstone National Park areas over two generations, from 1905 until the late 1970s. Other permanent exhibits include: "Enduring Peoples," which chronicles the life of Native Americans on the Northern Plains and near the Rocky Mountains; "History of the Northern Rocky Mountain Region," whose inhabitants included Native Americans, fur traders, gold seekers and white settlers from the frontier days through World War II; the Living History Farm, which includes the Tinsley House, where costumed interpreters demonstrate life in a turn-of-the-century home; and the Taylor Planetarium, a 104-seat domed theater. The 100-year-old Tinsley House is preserved as a living history museum where visitors learn about the life of the Tinsley family and others who lived at the time. The house includes a functioning outhouse, water pump and kitchen where food typical of the time is sometimes prepared. The Tinsleys migrated west during the Civil War and worked in Virginia City, Montana, then relocated to the Gallatin Valley. The house was built in 1889 and provides an overview of homestead life in the 1800s in the Gallatin Valley. The newest addition to the complex, the $4 million, 20,000-square-foot Curatorial Center for the Humanities, will provide storage and curatorial space for the museum's humanities collection, which includes art and archaeological, historic, Native American and photographic items.
6. Conrad Mansion
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 394 reviews
The Conrad Mansion Museum is located in Kalispell's east side residential area atop a bluff overlooking the valley and the Swan mountain range. The home sits on three landscaped acres,surrounded by a dry stone fence with iron gates. Six large annual flower beds and extensive ever-blooming perennial beds provide constant color during the summer season, with pruned hedges, evergreens, and spacious lawns serving as a lush background. MISSION To preserve and exhibit the 1895 Charles Conrad Family Estate through public tours, educational programs, and community events.
Reviewed By F9761MSpatb
Oh my gosh, this is the best historic home. Our tour guide Ginny did the best job of educating us on the history of the home and the interesting lives of the Conrad family. This is a must do!
7. Hockaday Museum of Art
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 77 reviews
Free changing exhibits and galleries of regional art, housed in a former Carnegie Library.
Reviewed By 866TaylorB - Chicago, United States
The Hockaday Museum of Art in Kalispell, Montana, is a treasure trove of artwork and photographs produced by Montana artists, current and historic, designed to enrich the cultural life of the community and region and to preserve the artistic legacy of Montana and Glacier National Park. And it all is housed in a turn-of-the-century Carnegie Library Building that is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The collection captures the nostalgia and grandeur of Glacier National Park, the glory days of the Empire Builder Railroad, the Blackfeet Nation and those who chose to settle in this majestic part of Montana. It features works by signature authors, photographers and painters as well as Glacier National Park collectibles such as vintage maps and hand-tinted photographs. The artists include Charles M. Russell, Winold Reiss, Ralph Earl DeCamp, Fred Kiser, Roland Reed, O.C. Seltzer, T.J. Hileman, Earl Hilkke, Diccon Swans, Mark Ogle, John Clarke, Leonard Lopp, Bud Helbig, Ace Powell, Russell Chatham, Jeanne Hamilton, David Shaner, Hugh Hockaday, Thomas English, Jeff Walker, Bob Scriver, Gary Schildt, Tom Saubert, Frank Hagel, John Fery, Joe Scheurle, Adolph Heinze and Nicholas Oberling. Also the artifacts of writer James Willard Schultz. Opened in 1969 at 302 2nd Avenue East, the art center was named for local artist Hugh Hockaday, who had moved to the Flathead Valley after a successful career as a commercial artist. He died in 1968.
8. Museum of the Yellowstone
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 252 reviews
Museum on the history of transportation through Yellowstone National Park opened seasonally from May to October. Housed in the original 1909 Union Pacific Railroad Depot, the Museum features permanent and temporary collections telling the story of travel to Yellowstone and the town of West Yellowstone. Free walking tours of the historic center are available in the evenings during summer.
Reviewed By 743clarkg - Clarksville, United States
Glad we stopped in here, great information on the area, this museum used to be the railroad station way back in the day, very nicely restored with a lot of artifacts from that time and pictures of the way it looked, the staff is very knowledgeable, lots of history here, great place to explore
9. Aerial Fire Depot and Smokejumper Center
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 233 reviews
Reviewed By nancycD3182RR - Lancaster, United States
The smoke jumpers' center was one of the highlights of our time in Missoula. We were right in the center of the action. The tour included the ready room, sewing room, and parachute rigging area. Our guide was well informed and shared a lot of information. The smoke jumpers answered questions, as well. We need to give thanks to these men and women for putting their lives on the line to save our beautiful natural resources.
10. Missoula Art Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 70 reviews
Founded in 1975 and accredited by the American Association of Museums since 1987, MAM is emerging as the leading contemporary art museum in the Intermountain West. MAM is a spectacular attraction in the heart of Missoula's historic downtown: a fully accessible, free, public museum that boasts eight exhibition spaces, a library, education center, and an inviting information lounge.
Reviewed By Judyhwright - Missoula, United States
We love the Missoula Art Museum and are very proud of the part art plays in our community. They always have great displays to visit and change them on a regular basis. As parents and grandparents, we also appreciate the many opportunities the MAM offers the children of our community. Thanks for your important work. Dwain C. and Judy Helm Wright
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