Explore Montana: The Museum of the Rockies
There is no doubt that Montana offers an abundance of activities for families to enjoy and while Missoula is our home and favorite place to enjoy many activities, there are also a number of cities across Western Montana that we like to visit. Bozeman happens to be our family’s second favorite city in Montana for a variety of reasons, all of which depend upon who you ask in our family. Most hilarious is our 7-year-old’s devotion to the MSU Bobcat football team. I’m a University of Montana alum and my husband was born and raised in Missoula, so having a house divided has been pretty exciting during those rivalry football games. But football aside, another reason we love Bozeman is, like Missoula, there are so many kid friendly things to do. One of our favorite attractions in Bozeman is the Museum of the Rockies (MOR) or as my kiddos call it, the “Dino Museum.”
Our Trip Report
With four kiddos it can be challenging to find an activity that they all enjoy, especially when finding something to do that is appealing to all four of their age groups. Luckily, MOR is great for all ages! From our 11-year-old who has visited multiple times to our almost 2-year-old who was experiencing the museum for the first time, were all enthralled with the exhibits. However, it’s still a museum and there were certainly parts of the various exhibits where each of our children weren’t interested with what was on display. We anticipated that this would be the case so as we began our journey through the museum we asked our kiddos to find three things in each exhibit that they could learn about and share with the rest of us. This allowed our 11-and 7-year-old to wander and read the descriptions of items or photographs in the exhibits and share with us. For our 4-and almost 2-year-old, we were able to have dialogue with them about what artifacts or photos that interested them the most.
Our 11-year-old was intrigued by the descriptions of each photograph from Thomas D. Mangelesen’s A Life in the Wild exhibit (more info below). His favorite was an impressive photo of a group of polar bears photographed in Canada titled, Bad Boys of the Artic. Our 7-year-old and 4-year-old, who are both in to dinosaurs, spent a lot of time identifying the “coolest” dinosaurs. Our 7-year-old really appreciated the Triceratops growth series and was impressed by the size of the skulls on display. And no surprise here but our 4 year old was excited to see the massive T. Rex hovering over all other fossils, located on display in the center of the Siebel Dinosaur Complex. Our two year old was drawn to the beaded artifacts, especially the shoes, of the native peoples of Yellowstone County located on display at the Enduring Peoples exhibit.
Enduring Peoples Exhibit
Beaded shoes on display at the Enduring Peoples exhibit.
We were bummed, but completely understood, that the Martin Children’s Discovery Center located inside the museum was closed due to Covid-19. This area of the museum is AMAZING and perfect for little ones. It’s located at the top floor of the building and it features tons of hands on play-based activities including a simulated version of Yellowstone National Park’s Old Faithful geyser and more. Despite this area being closed, we had a great time exploring the museum.
MOR Siebel Dinosaur Complex
MOR isn’t just any museum, it’s world renowned and boasts some pretty incredible bones--namely the massive Montana T. Rex on display in the museum that was discovered near the Fort Peck Dam. And this T. Rex isn’t the only giant on display! MOR has an impressive Triceretops collection complete with a growth series and info on the evolution of this herbivore. The Siebel Dinosaur Complex, where these two incredible dinosaurs can be found, has many other dinosaur fossils on display as well as eggs, prehistoric mammals, and more!
Triceratops skull from the Triceratops Growth Series
MOR Exhibits
MOR offers a variety of temporary exhibits throughout the year in their Changing Exhibit Gallery. Currently on display until December 31, 2020 is photographer Thomas D. Mangelsen’s ‘A Life In The Wild’. This exhibit is worth the trip as Thomas D. Mangelsen’s images display his talent and patience in capturing wildlife across the globe in their natural environment--from the intense moment of a grizzly spawning salmon, perfectly titled Catch of the Day, to the moment a herd of giraffes await the moisture from a looming storm at the dried out Lake Ndutu, titled Rainwalk.
Also on display until December 31, 2020 is Seven Masters: 20th-Century Japanese Woodblock Prints features the work of seven artists including “the spectacular beauty portraits of the artists Hashiguchi Goyō (1880–1921), Itō Shinsui (1898–1972), Yamakawa Shūhō (1898–1944), and Torii Kotondo (1900–1976); striking images of kabuki actors by Yamamura Kōka (Toyonari) (1886–1942) and Natori Shunsen (1886–1960); as well as the evocative landscapes of Kawase Hasui (1883–1957).”
Permanent Exhibits include the Paugh History Hall featuring regional artifacts from Montana’s history, the Welcome to Yellowstone Country exhibit that explores the history and tourism of Yellowstone National Park and the Enduring Peoples exhibit that includes a remarkable display of artifacts and history on the native peoples of Yellowstone County.
MOR Taylor Planetarium
The Taylor Planetarium is open year round and is included in the price of admission. It offers shows that allow visitors to view the universe from a vivid and life-like perspective all in the comfort of theatre seating. Due to COVID-19, seating is limited and the space is sanitized after every show.
before you go
Hours & Admission can be found HERE on their website.
Covid-19 Safety: They’re doing a great job with maintaining safety procedures with COVID-19. Masks are required, hand sanitizer is located throughout the exhibits, and signage is posted reminding visitors not to touch the displays that were once “hands-on”.
Other Helpful Info: The exhibits are stroller friendly and handicap accessible. Admission tickets are for all day entry. It took our family just over 1.5 hours to get through the museum but some visitors spend even more time. The lunch area is closed due to Covid-19 so plan to take your lunch break outside of the museum.
