Guided Tours of Montana's Museum, Montana State Capitol, and the Original Governor's Mansion
MONTANA'S MUSEUM
The Montana Historical Society Museum features both long-term and temporary exhibits. Currently, the education program offers a variety of docent-led, age-appropriate tours of the Montana Homeland exhibit and the Mackay Gallery of Charles M. Russell Art. Pre-visit and post-visit lesson for some tours are also available on-line for teachers to complete with their students before and after their visits to the Museum.Group tours of the Museum - whether docent-led or self-guided - are offered free of charge to school groups and other youth organizations. For adult groups and bus tours, the fee for docent-led tours is $2.50 per adult (the bus driver and tour coordinator are admitted free). For groups that have not scheduled a docent-led tour, the regular $5.00 per adult admission fee applies.
To schedule a tour call 406-444-4789 or email dmitchell@mt.gov.
Tour Options:
Indian Touch and Learn (Grades K-3) - Explore how the bison provided for the Indians through the use of hands-on artifacts, and compare and contrast life today with the lifeways of Montana Indians 200 years ago. Pre-visit Lesson; Post-visit Lesson.A Week in 1903 (Grades K-3) - Discover what a week in the life of Elizabeth and Robert Harris of Helena was like. A reading from 11-year-old Elizabeth Harris' diary is accompanied by hands-on artifacts. This tour is a great experience for classes studying the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Russell's Rascals (Grades 2-3) - Uncover stories about cowboys, Indians, and animals in Charlie Russell's art, as well as how paintings can express emotions and communicate sensory messages.
Family Guide to the MacKay Gallery of C.M. Russell Art.
Russell Round-up (Grades 4-7) - Interact with the art of Charles M. Russell, Montana's Cowboys Artist, and discover how he used his cowboy experiences as a basis for the stories in his paintings. Students learn art-analysis skills and episodes from Montana history as depicted by Russell. Includes gallery activity.
Family Guide to the Mackay Gallery of C.M. Russell Art.
On Expedition with Lewis and Clark (Grades 4-6) - Episodes from the expedition come to life in the paintings of C.M. Russell and Robert F. Morgan. While 'on expedition' students learn about the Corps of Discovery, make their own special journal and complete six fun and educational activities.
How the West Was ... (Grades 4-8) - Investigate whether the West was "won" by the Euro-Americans or "stolen" from the Indians through an interactive activity on western expansion. Students learn about Montana Indian tribes, fur trades, the U.S. military, missionaries, gold miners, and settlers and how their lives intersected. Pre-visit Lesson (4-6) ; Post-visit Lesson (4-6) . Pre-visit Lesson (7-8) ; Post-visit Lesson (7-8).
Uncovering the Past: Fort Montana (Grades 6-8) - Become an archaeologist and "dig" up the remains of a fur trade era fort. Students piece together life at the fictitious fort by analyzing artifact remains and primary sources.
Mission: History (Grades 7-8) - Assume the roles of an archaeologist, anthropologist, historian, and curator to uncover and preserve the past. Students gain knowledge of Montana history by assuming these occupations, thereby revealing Montana's past.
Russell's West (Grades 8-12) - Survey the art of Charles M. Russell and see how he captured the romantic myth of the West in the stories and historical events, real and mythical, he portrayed on canvas. Includes gallery activity.
Guided Research (Grades 9-12) - The Guided Research tour is a carefully crafted set of questions that provides students with an opportunity to take an in-depth look at Montana's history. This tour promotes group work, along with the idea of students "teaching" and learning from each other. It is a program that engages students, teachers, and chaperones alike.
Uncovering the Past: Montana Landfill (Grades 9-12) - Become, a "garbalogist" and "dig" up a landfill to look for clues as to how Montanans lived in the 1930s, 1950s, and 1980s. Utilizes hands-on learning, primary sources, analytical thought, and discussion.
A Journey Through Time: Montana Homeland (Adult) - An introduction to how people throughout Montana history have lived and worked in communities in our Montana Homeland exhibit. The tour is interactive and utilizes hands-on, reproduction artifacts. Visitors are also introduced to historical patterns and to how a museum works.
How To Schedule a Tour of the Museum
Please call no later than two weeks prior to the time you plan to come to Helena. For tours planned during legislative sessions or the month of May, please book more than a month in advance.To book a tour, please call (406) 444-4789 and be prepared to help us make good arrangements for you by providing the following information:
- Preferred Tour Date
- Preferred Tour Times
- Size and grade level/age of your group
- Special needs or considerations
- Which tours you would like
Would You Prefer to Tour the Museum on Your Own?
Students and teachers are welcome to tour the Society without a guide. We require that you provide one adult chaperone for every five students, and that the chaperone remains with the students at all times while visiting the buildings.
As a courtesy, we ask that you please call us at (406) 444-4789 to confirm your proposed arrival dates and times. That way we can at least tell you whether a number, of other schools are already booked. Regular admission fees apply for self-guided tours of the Museum. Without a directed tour, students of all grade levels are unlikely to benefit from tours or museum experiences unless you have prepared the students with work to accomplish during their visit.
