Yellowstone National Park has several nearby museums. Anyone wishing to get a well-rounded education in all aspects of the Greater Yellowstone Area should plan to visit our museum partners while on their Yellowstone excursion. Even if it takes foul weather to send you indoors, be prepared for that rainy day by selecting museums of interest in advance.
To locate nearby museums, refer to the Nearby Museums Map.
Buffalo Bill Historical Center
720 Sheridan Avenue
Cody, WY 82414-3428
(307) 587-4771
(307) 587-5714 fax
email: janj@bbhc.org
The Buffalo Bill Historical Center is widely regarded as America's finest western museum. Located in Cody (northwestern), Wyoming, 52 miles from Yellowstone National Park's East Gate. The Center features a library and five internationally acclaimed museums (more than 300,000 square feet) under one roof devoted to western cultural and natural history. Admission to all five museums is good for two consecutive days.
Carbon County Historical Society & Museum
224 N. Broadway
Red Lodge, MT 59068
(406) 446-3667
(406) 446-1920 fax
email: info@carboncountyhistory.com
The Carbon County Historical Society and Museum is located 63 miles from the Northeast entrance to Yellowstone National Park at the base of scenic Beartooth Highway. Housed in the 1909 historic Labor Temple in downtown Red Lodge, Montana the museum is home to the Greenough and Linderman rodeo collections, Liver Eatin’ Johnston information, Waples family gun collection, an interactive coal and hard rock mine exhibit, the Carbon County archives, and much more. The staff assists with family genealogy and historic research. Summer hours: Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Winter hours: Tuesday thru Friday - 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., Saturday - 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. and closed Sundays and Mondays.
Eagle Rock Art Museum 300 So. Capital Ave.
Idaho Falls, ID 83402
(208) 524-7777
(208) 529-6666 fax
email: info@eaglerockartmuseum.org
Eagle Rock Art Museum is located in downtown Idaho Falls on the river walkway overlooking the Snake River 111 miles from West Yellowstone. Open year round, the Museum features rotating exhibits of works by Idaho artists, as well as regional and nationally acclaimed artists. Visitors also enjoy an interactive Children’s Gallery, special events, and a gift shop. Open Wednesday through Saturday, 10 am - 4 pm, and Sunday from 1-4 pm. Admission is by donation.
Gallatin County Historical Society & Pioneer Museum
317 W. Main Street
Bozeman, MT 59715
(406) 522-8122
(406) 522-0367 fax
email: pioneermuseum@imt.net
The museum is located in the old Gallatin County Jail. Exhibits include a hanging gallows, model of Fort Ellis, Indian artifacts, and the historic "Big Horn Gun." There’s also a display on movie actor and Gallatin County High School graduate Gary Cooper. The Museum has a library, photo archives, and bookstore. Summer hours: Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Saturday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. FREE ADMISSION. Donations are appreciated.
International Fly Fishing Museum215 E. Lewis Street
Livingston, MT 59047
(406) 222-9369
email: iffc@wtp.net
Livingston Depot Center
P.O. Box 1319 / 200 West Park Street
Livingston, MT 59047
(406) 222-2300
(406) 222-2401 fax
email: Livingston Depot Email
Housed in a beautifully restored1902 Northern Pacific railway station, the Livingston Depot serves its visitors and community as a museum and cultural center. Open late May through late September, the museum features regional and Pacific Northwest railroad history as well as special exhibits, video displays, and a gift shop. Adjacent to passing trains, the Depot is home to art fairs, blues shows, special passenger train visits, historic lectures, chocolate fests, wedding receptions, concerts, and holiday events, with whistles and the Northern Rockies for backdrop. Learn more at www.livingstondepot.org
Montana Historical Society
P.O. Box 201201
225 North Roberts
Helena, MT 59620-1201
(406) 444-1645
(800) 243-9900 - museum store
email: tcook@state.mt.us
No visit to Yellowstone National Park is complete without a trip to the Montana Historical Society in Helena. The Society holds the premier collection of photographs of the park from its creation in 1872 well into the 1920s. F. Jay Haynes was the park's first official photographer and he left thousands of his original photos to the Society. The large Society Museum exhibit includes a re-creation of Haynes' gift shop and his original park postcards. Prints of Haynes' photos can be purchased in the Society's Photo Archives and the museum store carries many Yellowstone items. Also, Charlie Russell art and 11,000 years of Montana history.
Museum of the Mountain Man
P.O. Box 909
700 East Hennick
Pinedale, WY 82941
Toll free: (877) 686-6266
email: museumofthemountainman@wyoming.com
One of the most comprehensive collections of the Rocky Mountain Fur Trade Era (1820's to 1840's) is housed at the Museum of the Mountain Man in Pinedale, Wyoming. The 15,000 square foot facility presents a visual and interpretative experience into the romantic era of the Mountain Man. It contains exhibits on the Fur Trade, western exploration, Plains Indians, and settlement of Western Wyoming. A research library has a large collection of Western literature.
Museum of the RockiesMontana State University
600 W. Kagy Blvd.
Bozeman, MT 59717-2730
(406) 994-2251
(406) 994-2682 fax
email: wwwmor@montana.edu
The Museum of the Rockies at Montana State University is best known for its paleontolgy, geology, western history and Native American exhibits. Home of the world-class Taylor Planetarium, the museum is nationally recognized for its paleontology research and dinosaur exhibits.
Museum of the Yellowstone
P.O. Box 1299
Corner of Canyon Street and Yellowstone Avenue
West Yellowstone, MT 59758
(406) 646-1100
(406) 646-7461 fax
email: museum@wyellowstone.com
Showcases park wildlife, geology, transportation, and visitation.
National Museum of Wildlife Art
P.O. Box 6825
2820 Rungius Road
Jackson, WY 83002
(307) 733-5771
Toll-free: (800) 313-9553
email: info@wildlifeart.org
The world's premiere collection of wildlife art is housed three miles north of Jackson Hole, Wyoming at the National Museum of Wildlife Art. Perched on a hillside overlooking the National Elk Refuge and the Gros Ventre Mountain range, the museum's architecture is as unique as the 4,000 works within. The museum hosts traveling exhibitions and rotates its permanent collection regularly - highlighting photography, paintings, sculptures and more. Always on view are masterworks by artists including Edward Hicks, William Merit Chase, Carl Runigus, Robert Bateman, and Bob Kuhn. Visitors also enjoy special events, a Children's Discovery Gallery, Museum Shop, Rising Sage Café and free admission for children! Call 307-733-5771 or visit www.wildlifeart.org .
Yellowstone Gateway Museum of Park County118 West Chinook Street
Livingston, MT 59047
(406) 222-4184
email: museum@ycsi.net
Displays extensive local and Yellowstone History.
Western Heritage Center
2822 Montana Avenue
Billings, MT 59101
(406) 256-6809
email: heritage@ywhc.org
The Western Heritage Center, in downtown Billings, is a regional museum interpreting and reflecting life in the Yellowstone River Valley. Located in the Parmly Billings Library building, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Western Heritage Center is accredited by the American Association of Museums. The museum has interactive exhibits and is free to all people.
Wind River Historical Center
909 West Ramshorn
Dubois, WY 82513
(307) 455-2284
email: wrh@wyoming.com
At the eastern gateway to Yellowstone they feature spectacular views of the Wind River and Absoraka mountain ranges. Their specialties include the archaeology and habitat of Mountain Indians of the Greater Yellowstone: Mountain Shoshone or Sheepeaters, and Mountain Crow. They also have geology, Scandinavian tie-hacks, and local history exhibits.
Yellowstone Art Museum
401 N. 27th Street
Billings, MT 59101
(406) 256-6804
(406) 256-6817 fax
email: artinfo@artmuseum.org
The Yellowstone Art Museum has one of this region's finest collections of contemporary and historic Western art. With a permanent collection ranging from cowboy author / illustrator Will James to contemporary artists like Deborah Butterfield and William Morris, they offer something for every art interest. A brand-new building that makes it easy to enjoy art, and a fresh, frequently changing exhibition program with a lot of variety ensures that a visit to the YAM is always exciting. They often host national and international touring exhibitions.
