Location: Bozeman, Montana http://www.museumoftherockies.org/
Address: 600 West Kagy Blvd
Day Pass Cost: $14.50 adult, $9.50 kids 5-17, 4 and under is free. (You may be eligible for free or reduced admission if you have a pass to a Science Center elsewhere). Admission is valid for two days.
Food Services: Limited but there are vending machines downstairs.
Age Range: All ages.
Estimated Stay Length: 90 minutes to half a day.
Worth the Trip?: Absolutely. The dinosaur exhibits are excellent, the children’s discovery centre is great for younger kids and they have interesting travelling exhibits too.
Gordie’s Review (5 years old): “I liked playing with my new friends.”
Nicky’s Review (2 years old): “Fish!” (She loves the fishing game in the Children’s Discovery Centre)
Overall:
Bozeman is about 90 minutes away from Yellowstone National Park. The Museum of the Rockies makes a great stop on the way to or from the park.
Martin Children’s Discovery Center
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This section is located upstairs and is geared towards kids 8 and under.
![Museum of the Rockies - Bozeman, Montana](https://calgaryplaygroundreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Museum-of-the-Rockies-Bozeman-MT-04-723x479-700x464.jpg)
It features the science of Yellowstone National Park and is actually better than what is available inside the park. There is a ton of things to play with, touch and even smell.
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There’s an area just for kids 2 and under with age appropriate toys and soft mats to crawl around.
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Nicky liked it there both as an infant and a 2 year old.
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![Museum of the Rockies - Bozeman, Montana](https://calgaryplaygroundreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Museum-of-the-Rockies-Bozeman-MT-03-357x538-332x500.jpg)
In the center there’s a model of the Old Faithful Geyser. The noise can be a little startling when it ‘erupts’. If think this may bother your kid, it doesn’t run between 10-noon daily. There is another geyser that you pump by hand too.
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There’s a number of other hands on features that help explain the science of Yellowstone to kids as well.
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They also have a mini model of the Old Faithful Inn with books and dress-up clothes. Gordie really enjoyed playing there with another kid he met while we were there.
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On the other side the have a campground with lots of fun accessories.
![Museum of the Rockies - Bozeman, Montana](https://calgaryplaygroundreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/02-DSC_5618-360x538.jpg)
On this visit our kids’ (2 and 5 years old) favorite thing was the fishing bridge. The have fishing poles with a little magnet on the end that you can use to catch the fabric fish. They would have happily played their for ages.
Siebel Dinosaur Complex
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This is really the main attraction of the Museum of the Rockies. It houses one of the largest collections of dinosaur fossils in the world.
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Even if you’ve been to a dinosaur museum before, you will not be disappointed. We’ve been to the Tyrell Museum in Drumheller and the Smithsonian Natural History Museum in Washington, DC – this exhibit is of comparable quality.
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The museum houses the most T.rex specimens in the world (currently 13) including the largest T.rex skull in the world (Custer T.rex).
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One of the other highlights is the amazing displays on the growth and behavior of the Triceratops. That was my favorite part for sure. So interesting!
![Museum of the Rockies - Bozeman, Montana](https://calgaryplaygroundreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Museum-of-the-Rockies-Bozeman-MT-723x479-600x398.jpg)
Some of the displays showed the dinosaur bones or muscles on one side and what the dinosaur might look like when it was alive on the other.
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In each exhibit they also have kids areas set up with books and toys that fit the theme of the exhibit.
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There is also a section where you can see people actually working on fossils and ask them questions.
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Paugh Regional History Hall
This exhibit features historical items and stories from the region from early exploration through World War II.
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I found this area to be a little less well suited to younger kids, but the large relatable artifacts like planes and other vehicles help hold their interest.
![Museum of the Rockies - Bozeman, Montana](https://calgaryplaygroundreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/20-DSC_5659-723x484-600x402.jpg)
There is also a children’s area with books, toys and costumes.
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I really liked the house exhibit set up inside like an actual house with cut outs so that you could see the different rooms inside.
![Museum of the Rockies - Bozeman, Montana](https://calgaryplaygroundreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/22-DSC_5662-723x484-600x402.jpg)
The Enduring Peoples exhibit is found between the History Hall and the Dinosaur Complex. It feature the life and culture of the Northern Plains Native Americans.
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Taylor Planetarium
Movies at the Taylor Planetarium are also included with your admission. We have watched a couple of the shows and they were really great.
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Living History Farm
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In the warmer months just outside the museum, you can find the Living History Farm. The historic Tinsley house was relocated to the museum grounds and now serves as a window into the past.
You can see costumed interpreters, bake and cook using recipes from the 1890s, grow an heirloom garden and work in the blacksmith’s shop.
![Museum of the Rockies - Bozeman, Montana](https://calgaryplaygroundreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/557218_10152098176870573_2005877859_n-723x480-600x398.jpg)