Museum of the Rockies in Montana, USA

Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman is a Montana State University institution focused on paleontology, the natural sciences, and the cultural history of Montana and the Northern Rocky Mountains. Founded in 1957, the museum is especially known for its dinosaur research and fossil collections, while its galleries also cover regional history, Yellowstone, astronomy, and historic rural life.

Dinosaurs and Active Paleontology

The museum’s Siebel Dinosaur Complex contains one of the largest collections of North American dinosaur fossils. Its displays are tied directly to research carried out by Museum of the Rockies paleontologists, so the galleries explain not only what dinosaurs looked like but also how scientists study their growth, anatomy, behavior, and environments.

Among the best-known specimens on display is Montana’s T. rex, one of the relatively few mounted Tyrannosaurus rex skeletons in the United States. The collection also includes a growth series of Triceratops, with specimens ranging from juveniles to large adults, as well as dinosaur eggs, young dinosaurs, and the nearly complete Allosaurus known as Big Al.

The complex extends beyond dinosaurs. Its Cenozoic displays contain fossils of prehistoric mammals that lived in the region, including mammoths, rhinoceroses, and large carnivorous mammals. Other sections introduce Montana’s geological development and place its fossils within a much longer record of changing landscapes and life.

Visitors can also watch fossil preparation in the Bowman Dinosaur Viewing Lab. Preparators remove surrounding rock, stabilize specimens, and assemble fossil material for research and exhibition. This makes the preparation process visible rather than presenting fossils only as finished museum objects.

Northern Rockies History

The Paugh History Hall examines people and communities of the Northern Rocky Mountain region. Artifacts, photographs, artworks, and other collection material trace social and cultural change from early regional history into the twentieth century.

The museum’s Cultural History Department also maintains collections connected with Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming. Its photo archive preserves more than 60,000 historical photographs dating from the late nineteenth century through the twentieth century, documenting communities, industries, landscapes, transportation, and everyday life across the Northern Rockies.

Living History Farm

From Memorial Day through Labor Day, the museum operates a Living History Farm interpreting rural Montana life from about 1890 to 1910. Its centerpiece is the Tinsley House, an original nineteenth-century homestead house moved from Willow Creek, Montana, and restored before the farm opened as part of Montana’s 1989 statehood centennial.

The farm includes a milking barn, blacksmith shop, root cellar, granary, chicken coop, gardens, orchard, and other features associated with a working homestead. Interpreters demonstrate tasks and seasonal work connected with cooking, gardening, livestock, food preservation, and household life. General museum admission includes access to the farm while it is operating.

Explore Yellowstone for Children

The Explore Yellowstone exhibition in the Martin Children’s Discovery Center is designed around Yellowstone National Park. Children can experiment with a simulated geyser, climb a fire tower, explore a miniature Old Faithful Inn, encounter wildlife models, and use activities involving touch, sight, smell, and sound. A separate play area is provided for toddlers, and children must be accompanied by an adult.

Temporary Exhibitions in August 2026

Several limited-run exhibitions are on view at Museum of the Rockies in August 2026. FROGS: A Chorus of Colors, running through September 13, 2026, presents live frogs from around the world alongside material about amphibian biology, natural history, ecology, and conservation.

American Indian Council Powwow: Annual Celebration of Art, Community, and Culture runs through September 7, 2026. The exhibition uses posters from more than 50 years of Montana State University’s American Indian Council Powwow to examine the event’s visual art and the information communicated through powwow posters.

Carving the Backbone of the World: John L. “Cutapuis” Clarke is scheduled through March 15, 2027. It focuses on Amskapi Pikuni artist John L. Clarke and his depictions of the Rocky Mountain landscape, wildlife, and people. Because traveling and temporary exhibitions change, the museum’s official exhibition calendar is the best source for displays planned beyond these dates.

Taylor Planetarium

The Taylor Planetarium has a 40-foot dome and 110 reclining seats. Its programs cover astronomy, space science, Earth science, and related subjects, with shows changing during the year.

Planetarium admission is separate from general museum admission. As of August 2026, non-member tickets cost $6 for visitors age five and older, while children four and under are free. General museum admission is required before purchasing a planetarium ticket, and late entry is not permitted once a show begins.

Planning a Visit

Museum of the Rockies is on the Montana State University campus at 600 W. Kagy Blvd. in Bozeman. The museum currently opens daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., although holiday closures and several scheduled early-closing dates occur during the year.

One-day general admission tickets are sold at the museum rather than online. Admission covers the primary galleries, current traveling exhibitions, and the Living History Farm when it is in season. Planetarium programs, lectures, special programs, and some events may require an additional ticket.

Complimentary parking is available during normal museum hours, including a paved vehicle lot and overflow space for RVs and buses. Overnight parking is not permitted. Current admission rates, closures, exhibition dates, and planetarium schedules can be checked on the official visitor information page before arrival.