5-day Montana's Yellowstone Country Museum Tour

Yellowstone Country

Day 1: Red Lodge Area

Start your Yellowstone Country museum tour in the charming town of Red Lodge at the Carbon County Historical Society and Museum, located in a historic Labor Temple building listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Explore the extensive collections, including the Greenough and Linderman rodeo artifacts, the Waples family gun and projectile point collection, and an interactive exhibit on coal and hard rock mining.

From Red Lodge, drive about 40 minutes northeast along the scenic State Highway 78 through rolling foothills and historic landscapes to the small town of Fishtail. Here, you'll find the Tippet Rise Art Center, a 12,000-acre working ranch that blends art with the stunning Beartooth Mountain landscape, featuring large-scale outdoor sculptures and musical performances. Before leaving town, stop by the historic Fishtail General Store for lunch, hand-dipped ice cream, and a taste of western hospitality.

On your way back, stop at the Smith Mine Historic District in Belfry, the site of Montana’s most tragic coal-mining accident. The 39 corrugated metal structures that remain serve as a somber reminder of this significant event in Montana’s mining history.

Return to downtown Red Lodge for dinner, drinks, and an overnight stay at the historic Pollard Hotel.

For more information about museum tours, seasons, hours of operation, and admission fees, please contact each museum directly.

 

Day 2: Columbus + Big Timber

In under an hour from Red Lodge, you’ll arrive in Columbus, either via U.S. Highway 212 or the scenic Beartooth Front drive. Delve into Stillwater County history at the Museum of the Beartooths, where exhibits cover topics such as the Stillwater Mining Company, the second Crow Agency, and the 1938 Frank Robideau hanging—the second-to-last legal hanging in Montana. The museum also features the T.T. Brown Schoolhouse, the Albert Johnson Tack Shop, a blacksmith shop, antique farming equipment, a 1960s Northern Pacific caboose, and military memorabilia.

Next, head to Big Timber and visit the Crazy Mountain Museum, which offers a fascinating look at Sweet Grass County’s history. Highlights include a Cobblestone City diorama depicting Big Timber as it was in 1907, a replica Norwegian stabbur, a teepee, and a one-room schoolhouse. The museum grounds also feature the Lewis and Clark Native Plant Garden, with interpretive displays of native Montana plants noted by William Clark during the 1806 Lewis and Clark Expedition.

Enjoy dinner and an overnight stay at The Grand Hotel & Restaurant in Big Timber. Built in 1890 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, The Grand Hotel boasts turn-of-the-century décor and fine dining, including locally sourced meats and fresh seafood. Wind down your evening with a nightcap in the hotel’s 1890s saloon.

Day 3: Livingston

Head about 30 minutes south of Big Timber (25.7 miles on State Highway 298) to the Natural Bridge Falls Scenic & Picnic Area in the Custer Gallatin National Forest. Just a few miles further south, you’ll find the Historic Main Boulder Ranger Station, one of the oldest U.S. Forest Service facilities, now restored as a house museum with interpretive staff depicting life at a once-remote ranger station.

From there, travel to the picturesque town of Livingston, known for its turn-of-the-century charm along the Yellowstone River. You can get to Livingston by returning to Big Timber and heading west on Interstate 90, or by taking the scenic West Boulder Backcountry Drive from McLeod to Livingston. Once there, visit the International Federation of Fly Fishing Museum to learn about the history and culture of fly fishing and the environmental issues impacting the sport.

The Livingston Depot Museum, often referred to as the "architectural anchor of downtown Livingston," is another must-visit. Originally serving as the Northern Pacific Railroad’s gateway to Yellowstone National Park, the Depot now houses exhibits ranging from "Rails Across the Rockies" to "Film in Montana."

Next, explore the Yellowstone Gateway Museum of Park County, where you’ll find exhibits on American Indian history and culture, pioneer life, travel to Yellowstone, Lewis and Clark’s expedition, military history, and more. The museum also features a one-room schoolhouse and a blacksmith shop.

Finally, visit Fort Parker, the site of the first Crow Indian Agency and an important historic landmark just east of Livingston. This site is one of the first from the early reservation period of the Plains Tribes to receive national recognition.

End your day with a stay at The Murray Hotel, a downtown Livingston icon offering authentic western charm with modern amenities.

For more information about museum tours, seasons, hours of operation, and admission fees, please contact each museum directly.

 

Day 4: Bozeman

Just a half-hour drive from Livingston, start your day in Bozeman, a lively university town, with breakfast at the Western Cafe, known for its classic American home cooking. Then head to the Museum of the Rockies, a Smithsonian Affiliate recognized as one of the world’s premier research and history museums. The museum is famous for its extensive dinosaur fossil collection, including Montana’s T. rex skeleton, and boasts the largest collection of T. rex specimens in the world.

Don’t miss the Living History Farm at the Museum of the Rockies, which features a working Montana homestead from the late 1800s. Costumed interpreters demonstrate life from the past by cooking on a wood-burning stove, tending to the Heirloom Garden, and forging iron in the blacksmith shop.

Next, visit the American Computer & Robotics Museum, which has been described as "inch for inch, the best museum in the world." Its exhibits cover 4,000 years of human history, including Quantum Computing, Artificial Intelligence, the Space Race, and Cracking the Enigma Code, featuring artifacts like original cuneiform tablets and the first personal computer.

For families or those young at heart, the Montana Science Center offers hands-on exhibits such as a Circuit Studio, a Farmers Market, It’s a Bug’s World, and the Physics Place Playground for the Mind.

To delve into Gallatin County’s history, visit the Gallatin History Museum. Highlights include jail cells, hanging gallows, the famous Big Horn Gun, a pioneer cabin, 20,000 historic photographs, and exhibits on Gallatin women, agriculture, and music.

Spend the night at the Lehrkind Mansion Bed & Breakfast, a turn-of-the-century home built by German-born master brewer Julius Lehrkind, who founded Bozeman Lager Beer.

Day 5: Three Forks

Conclude your museum tour in Three Forks, starting at the Headwaters Heritage Museum. Discover the rich history and culture of the area surrounding the Headwaters of the Missouri River, with exhibits on American Indian art, Lewis and Clark memorabilia, and artifacts related to fur trading, railroads, mining, and agriculture. Be sure to check out the museum’s unique barbed wire collection!

Follow in the footsteps of Lewis and Clark at Missouri Headwaters State Park, located at the confluence of the Jefferson, Madison, and Gallatin rivers, where they merge to form the Missouri River. This scenic park, a National Historic Landmark, offers walking trails with points of interest and interpretive displays of the area's cultural and natural history.

Next, visit Madison Buffalo Jump State Park, where you can take in breathtaking views of the Madison River Valley and see the limestone cliff once used by American Indians as a buffalo jump. Interpretive displays explain how buffalo were driven over the cliff for nearly 2,000 years to provide food, clothing, and supplies. Buffalo bones still lie buried at the base of the cliff.

End your day with an overnight stay at the Sacajawea Hotel in downtown Three Forks, a Historic Hotels of America destination favored by history enthusiasts. Be sure to enjoy a cocktail on their expansive front porch.