List of museums in Idaho facts for kids

Idaho is a state full of amazing places to explore, and its museums are like treasure chests filled with history, art, and science! A museum is a special place where people collect, take care of, and show off interesting objects. These objects can be about culture, art, science, or history. They help us learn about the past, understand the world around us, and even imagine the future.

This list will help you discover some of the cool museums you can visit in Idaho. Get ready to learn about everything from ancient fossils to awesome airplanes!

Discover Idaho's Museums

Idaho has many different kinds of museums. Let's explore some of them!

Art Museums

• Art Museum of Eastern Idaho (Idaho Falls): This museum has five galleries where you can see different kinds of art.
• Boise Art Museum (Boise): This museum focuses on American art from the 1900s, especially art from the Northwest. They also have cool ceramics.
• Lewis-Clark State College Center for Arts & History (Lewiston): This center often has new art shows and exhibits about local history.
• Sun Valley Center for the Arts (Ketchum): This center shows modern and historical art from artists all over the world. They also have a location in Hailey.

History Museums

Many museums in Idaho focus on local history, telling the stories of the people and events that shaped different towns and counties.

Local History Museums

• Bannock County Historical Museum (Pocatello): Learn about the history of Bannock County.
• Bellevue Historical Society (Bellevue): Discover the history of Bellevue.
• Bingham County Historical Museum (Blackfoot): Operated by the Bingham County Historical Society, this museum shares local history.
• Boise Basin Museum (Idaho City): Learn about the history of the Boise Basin area.
• Bonner County History Museum (Sandpoint): See exhibits about pioneers, farming, logging, mining, and the Kalispell and Kootenai people.
• Boundary County History Museum (Bonners Ferry): Explore the history of Boundary County.
• Cambridge Museum (Cambridge): Discover the history of Cambridge.
• Camp Tosobia and Camp Mead DUP Historical Museum (Soda Springs): Run by the Daughters of Utah Pioneers, this museum shares local history.
• Cassia County Historical Museum (Burley): Learn about Cassia County's past.
• Clayton Area Historical Museum (Clayton): Operated by the Clayton Area Historical Association, this museum focuses on local history.
• Clearwater Historical Museum (Orofino): Explore the history of the Clearwater area.
• Council Valley Museum (Council): Discover the history of Council Valley.
• Crane House Museum (Harrison): This museum is in an old house and tells the story of Harrison.
• Eagle Historical Museum (Eagle): Learn about the history of Eagle.
• Elk River Museum (Elk River): Shares the history of Elk River.
• Franklin Idaho Relic Hall (Franklin): Operated by the Idaho State Historical Society, this museum focuses on local history.
• Gem County Historical Village Museum (Emmett): See displays about Native Americans, trappers, miners, settlers, and farming. They have a period house and a blacksmith shop.
• Glenns Ferry Historical Museum (Glenns Ferry): Located in an old schoolhouse, this museum shares local history.
• Gooding County Museum (Gooding): Learn about Gooding County's past.
• Hagerman Valley Historical Society Museum (Hagerman): Discover area fossils, Native American history, explorers, and pioneers.
• Heritage Hall Museum (Dubois): This museum is in a former church and tells the story of Dubois.
• Historic P&IN Depot (New Meadows): This restored train station has changing exhibits about local and state history.
• Historical Museum at St. Gertrude (Cottonwood): Learn about the Benedictine Sisters, the Nez Perce people, fossils, minerals, and pioneer life. It also has ancient artifacts from Asia and Europe.
• Hughes Home Museum (St. Maries): This museum is in an early 1900s log house.
• Jefferson County Historical Museum (Rigby): Also known as the Farnsworth TV & Pioneer Museum, it covers early electricity, county history, and the inventor Philo Farnsworth.
• Jerome County Historical Museum (Jerome): Operated by the Jerome County Historical Society, this museum also runs the nearby Idaho Farm & Ranch Museum.
• Kamiah Valley Museum (Kamiah): Shares the history of the Kamiah Valley.
• Kootenai County Jail Museum (Rathdrum): Located in a former sheriff’s office and county jail, this museum tells local history.
• Kuna History Center (Kuna): Operated by the Kuna Historical Society, this center shares Kuna's history.
• Lawson's Emu-Z-um (Grand View): This museum has pioneer artifacts, old clothes, antique kitchen gadgets, early vehicles, farming tools, mining equipment, and Native American items.
• Lemhi County Historical Museum (Salmon): Learn about the Lemhi Shoshone, ranching, mining, pioneers, and even the Lewis and Clark expedition.
• McConnell Mansion Museum (Moscow): This historic house shows what life was like from 1900 to the 1930s.
• Minidoka County Historical Society Museum (Rupert): Discover the history of Minidoka County.
• Mountain Home Museum (Mountain Home): Operated by the Mountain Home Historical Society, this museum shares local history.
• Mud Lake Museum (Terreton): Operated by the Mud Lake Historical Society, this museum focuses on local history.
• Museum of North Idaho (Coeur d'Alene): Exhibits cover logging, farming, steamboats, railroads, recreation, and the Coeur d'Alene Tribe.
• Museum of Winchester History (Winchester): Shares the history of Winchester.
• Nampa Train Depot Museum (Nampa): This museum covers railroad history, antique dolls, and rodeo history.
• Nez Perce County Historical Museum (Lewiston): Operated by the Nez Perce County Historical Society, this museum shares local history.
• North Custer Museum (Challis): Focuses on the history of North Custer.
• Oakley Valley Historical Museum (Oakley): Operated by the Oakley Historical Society, this museum shares local history.
• Oneida County Pioneer Museum (Malad): Learn about the pioneers of Oneida County.
• Our Memories Indian Creek Museum (Caldwell): This museum has displays showing what rooms looked like in different time periods.
• Owyhee County Historical Society Museum and Library (Murphy): Explore the history of Owyhee County.
• Paris Historical Museum (Paris): Shares the history of Paris.
• Payette County Museum (Payette): Operated by the Payette County Historical Society, this museum focuses on local history.
• Post Falls Historical Society Museum (Post Falls): Learn about the history of Post Falls.
• Power County Museum (American Falls): Operated by the Power County Historical Society, this museum shares local history.
• Priest Lake Museum (Coolin): Exhibits cover area Native Americans, pioneers, early businesses, and the history of the US Forest Service.
• Rock Creek Station and Stricker Homesite (Twin Falls): Operated by the Idaho State Historical Society, this site includes a mid-1800s house, store, and pioneer cemetery.
• Roseberry General Store and Museum (Donnelly): This is an early 1900s general store with historical displays.
• Soda Springs Historical Museum (Soda Springs): Located in the 1919 Ender's Hotel, this museum shares local history.
• South Bannock County Historical Center Museum (Lava Hot Springs): Learn about the history of South Bannock County.
• Spragpole Museum (Mullan): This museum covers area mining and logging history, with rooms and business displays from the late 1800s.
• Stanley Historical Museum (Stanley): Operated by the Sawtooth Interpretive & Historical Association, this museum is in the historic Valley Creek Ranger Station.
• Teton Flood Museum (Rexburg): Operated by the Rexburg Historical Society, this museum tells the story of the Teton Dam flood.
• Teton Valley Museum (Driggs): Shares the history of the Teton Valley.
• Twin Falls County Historical Society Museum (Twin Falls): Exhibits cover the Oregon Trail, ranching, farming, and life in the early 1900s.
• Weiser Museum (Weiser): Displays include the Intermountain Institute, agriculture, Native Americans, mining, and local automotive history.
• Weippe Hilltop Heritage Museum (Weippe): Shares the local history of Weippe.
• Wilford Woodruff Home (Randolph): See pioneer items from early Mormon pioneer leader Wilford Woodruff.
• Wood River Museum of History and Culture (Ketchum): This museum has exhibits about Ernest Hemingway and Sun Valley.

State History Museums

• Idaho State Historical Museum (Boise): Operated by the Idaho State Historical Society, this museum covers Idaho's history, culture, and different jobs people did.

Specialized History Museums

• Appaloosa Museum (Moscow): Learn about the history of the Appaloosa horse and where it came from.
• Basque Museum & Cultural Center (Boise): Discover the history and culture of Basque people in Idaho.
• Captain John Mullan Museum (Mullan): Learn about Captain John Mullan, a famous road builder.
• Chesterfield Townsite (Chesterfield): This is an open-air museum, a late 1800s ghost town you can explore.
• Old Idaho Penitentiary (Boise): Operated by the Idaho State Historical Society, this former prison shows what life was like for prisoners and guards. It also has a collection of historic weapons.
• National Oregon/California Trail Center (Montpelier): Experience a simulated wagon train journey from the 1850s. It also has the Rails & Trails Museum about local history and railroads.
• White Spring Ranch Museum (Genesee): This is a late 1800s farmhouse and log cabin, showing pioneer life.

Military and Aviation Museums

• Bird Aviation Museum and Invention Center (Sagle): See historic aircraft, learn about aviation, and discover inventions.
• Farragut State Park (Athol): Includes the Brig Museum, which has displays about the Farragut Naval Training Station.
• Fort Hall (Pocatello): A replica of a mid-1800s trading post.
• Idaho Military History Museum (Boise): Learn about Idaho's military history, including all branches of service and the wars Idahoans have served in.
• Legacy Flight Museum (Rexburg): See restored military aircraft.
• Old Fort Boise (Parma): A rebuilt replica of Fort Boise, operated by the Old Fort Boise Historical Society.
• Pappy Boyington Veterans Museum (Hayden): Learn about local aviation and military aviation history, including artifacts from aviator Pappy Boyington.
• Warhawk Air Museum (Nampa): Features historic military aircraft and artifacts from military aviation history.

Science and Natural History Museums

• Boise State University Vertebrate Museum (Boise): This museum has a collection of preserved birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. It's mainly for teaching and research, not usually open to the public.
• Discovery Center of Idaho (Boise): This science museum has interactive exhibits that make learning about science, technology, engineering, and math fun!
• Experimental Breeder Reactor I (Hailey): This is a decommissioned (no longer used) nuclear research reactor, a cool place to learn about nuclear science.
• Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument (Hagerman): See fossils of ancient horses and take tours of the fossil beds.
• Herrett Center for Arts and Science (Twin Falls): Part of the College of Southern Idaho, this center has Native American artifacts, natural history exhibits, a planetarium, and art galleries.
• Idaho Museum of Natural History (Pocatello): Explore Idaho’s geology, fossils, Ice-age animals, native culture, plants, and animals.
• MK Nature Center (Boise): Operated by the state, this center (also called the Morrison Knudsen Nature Center) helps you learn about Idaho's wildlife and natural environment.
• Orma J. Smith Museum of Natural History (Caldwell): Part of the College of Idaho, this museum is open on Friday afternoons and the first Saturday of each month.
• Palouse Discovery Science Center (Moscow): Offers hands-on science and learning experiences.
• Shoshone Indian Ice Caves and Museum (Shoshone): Explore a lava ice cave and see Native American artifacts, minerals, and gems in the museum.

Industry and Technology Museums

• Crystal Gold Mine (Kellogg): Take a guided underground tour of a gold mine.
• Idaho Museum of Mining & Geology (Boise): See mining artifacts, rocks, and mineral specimens, and learn about Idaho's geology and mining history.
• Idaho Potato Museum (Blackfoot): Learn all about potatoes, from farming to how they became a famous food!
• J. Howard Bradbury Memorial Logging Museum (Pierce): Discover local mining and logging history.
• Museum of Clean (Pocatello): This unique museum shows the history of cleaning devices, like vacuums, washers, brooms, and more!
• Northern Pacific Depot Railroad Museum (Wallace): Located in an early 1900s train station, this museum covers railroad and mining history.
• Priest River Museum and Timber Education Center (Priest River): Learn about pioneer life and the timber industry in an old homestead house.
• Shoshone County Mining & Smelting Museum (Kellogg): Also known as Staff House Museum, it has exhibits on mining, smelting, and the cultural history of Idaho's Silver Valley.
• Sierra Silver Mine Tour (Wallace): Take a tour of an underground silver mine.
• Wallace District Mining Museum (Wallace): Features artifacts and a model of the Sunshine Mine, showing the area's mining heritage.

Native American Culture Museums

• Idaho Black History Museum (Boise): Learn about the history and culture of African Americans, especially in Idaho.
• Nez Perce National Historical Park (Spalding): The Spalding Visitor Center has a museum about the Nez Perce tribe. The park has many sites related to the Nez Perce across four states.
• Old Mission State Park (Cataldo): This historic tribal mission for the Coeur d'Alene Tribe is a great place to learn about their history.
• Sacajawea Interpretive, Cultural and Education Center (Salmon): This center focuses on Sacajawea, her people (the Agaidika), and the Lewis and Clark expedition.
• Shoshone-Bannock Tribal Museum (Fort Hall): Explore the culture and art of the Shoshone people.

Other Interesting Museums

• Collectors' Corner Museum (Idaho Falls): This museum has collections of dolls, bears, antiques, trains, coins, stamps, and military items.
• Canyon Crossroads Transportation Museum (Melba): This museum, located in Celebration Park, is currently under construction but will have exhibits on natural history, Native Americans, and transportation.
• Idaho Heritage Museum (Twin Falls): See Native American artifacts, mounted game animals, birds, fossils, guns, and coins.
• Museum of Idaho (Idaho Falls): This museum covers state and local history, culture, natural history, nuclear energy, and Native Americans.
• Valley County Museum (Donnelly): Also known as Historic Roseberry, this open-air museum includes the John Korvola Homestead.
• Weippe Discovery Center (Weippe): This center has exhibits about the famous explorers Lewis and Clark.
• World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame (Boise): Located at Boise State University, this museum celebrates athletes who have made a positive difference in the world.

Museums That Are No Longer Open

Sometimes museums close or their collections move to other places. Here are a few that are no longer open:

• Hess Heritage Museum, Ashton
• Ketchum Sun Valley Historical Society Heritage & Ski Museum, Ketchum (its collections are now part of the Wood River Museum of History and Culture)
• Sacajawea Museum at Spalding (its contents were sold after a flood in 1963)

Regions of Idaho

This map shows the different regions of Idaho.

Idaho is a big state, and its tourism department has divided it into seven regions. This helps people explore different parts of the state. The museums listed above are located in these regions:

• Northern
• North Central
• Southwest
• Central
• South Central
• East
• Southeastern

Images for kids

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  Idaho counties