Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
( 406-587-9797;
www.theemerson.org
; 111 S Grand Ave; most galleries closed
Mon)
Known around town as 'the Emerson,' the nonprofit is the place to plug into Boze-
man's art scene, with retail galleries, exhibits, studios and a fine cafe/restaurant.
Pioneer Museum
( 406-522-8122;
www.pioneermuseum.org
;
317 W Main St; adult/under 12yr $5/free;
10am-5pm Mon-Sat Memorial Day-Labor Day, 11am-4pm Tue-Sat rest of year)
The
former town jail does a good job presenting local history and famous residents (including
one Gary Cooper).
MUSEUM
MONTANASAURUS REX
It's amazing how much drama you can find in a single 50-million-year-old slab of rock at Bozeman's Museum of
the Rockies (MOR). From the group of teenage diplodocus who suffocated when their legs became stuck in river
mud, or the dinosaur skeleton surrounded by the teeth of the pack of predators that devoured it, these are fossils
that come alive before your eyes. We challenge you to stare at the terrifying claws of a deinonychus without feel-
ing a slight shiver run down your spine.
Like all good museums, MOR also shatters preconceptions, reminding you that many dinosaurs were in fact
clad in feathers and that sharks once swam the tropical seas covering current-day Montana. This is mind-boggling
stuff. Then there's the scale of the beasts - 9ft-long rib bones stand in the corner near huge 20ft-tall reconstruc-
tions of horned torosaurus and Montanaceratops (we kid you not).
Even the curator is larger than life; paleontologist Jack Horner is widely believed to have been the model for
the character Dr Alan Grant in the topic
Jurassic Park
and served as technical adviser to the film. And yes, they
are
extracting soft tissue from tyrannosaur thigh bones, right here in Bozeman.
Activities
Spire Climbing Center
( 406-586-0706;
www.spireclimbingcenter.com
; 13 Enterprise Blvd; day pass $15;
noon-10pm Mon-Thu, noon-9pm Fri, 10am-6pm Sat & Sun)
Hone your climbing skills on
the indoor wall here before heading off to tackle Grand Teton. Good-value private lessons
and weekly classes are offered.
Bozeman is well served with outdoor gear shops, such as the following:
CLIMBING GYM
