Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
from broke and thirsty students to whiskey and wine connoisseurs. A handful of galleries
and some very unique shops round out downtown's offerings.
Although the city is growing exponentially and is always on the list of Montana's
fastest-growing cities, and Gallatin County (which encompasses the geography of Gallatin
Valley) is among the 100 fastest-growing counties in the United States, the original
draw—nature—is still intact. Bridger Bowl and Big Sky are two excellent alpine skiing
destinations nearby. There's also Gallatin, Madison, and Yellowstone Rivers, three blue-rib-
bon trout streams, in addition to numerous smaller streams. There are literally hundreds of
hiking and biking trails, to satisfy the most hard-core enthusiast. For many, including this
writer, Bozeman is the perfect mountain town.
MM
Museum of the Rockies
Best known for its paleontology exhibit curated by resident dinosaur guru Jack Horner,
Mu-
seum of the Rockies
(600 W. Kagy Blvd., 406/994-2251,
www.museumoftherockies.org
,
8am-8pm daily Memorial Day-Labor Day, 9am-5pm Mon.-Sat., 12:30pm-5pm Sun. Labor
Day-Memorial Day, $14 adults, $13 seniors, $10 MSU students with ID, $9.50 children
5-18, free for children under 5) is a fantastic resource for the entire state. The museum
tackles 500 million years of history, no small feat, with permanent exhibits that reflect Nat-
ive American culture, 19th-20th-century regional history, an outdoor living-history farm
(open only in summer), a planetarium, and, of course, the dinosaurs.
The Siebel Dinosaur Complex includes hundreds of important fossils and an array of im-
pressive life-size reproductions. The traveling exhibitions vary widely—think tree houses,
Egyptian mummies, space exploration, and Leonardo da Vinci—but typically offer excel-
lent contrast to the permanent exhibits.
The Martin Children's Discovery Center upstairs offers a phenomenal place for
preschool and elementary schoolchildren to play in hands-on Yellowstone exhibits. They
can camp in a tent, listen for the eruption of Old Faithful (beware, it's loud and unexpected
for little ones), recline in an eagle's nest, cook up a feast in a log cabin, fish for magnetic
fish, and dress up as a park ranger or firefighter. For kids with vivid imaginations, this may
be the highlight of the museum. In addition, the museum offers several engaging classes for
children as young as infants, and excellent day camps for elementary age kids.
