Helena – October 16, 2026 -- The Montana Heritage Center, a 165,000-square-foot museum next to the State Capitol, opened in December 2025 and now anchors a history road trip that runs from Helena to Glendive and beyond.
Three galleries cover 10,000 years of Montana history
The Homeland Gallery traces more than 10,000 years of Montana history, from ancient landscapes to today's communities. The Russell Gallery displays masterworks by Western artist Charles M. Russell, who worked as a cowboy near Lewistown and eventually Great Falls. The Changing Gallery rotates art and artifacts from the Montana Historical Society's collections. Visitors move through different time periods as they walk from gallery to gallery.
The center opened after more than two decades of planning and design. Molly Kruckenberg, director of the Montana Historical Society, called it "just the beginning of the journey," pointing visitors toward sites such as Butte's streets and a homestead in Terry.
A northern loop runs from Great Falls to Glendive
From Helena, the suggested route heads north to Great Falls and The Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center, which gives an overview of the explorers' journey across the country. Next comes Havre, where the Havre Beneath the Streets tour re-creates the period when a fire destroyed most of the town and business owners moved underground to keep operating until the town was rebuilt.
In Malta, the Great Plains Dinosaur Museum is a stop on the Montana Dinosaur Trail. The loop closes by circling down to Glendive for the Frontier Gateway Museum.
Five more museums span dinosaurs, art and railways
- Museum of the Rockies (Bozeman): The Siebel Dinosaur Complex houses one of the world's largest Tyrannosaurus rex collections and is open daily.
- C.M. Russell Museum (Great Falls area): Open daily through Sept. 30, then Thursday through Monday for winter.
- Historical Museum at Fort Missoula: A 32-acre site open year-round, covering western Montana's military, timber and rail history.
- Carter County Museum (Ekalaka): Montana's first county museum marks its 90th anniversary this year, is open daily through Oct. 31 and sits on the Montana Dinosaur Trail.
- Livingston Depot Center: A Northern Pacific Railway depot turned museum and event venue, open seasonally from May to September.
Several sites move to reduced seasonal schedules after Labor Day, so travelers should check each museum's website for current hours and admission.