Museum of Idaho
200 N Eastern Ave
Idaho Falls, ID
A surprisingly ambitious museum for a mid-size city, weaving eastern Idaho's story together with the kind of blockbuster traveling exhibitions you would expect in a much bigger place.
The Museum of Idaho punches well above its weight. In a downtown Idaho Falls building anchored by the city's old Carnegie library, it pairs permanent galleries on the region's deep history with a steady rotation of major traveling exhibitions, the kind of nationally touring shows that usually land only in big-city museums.
That combination is what makes it a genuine destination rather than a local stop. On one visit you might trace the story of the Snake River Plain from ancient peoples through the pioneers and the atomic age that shaped modern eastern Idaho, and on the next find yourself walking through a blockbuster exhibition on dinosaurs, ancient Egypt, or the human body.
What Guests Love
- Rotating national traveling exhibitions that bring world-class shows to eastern Idaho
- Permanent galleries on the region's Native, pioneer, and natural history
- Hands-on, family-friendly exhibits that keep kids engaged
- The historic Carnegie library building at the museum's core
Worth Knowing
- The headline traveling exhibitions change through the year, so it is worth checking what is on before you go
- Special exhibitions can be popular, so weekends and school holidays are busiest
- It is an easy rainy-day or hot-afternoon option that complements the region's outdoor attractions
- The museum sits downtown, within walking distance of the river greenbelt
Details
Idaho Falls, ID
Learn about Museum of Idaho
The region's story
The permanent exhibits ground visitors in eastern Idaho, a landscape shaped by the Snake River, the Yellowstone volcanic system, and the great migrations that crossed it. The area is the homeland of the Shoshone-Bannock people, whose living culture the museum treats as present rather than past.
The pioneer and settlement galleries trace the arrival of trappers, emigrants on the Oregon Trail, and the founding of the town first known as Eagle Rock, which grew into Idaho Falls. Later chapters reach into the twentieth century and the scientific work that made this region a center of nuclear research.
The traveling exhibitions
What sets the museum apart is its ambition with temporary shows. Over the years it has hosted large, professionally produced touring exhibitions on subjects from natural history to science to world cultures, drawing visitors from across the region and beyond.
These headline exhibitions rotate, so the museum rewards repeat visits, and they are the reason a stop here can feel like a big-city museum outing without the big-city trip.
For families
The museum leans into hands-on learning, with interactive galleries and programming aimed at kids, which makes it a reliable choice for families traveling the region.
Paired with a walk along the Idaho Falls river greenbelt and the town's namesake falls, it fills an afternoon easily and works in any weather.
When to visit
The museum is a year-round, all-weather attraction, which makes it especially handy on a rainy spring day, a scorching summer afternoon, or a cold winter visit to eastern Idaho.
Time your trip to a traveling exhibition that interests you if you can, and check ahead, since the marquee shows come and go through the year.
Closest Boutels
The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.
Things to Do Near Idaho Falls
Idaho Falls River Greenbelt
A few blocks away
A riverside path along the Snake River past the broad man-made falls that give the city its name, with the LDS temple on the far bank.
Craters of the Moon National Monument
About 80 miles west
A surreal, otherworldly landscape of lava flows, cinder cones, and caves on the Snake River Plain.
Yellowstone National Park
About 90 miles northeast
The world's first national park, an easy gateway drive from Idaho Falls to its western entrance.