Idaho State Museum

This is a well put together presentation of the history of Idaho in all. Highly informative from the geography, cultures from different countries to very nice display of the different native Indians and their habitat. Learning how Idaho became the state it is today with the volcanic activity to the large glacier that carved the topography of this state as well as the sea that was actually here at one time and not Idaho is basically a high desert state with miles of rivers and beautiful rocks here for climbers to come test their skills.

This was an amazing experience. I was a bit iffy because I have a toddler but this museums is interactive and everything is up high or in a case so it is very difficult to get to what is being exposed. My family had so much fun. We ran around, we learned so much about the division of the state of Idaho. There is a playground in the basement with a train and a mine that make noises. There is a place for kids to build a town. If I lived in Boise I would become a member so my child could run around down there in the winter as much as possible. There is also a beautiful garden outside. It was too cold to walk around but well worth the coming back for it.

Super kid friendly play area that kept my toddler busy for hours, along with some really fun interactive exhibits. We really enjoyed our time at this museum.

Most state museums fall into Best! State! Ever! sorts of narrative and the Idaho State Museum is no exception. But it's well laid out and has some really neat video elements throughout. I will say that I don't taking the volunteer-led daily tour adds much, at least it didn't for me. On the main floor as you walk in is a lovely gift shop and the "origins" area - this is where they talk about the formation of Idaho, nature & wildlife, and there's an interactive digital "stream" and a wall with shifting projection mapping that you can view from two levels. A small theater plays Native American stories that is well worth watching. The second/upper floor holds the bulk of the museum, with three areas, split into north, central, and south Idaho. The exhibits cover mining, forestry (with an immersive forest fire experience), skiing, rivers, pioneer history, agriculture, & industry. And many are interesting and interactive. There's even a video "bike tour", though it's currently not working. Historically, it seems to work best to tour from north to south, or from the right door first, but it doesn't really matter and there are "back" ways between all the rooms. Don't miss the "extra" Art Deco room and the Native American room at the far left of the building. The basement/bottom floor is a really fun kids' play area with a train and touch screens, plus a large room dedicated to notable Idaho natives. Many of the displays come with push-button music or examples for that person. It's definitely worth it for the price and I spent much more time here than I thought I would - about 3.5 hours! If I had it to do over again, I wouldn't take the 40-minute tour and would have felt a little less rushed towards closing time, but I still was able to take my time and see everything there was.

We had a great time at the museum. Learned a lot of stuff I didn't know about Idaho. It was fun and interactive for the kids.

10/10 Museum, exceeded my expectations. Spent 2 hours but easily could have stayed longer. It is a very good size 3 floors of very well-thought-out exhibits with a lot of interaction and interesting reading/several fantastic videos.

A great value for a family experience. My 12 year old loved the museum and especially the interactive exhibits. Right now (early 2024), the Bob Hope WWII traveling exhibit fills a large room with amazing memorabilia, film footage, pictures, and memories. Don't miss it!

Very educational, a good mix of history and anthropology with different topics for a wide a range of interests. I was impressed with the quality of the exhibitions including video, different media, and the helpful and friendly staff. Definitely recommend for visitors. Not boring at all -- I was intrigued the whole time.