Ed L.
Yelp
TripAdvisor recommends the Yellowstone County museum as one of the top things to while in Billings. I actually had an hour or so to kill, so a friend and I came here.
It was a Saturday before the 2017 Montana marathon & half marathon and we had sometime to kill. We ventured up here to the Billings Logan regional airport and it was a small little building literally on the airport grounds. It felt out of place, for a small museum to be at the airport was unorthodox, at least for me. But somehow, it works for them. For the most part though, I really didn't think it would take more than 10 minutes standing there at the lobby / gift shop area. The building itself was simple log cabin type house, but has the modem amenities that you all come to know and love. Like restrooms. Not sure about the wifi, but there was no air condition though. Didn't get warm anyhow. I thought that everything was on street level and that it would be a quick in and out type of situation. Only to find out that majority of the exhibits were in the basement, which took us backwards through time. Many of these period artifacts and items are genuine, so it was good to see them preserved for everyone to see. There's plenty of stuff to see, so do yourself a favor if you are in the area. Come by the museum and stay awhile. Then go see the rimrocks too.
The Yellowstone county museum here in Billings is free. Free of charge! Their only request is for you to sign their guestbook saying where do to live, which I have done. As aforementioned before, the museum is located at the Billings Logan regional airport, 1950 Terminal Circle. While they do have a small gift shop, you're more than welcome to give donations to support their efforts. Not sure if they accept major credit cards (for the shopping), but cash is always king. They have a small little parking area, which can fit up to 6 cars at one time. I just happened to come here when it was just myself and a friend. I bet that the Billings public transportation system comes to the airport on a daily basis, but if you are like me traveling, you tend to get a rental car for just sheer convenience. I did enjoy the time I spent here, looking at the various forms of Native American artifacts and other things. The collection helped shaped Billings and the surrounding territory from the 1800's to present day. These are the memories that brings the past back to life and the pain that still endures to the current day.
The lady at the counter was helpful and friendly. While the gift shop was decidedly average and held really nothing of value, other than the cool looking arrow heads, however I decided to not buy anything more while in Billings, since I was on a budget. With that said, I thought that the Yellowstone county museum is one of those places to see if you are interested in the history of the area and how Billings came to be. I learned that the railroad came through the town and not long afterwards, people came here and created the town of Billings in eastern Montana. While the gift shop was a little disappointing, come here for the history and educational experience and not because it's a place to spend your money. Of course you can spend money here, but learn and appreciate Billings history too. I would recommend coming here, whether you have time to kill before your flight or not, it's just a nice way to reconnect with the past.
5.0 stars for the overall experience. There was couple of horse statues in the back, but we couldn't get back there for a photo opp. Maybe next time. The exhibits were awesome!
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