This list of museums and interpretive sites in Idaho is organized region and county as follows:
- Museums in Central Idaho: Includes Blaine, Butte, Camas, Custer, and Lemhi Counties
- Museums in Eastern Idaho: Includes Bannock, Bear Lake, Caribou, Franklin, Oneida, and Power Counties
- Museums in North Central Idaho: Includes Clearwater, Idaho, Latah, Lewis, and Nez Perce Counties
- Museums in Northern Idaho: Includes Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, Kootenai, and Shoshone Counties
- Museums in South Central Idaho: Includes Cassia, Gooding, Jerome, Lincoln, Minidoka, and Twin Falls Counties
- Museums in Southeast Idaho: Includes Bingham, Bonneville, Clark, Fremont, Jefferson, Madison, and Teton Counties
- Museums in Southwest Idaho: Includes Ada, Adams, Boise, Canyon, Elmore, Gem, Owyhee, Payette, Valley, and Washington Counties
- Organizations and Associations
- Historical Markers
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Museums in Central Idaho
Blaine County
- Blaine County Historical Museum
- Sawtooth Botanical Garden – This garden is a place to learn about high altitude gardening.
- Regional History Museum – This museum is in the historic Forest Service Park and is administered by The Community Library in Ketchum.
Butte County
- Experimental Breeder Reactor-1 (EBR-1) Atomic Museum – Visit the Experimental Breeder Reactor No. 1 at the Idaho National Laboratory!
Camas County
- Historic Camas County Railroad Depot Museum – Administered by the Camas Historical Society
Custer County
- Stanley Museum and Ice House
Lemhi County
- Lemhi County Historical Society & Museum
- Sacajawea Interpretive, Cultural & Educational Center – Features educational and cultural programs and a large outdoor area.
Museums in Eastern Idaho
Bannock County
- Bannock County Historical Museum
- Fort Hall Replica
- Idaho Museum of Natural History, Idaho State University
- Museum of Clean
- South Bannock County Historical Center and Museum
Bear Lake County
- National Oregon/California Trail Center – This interpretive center also houses The Rails and Trails Museum and a community theater.
Caribou County
- Chesterfield Historic Town Site
Franklin County
- Franklin Historic District
Oneida County
- Oneida County Pioneer Museum
Power County
- Power County Historical Museum
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Museums in North Central Idaho
Clearwater County
- Clearwater Historical Museum – This museum houses and shares information about Clearwater County. Topics include logging, mining, Lewis and Clark, and the history of the Nez Percé people.
- J. Howard Bradbury Memorial Logging Museum
- Wieppe Discovery Center
Idaho County
- Historical Museum at St. Gertrude – This museum administered by the Benedictine sisters of the Monastery of St. Gertrude.
- Lochsa Historical Ranger Station Museum
Latah County
- Appaloosa Museum & Heritage Center – Learn about the history of the Appaloosa horse.
- Kendrick Museum: Juliaetta-Kendrick Heritage Foundation
- McConnell Mansion – This museum in the McConnell mansion is administered by the Latah County Historical Society. The Centennial Annex houses the historical society’s archival materials.
- University of Idaho Arboretum and Botanical Gardens
Lewis County
- Kamiah Valley Museum
- Museum of Winchester History
Nez Perce County
- LCSC Center for Arts and History
- Nez Perce County Historical Museum
- Spalding Visitors Center
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Museums in Northern Idaho
Benewah County
- Hughes House Museum
Bonner County
- Bird Aviation Museum and Invention Center – Includes the National Inventors Hall of Fame.
- Priest Lake Museum
- Priest River Museum and Timber Education Center
Boundary County
- Boundary County Museum
Kootenai County
- Coeur d’ Alene’s Old Mission State Park/Cataldo Mission – This site is administered by the Idaho Department of Parks & Recreation. The Mission’s Sacred Heart Church opened for services in 1853.
- Crane House Museum
- Pappy Boyington Veterans Museum (Pappy Boyington Field Museum) – Learn about the museum’s collections through their YouTube channel.
- Museum of North Idaho
- Treaty Rock – This rock is a historic artifact preserved by the City of Post Falls Parks Division. Settler Fredrick Post and Chief Seltice of the Coeur d’ Alene Tribe signed a treaty directly on this rock in 1871.
- Museum at the Brig at Farragut State Park
Shoshone County
- Captain John Mullan Museum
- Crystal Gold Mine
- Northern Pacific Depot Railroad Museum –
- Oasis Bordello Museum
- Shoshone County Mining & Smelting Museum at the Staff House – “Our mission is to preserve the mining, smelting and cultural history of North Idaho’s Silver Valley.”
- Sierra Silver Mine Tour
- Sprag Pole Museum
- Wallace Mining District Museum
Museums in South Central Idaho
Cassia County
- Cassia County Historical Museum
- Oakley Valley Historical Museum
Gooding County
- Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument –
- Hagerman Valley Historical Museum – Includes exhibits on adventurers, settlers, and native peoples, in addition to Pilocene era fossils.
Jerome County
- Idaho Farm and Ranch Museum
- Jerome County Historical Museum
- Minidoka National Historic Site – Executive Order 9066 was signed by President Roosevelt on February 19, 1942. It allowed the U.S. government incarcerate Japanese, German, and Italian Americans. Japanese Americans were removed from their homes and sent to camps, including this camp in Idaho. It is now a National Historic Site administered by the National Park Service.
Lincoln County
- Lincoln County Historical Museum
- Shoshone Bird Museum of Natural History, and Idaho’s Mammoth Cave
Minidoka County
- Minidoka County Museum
Twin Falls County
- Herrett Center for Arts and Science – This center at the College of Southern Idaho focuses on anthropology and natural history.
- Rock Creek Station and Stricker House
- Twin Falls County Historical Museum – Check out the museum’s online photo gallery.
Museums in Southeast Idaho
Bingham County
Bonneville County
- Collector’s Corner Museum
- Museum of Idaho
Clark County
- Heritage Hall Museum
Fremont County
Jefferson County
Madison County
- Legacy Flight Museum – This museum maintains a collection of airworthy, historic military airplanes.
- Museum of Rexburg – Includes the Teton Flood Exhibit.
Teton County
Museums in Southwest Idaho
Ada County
- Basque Museum and Cultural Center
- Boise City Department of Arts & History – This city department archives and supports the artistic heritage of Boise. Their projects include the James Castle House which has been turned into a showcase for the artist’s work.
- Discovery Center of Idaho! – Experience science exhibits paired with hands-on learning.
- Idaho Black History Museum
- Idaho Botanical Garden
- Idaho Military Museum/Idaho Military History Museum – This museum is located at Gowen Field. Includes the new Gowen Field Memorial Park.
- Idaho Museum of Mining and Geology
- JUMP tractor tours – Vintage tractors are scattered across the Jack’s Urban Meeting Place (JUMP) space in Boise. Information about each tractor is available on the JUMP web page.
- Lincoln Legacy Exhibition
- Old Idaho Penitentiary Site is part of the Idaho State Historical Society. Includes a variety of exhibits including penitentiary history.
- Idaho State Archives Abraham Lincoln Exhibit
Adams County
- Council Valley Museum
- Central Idaho Historical Museum
Boise County
- Idaho City Historical Foundation – Includes the Boise Basin Museum, the Pon Yam Museum and Cultural Center, the Historic Buildings Block, Brogan and Naylor Parks, and the Strauss House with the Kenn Smith Garden.
Boise Basin Museum. Historic American Buildings Survey, Creator, James A Pinney, S C Silsby, Mary Hornberger, and City Of Idaho City. Post Office Block, Northwest corner of Wall & Montgomery Streets, Idaho City, Boise County, ID. Boise County Idaho Idaho City, 1933. Documentation Compiled After. Photograph. loc.gov/item/id0024
Canyon County
- Fort Boise Replica/Old Fort Boise Park
- Nampa Train Depot Museum, Canyon County Historical Society
- Orma J. Smith Museum of Natural History – The College of Idaho’s natural history museum focuses on the area of southwestern Idaho, southeastern Oregon and northern Nevada.
- Our Memories Indian Creek Museum
- Warhawk Air Museum – This museum is housed in an air hanger. Its collection includes personal items and narratives, and historic aircraft.
Elmore County
Gem County
- Gem County Historical Village Museum
Owyhee County
Payette County
- Payette County Museum
Valley County
- Valley County Museum
Washington County
- Snake River Heritage Center (SRHC) – Housed in Hooker Hall on the campus of the old Intermountain Institute.
Organizations and Associations
- Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums (ATALM)
- VisitIdaho.org
- Idaho Association of Museums. Check the museum’s hours before visiting. Many of these museums are closed in the winter.
- History in Idaho State Parks
Historical Markers
- Learn about roadside historical markers in the Idaho Historical Marker Guide (PDF)
- Historical Marker Database (HMDB)
- Evans, Tony Tekaroniake. “Decolonizing Idaho’s Historical Markers.” High Country News. Vol. 53, No. 11. November 1, 2021.
This page updated by Ronnie Joiner on March 14, 2022.