The Explore All 50 States Project
Let's Go!
Montana is simply put one of the most beautiful states in the entire country. We were lucky enough to explore the southern and western regions following some of Lewis and Clark's trail and learned so much about Montana's incredible history. Shaped by four types of people as depicted in the State Capitol Building in Helena-the Native American, the explorer and fur trader, the miner and the cowboy, each has left an … [Read more...]
This was an amazing experience, but I am not sure we picked the most family-friendly of places to stay. If you are going to explore any or all of these three states I strongly encourage you to take a day or two and stay on a ranch. Prices usually include food, lodging, and some activities, and you will leave with rich experiences you will not soon forget. We stayed at the Upper Canyon Outfitters Dude Ranch in … [Read more...]
Bozeman is a pretty cool college town with lots of the same stores you might find in large cities and also home to another great breakfast find, The Main Street Overeasy. This place is so cute, and everyone will have fun playing with the wooden chickens on the tables. Kids will love the "Mickey Cakes" in the shape of a very famous mouse with some apple slices and blueberries to round out his features. Wonderful … [Read more...]
The Museum Of The Rockies is a great natural history museum to give you an introduction to the Lewis and Clark expedition as well as a nice historic overview of the region. Covering dinosaurs, Native American tribes like the Shoshone we learned all about this history of life in this region of Montana. They also have a pretty terrific gift shop every one will enjoy. Don't forget you squish penny if you are … [Read more...]
Located on the campus of Montana Tech University, The Mineral Museum exhibits 1300 specimens—just a fraction of their actual collection. What I thought would be just a quick walk through took more time as everyone “oohed” and “ahhhed” at the amazing mineral, crystal, and rock formations—some that even glow in the dark! Here I thought the kids might find it all boring and on the contrary, they were totally … [Read more...]
Mining played a huge roll in Montana's history and you can learn all about it at the World Museum of Mining. Seems like my kids were struck with mining fever just like the miners who came here long ago and so they could not wait to get here to learn about the equipment and the techniques necessary to hit the mother lode. Walking around we saw the massive tools and machinery used to mine the various minerals that are … [Read more...]
Shari and her husband Shep love to go white water rafting, so she convinced the rest of us greenhorns to give it a try. We took a wonderful and very mellow rafting trip on the Yellowstone River with our rower/guide, Tom, from Wild West Whitewater Rafting. They have all kinds of boats and gear and offer all kinds of trips. Our ride was about 1½ hours long and we loved every minute of it. We rowed along the river … [Read more...]
As an 8th grade history teacher, my pal Shari was just giddy with excitement when we arrived at The Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail And Interpretive Center. What a truly fantastic place to learn and appreciate the journey, struggles, and story of these two very brave men who were sent on an expedition by Thomas Jefferson to explore the wilderness of the Louisiana Purchase. We learned all about the various … [Read more...]
This two hour Gates OF The Mountains Boat Tour follows the travels of Lewis and Clark upstream on the Missouri River where Lewis and Clark recorded in their journals, “Suddenly, there loomed before them towering rock formations unlike any they had ever seen. From both sides of the river, limestone cliffs rose to a spectacular heights of 1200 feet. In many places,” wrote Meriwether Lewis, “the rocks seem ready … [Read more...]
Digging at the Spokane Bar Sapphire Mine was so much fun! Many gems can be found in Montana, but sapphires are particularly abundant and can be found in the ancient riverbeds. Shari. the kids and I could not wait to get digging to find some treasure. We checked in at the rock shop and were given a brief overview of the types of rocks and gems that we might find. We then followed our guide up the hill to the dig … [Read more...]
