Western Heritage Center, Billings, MT…

On Thursday the Tribe ventured in to Billings (MT) to check out the Western Heritage Center.   This museum features local history, including the founding and subsequent boom of Billings.
Anytime that we are checking out a new place, I wonder just how family/kid friendly the location is going to be.   The WHC was no different – I wasn’t sure just how interested my littles would be, and if they would be bored quickly.
I needn’t have worried – the WHC is very much geared towards children!

The receptionist that met us was very cheerful and friendly.  She interacted with the kids and told them about all the different things there was for them to do.

Ranching is ‘how the West was Won’, including right here in Billings.  A western theme prevails through much of the museum.  Just to the right of the entrance, there is a room dedicated to the history of weddings in the area.  There is a log cabin in this room…

where there are tons of dress up clothes for the kids…

(now you know why Molly’s outfits all are matched sets! LOL! – they are even folded together in her cupboard so she gets things that coordinate! 😉 ).

There were numerous western hats, a gun…

school desks complete with McGuffy’s Readers, and an old wood cookstove with kitchen items to pretend with.

There was a little log cabin dollhouse, and even soldier uniforms…

To the left of the entrance to the museum, there is an area that mimics a 50 kitchen, diner, and post office.  There were so many hands-on things for the kids to do, including games left out on the diner booth, and a huge monopoly-like game where the entire table was the gameboard; it spun like a lazy-susan, had huge foam dice, and toy horses for pieces. 

In the post office, the girls’ favorites were the 2 old typewriters.  I had to explain how a typewriter works.  😉The kids had fun with the po boxes.  They were old boxes with 2 dials for locks.  You had to know which mark to line up at the top, on both dials, for the box to open.  The museum had boards that gave the combinations to certain boxes, and the kids had fun opening them.  The instructions would say something like, “Box 128  Right-2 marks to the right of L   Left-one mark to the left of M”…There is a touch screen that will translate certain words into Crow (Indian Tribe) for you.  There are lots of pictures, so Molly really liked it… 

The touch screen activity (and a few others) on the YWHC website! (link below)

There were also interactive displays that feature local musicians and a topo map of the valley.

Even Caleb enjoyed it, and he is a busy kid!

I finally had to tell them it was time to move on and check out the lower level.

The lower level of the museum has several different parts: there is a room dedicated to the railroad and it’s role in Billings, a hallway filled with paintings of current Montana cowboys complete with a poem for each one, and a lobby of sorts that is designed to look like a 30s dude ranch.
It was the dude ranch area that held the big kids…

And the railroad room held captive the littles (especially after the boys built them a railroad).  In this room there is a short film, commissioned by the museum, that plays on a wall screen.

Located in the old Billings Library, the building has some beautiful architecture.  They lower lobby of the museum has been redone in a Dude Ranch theme (we felt right at home! LOL!). 
The WHC is (was 😉 ) the perfect way to spend an overcast, rainy afternoon!

The museum is open Tues. through Sat., from 10 to 5.
Admission is:
Adults $5.
Seniors & Students $3.
Children (under 12) $1.
Members are free

The museum is very affordable, and a great place for to spend a couple of hours!

You can find out more about the Western Heritage Center on the WHC website!