children's museum of montana

This museum is quite nice for small town Montana. Admittedly Great Falls is one of the larger cities in Montana but Montana is not renowned for it's availability of indoor family activities. It is nice that the state boasts at least 1 Children's Museum.I do not live in Great Falls but travel there fairly frequently. This is the second time in about 18 months that I have taken my children to the museum. From the first visit to the second there had been quite a bit of mural work done and some new exhibits. My 4 year old daughter really loved the new marketplace exhibit. She kept filling her shopping cart, checking out at the register with her brother, and driving the shopping cart to the playhouse that was next door and unloading her groceries into the kitchen. That particular space kept her occupied for quite a long time.My 7 year old son enjoyed the museum as well but I can tell that he is about to age out. It is definitely designed for younger children.If you are expecting detailed science exhibits and expensive interactive touch screens, etc. you have come from a very large city in another state. This museum is primarily improved through donations and fund raisers by Great Falls residents. Instead, this is more of a play space that you can bring your young children to where they can interact with other children, have some fun toys to engage with that they are not likely to have at home, learn a bit, and for a very low price give mom and dad a few hours of blessed relief while their children are engaged in healthy activity.My only request to the museum would be to have chairs located throughout where tired moms can rest and watch their children play.

I took my three children here to get out of the house, ages 1, 6, and 7. This museum or daycare center as it looks. Is horrible! Dirty everywhere, most items from the little areas were not there at all, areas closed off due to remodeling or whatever, staff rude, power tools left out and plugged in within a child's play area where they could be reached, and the list goes on. Skip the museum and just go to the Gibson park in town!

We thought it was really fun! My 5 and 9 year old would have stayed for hours longer if we'd had the time. Granted it was a ghost town when we attended but there was alot to do. There are two levels packed with things that inspire them to use their imagination and creativity. It was very reasonably priced as well. We especially liked the dried bean dino dig, lego area and puppet show area.

This isn't really a children's museum as much as it is a toddlers play area. Our little one loved it and could have stayed much of the day. This is not really a place to bring older children as they would get bored quickly. The only thing I was disappointed with was some of the toys were quite dirty and need cleaning. We just avoided those things.

I love taking my kids here, and they love to be here. They would live here if they could! There's always something for everyone to do. Even I can have fun. It's always hard to convince the kids to leave.

This was a fun place for my 1 and 2 year olds to play, but I wouldn't really consider it a museum. At least 15 different play stations all hands-on. My 2 years could spend hours there.

I didn't like that the parent has a admission charge. Most things were not working and my kids kept walking around trying to find entertainment. Good concept, just needs updated and more interactive items. Good for 1-3 ages.

Took my 2 kids (age 8 and 9) to the Chidren's Museum of Montana; planned as a fun activity for a few hours over spring break. Entrance fee is not much (a few bucks each), but it was not well spent. Three was a group in front of us and they were given the "safe kids play" instructions by the sfaff. We had sat through the entire thing, waiting to pay and they went on again with the instructions after we told them that the kids heard the whole thing while waiting. It is one thing to be safe (which as explained later, they are lacking), another to beat a dead horse. This place is really geared towards toddlers and kids up to about 6 years old...my 8 and 9 year old were bored and not interested in "dress up" or puppet shows. Many of the exhibits were empty (most likely other kids had moved stuff around), but the place for the most part seemed dated and in disarray. Went upstairs, as others said that area was geared towards older kids, but it was more play houses and broken exhibits. What concerned me was the apparent one time science display that housed flourescent light bulbs. The cover and bulbs had been removed, but the balasts and wiring were left exposed...really a hazard to kids. The lego area is a couple of tables with legos all over the place. There is a seperate area for kids who are in the "Lego Club" but normal paying families could not go in there. We spent 15 minutes there and left; highly disappointing. Went to Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center afterward and had a blast (and the kids learned something).

It's a very hands on experience for kids. Great place for them to let off steam and energy. My kids love the lego's.

The Children's Museum of Montana has fantastic staff and lots of activities for kids of many ages, from dress-up, to playing pirate or sailor or banker, to Lego. There's also a cafe for the parents, although I haven't tried it yet.

We really enjoyed our visit. My 3, 8, and 10 year olds all found plenty to do that kept their attention. It is a very inexpensive afternoon of fun and learning. If we had stayed longer, I would have loved to cuddle with my little one in the reading nook upstairs -- there were a ton of books! And my older son could have played LEGOs for hours. Probably not an all-day outing, but I don't think you would expect that for the $4 price tag. Very enjoyable! I also thought the decor was cute and colorful, and my husband and I both found it to be extremely clean, especially when you consider that everything is designed to be played with by kids. (The upstairs bathroom was immaculate, even at the end of the day!)

It was a good place for smaller kids. My teen enjoyed it and was polite, but I could tell from the look on her face that it was not really set up for her age level.

great place for kids. upstairs gets little warm in summer, but other wise kids had lots of fun! My sons enjoyed the legos upstairs and my little girl liked all the dress up stuff they had downstairs.

Needs some cleaning up and more friendly staff. The two staff members working very rude and just glared at everyone. The lady working the front desk was very rude and snappy towards everyone. I am sure this is because we interrupted what she was doing on the computer in the back room. The toys are outdated and I was actually worried about my kids possibly getting sick. I didn't allow my children to play with all the dress up clothes in fear of the lice breakout that I had read about in GF. Was not worth the $30 I spent to take my kids.

I had great hopes for this museum, especially when we walked into the area with the animal pelts. However, I could not get over how dirty it was. I didn't want my son to play with the dress up items or really touch anything because it was downright filthy in there. I was also disappointed as there wasn't much educational items or displays. It seems like 80% of it was just toys. More like a daycare than a museum... a dirty daycare. I will not be going back.