List of museums in Idaho explained

This list of museums in Idaho contains museums which are defined for this context as institutions (including nonprofit organizations, government entities, and private businesses) that collect and care for objects of cultural, artistic, scientific, or historical interest and make their collections or related exhibits available for public viewing. Museums that exist only in cyberspace (i.e., virtual museums) are not included.

Museums

Name	Town/city	County	Region	Type	Summary
Appaloosa Museum				History	website, history of the Appaloosa horse and its region of origin
Art Museum of Eastern Idaho			Southeast	Art	website, includes five galleries
Bannock County Historical Museum			Eastern	Local history	website
Basque Museum & Cultural Center				Ethnic - Basque-American	website, Basque history and culture in Idaho
Bellevue Historical Society		Blaine	Central	Local history	^[1]
Bingham County Historical Museum			Southeast	History	website, operated by the Bingham County Historical Society
			Northern	Aviation	Historic aircraft, aviation and inventions
Blaine County Historical Museum			Central	Local history	website
	Boise	Ada	Southwest	Art	Focuses on 20th-century American art with an emphasis on artists of the Northwest, American Realism and ceramics
Boise Basin Museum			Southwest	Local history	website, operated by the Idaho City Historical Foundation
Boise State University Vertebrate Museum	Boise	Ada	Southwest		Teaching collection of preserved specimens of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians and fish, not open to the public^[2]
Bonner County History Museum			Northern	Local history	website, operated by the Bonner County Historical Society, exhibits include pioneers, farming, logging, mining, the Kalispell and Kootenai people
Boundary County History Museum			Northern	Local history	website, operated by the Boundary County Historical Society
Cambridge Museum		Washington	Southwest	Local history	^[3]
Camp Tosobia and Camp Mead DUP Historical Museum		Caribou	Eastern	Local history	Operated by the Daughters of Utah Pioneers^[4]
Canyon Crossroads Transportation Museum			Southwest	Multiple	Operated by the County in Celebration Park, currently under construction, exhibits on area natural history, Native Americans, transportation^[5]
		Shoshone	Northern	Local history	website
Cassia County Historical Museum			South Central	Local history	Operated by the Cassia County Historical Society^[6] ^[7]
			Eastern	Open air	Late 19th-century ghost town
Clayton Area Historical Museum			Central	Local history	Operated by the Clayton Area Historical Association^[8] ^[9]
Clearwater Historical Museum			North Central	Local history	website
Collectors' Corner Museum			Southeast	Toy / collectibles	Includes dolls, bears, antiques, trains, coins, stamps and military memorabilia^[10] ^[11]
Council Valley Museum			Southwest	Local history	^[12]
Crane House Museum			Northern	Local history	Operated by the Crane Historical Society^[13]
Crystal Gold Mine			Northern	Industry - mining	website, guided underground tour
Discovery Center of Idaho	Boise	Ada	Southwest		Interactive exhibits designed to inspire a lifelong interest and learning in science, technology, engineering and math
Eagle Historical Museum	Eagle	Ada	Southwest	Local history	^[14]
Elk River Museum		Clearwater	North Central	History	^[15]
			Central	Science	Decommissioned nuclear research reactor
		Kootenai	Northern	Military	Includes the Brig Museum with displays about Farragut Naval Training Station
			Eastern	Military	Replica mid-19th-century trading post
Franklin Idaho Relic Hall			Eastern	Local history	Operated by the Idaho State Historical Society^[16]
Gem County Historical Village Museum			Southwest	Local history	website, operated by the Gem County Historical Society, displays include Native Americans, trappers, miners, settlers, agriculture, period room and business displays, early 20th-century period house, blacksmith shop
Glenns Ferry Historical Museum			Southwest	Local history	Located in an early 20th-century schoolhouse^[17]
Gooding County Museum		Gooding	South Central	Local history	Operated by the Gooding County Historical Society^[18]
			South Central	Natural history	Fossils of horses and tours of the fossil beds
Hagerman Valley Historical Society Museum	Hagerman	Gooding	South Central	Local history	website, area fossils, Native American, explorers, pioneers
Heritage Hall Museum		Clark	Southeast	Local history	Located in a former Episcopal church^[19] ^[20]
Herrett Center for Arts and Science			South Central	Multiple	Website, part of the College of Southern Idaho, exhibits Native American artifacts, natural history, planetarium with gallery and observatory, contemporary art gallery, student art
Historic P&IN Depot		Adam	Southwest	Local history	Operated by the Adams County Historical Society, restored Pacific & Idaho Northern depot, changing exhibits of local and state history and culture^[21]
Historical Museum at St. Gertrude			North Central	Local history	website, heritage of the Monastery of St. Gertrude, exhibits include the Benedictine Sisters, the Nez Perce people, fossils and minerals, Polly Bemis, medical artifacts, Asian and European artifacts dating to the 14th century, area immigrants, pioneer life
Hughes Home Museum			Northern	Local history	Located in an early 20th-century log house^[22]
Idaho Black History Museum	Boise	Ada	Southwest	African American	History and culture of African Americans, with special emphasis on African Americans in Idaho
Idaho Heritage Museum	Twin Falls	Twin Falls	South Central	Multiple	Website, Native American artifacts, mounted game animals in their natural habitat, mounted birds, fossils, guns, coins
Idaho Military History Museum	Boise	Ada	Southwest	Military	website State military history, including all branches of the service, Mountain Home Air Force Base, Gowen Field, and all the wars in which Idahoans have served from the Spanish–American War onwards.
Idaho Museum of Mining & Geology	Boise	Ada	Southwest	Industry - mining / science - geology	website, mining artifacts, rocks and mineral specimens, state geology and mining history
	Pocatello	Bannock	Eastern		Idaho’s geology, fossils, Ice-age megafauna, native culture, plants and animals
Idaho Potato Museum			Southeast		Potato farming, food culture
	Boise	Ada	Southwest	History	Operated by the Idaho State Historical Society, state history, culture, occupations and experiences
J. Howard Bradbury Memorial Logging Museum		Clearwater	North Central	Industry - Timber	Local mining and logging history^[23] ^[24]
Jefferson County Historical Museum			Southeast	Local history	Also called the Farnsworth TV & Pioneer Museum, pre-electric and early electric era, the history of Jefferson County, early photography, Philo Farnsworth, operated by the Jefferson County Historical Society^[25]
Jerome County Historical Museum			South Central	Local history	website, operated by the Jerome County Historical Society, also operates the nearby Idaho Farm & Ranch Museum
Kamiah Valley Museum		Lewis	North Central	Local history	^[26]
Kootenai County Jail Museum		Kootenai	Northern	Local history	Owned and operated by the Rathdrum/Westwood Historical Society, located in the former sheriff’s office and county jail, website
Kuna History Center	Kuna	Ada	Southwest	Local history	Operated by the Kuna Historical Society^[27] ^[28]
Lawson's Emu-Z-um			Southwest	Local history	website, includes pioneer and settler artifacts, period clothing, antique kitchen gadgets, early vehicles, frontier farming and ranching implements, mining equipment, Native American artifacts
Legacy Flight Museum			Southeast		website, restored military aircraft
Lemhi County Historical Museum				Local history	website, includes Lemhi Shoshone, ranching, mining, pioneer, and Chinese displays, archives of Lewis and Clark, operated by the Lemhi County Historical Society
Lewis-Clark State College Center for Arts & History			North Central	Art	Part of Lewis–Clark State College, changing exhibits of art and local history^[29]
Lochsa Historical Ranger Station Museum			North Central	History	website, operated by the US Forest Service in Nez Perce National Forest^[30]
	Moscow	Latah	North Central		website, operated by the Latah County Historical Society, features historic rooms interpreted in different time periods from 1900 to the 1930s
Minidoka County Historical Society Museum			South Central	Local history	^[31] ^[32]
MK Nature Center	Boise	Ada	Southwest		website, operated by the state, also known as the Morrison Knudsen Nature Center
Mountain Home Museum			Southwest	Local history	website, operated by the Mountain Home Historical Society
Mud Lake Museum		Jefferson	Southeast	Local history	Operated by the Mud Lake Historical Society^[33]
	Pocatello	Bannock	Eastern	Technology	website, history of cleaning devices, includes vacuums, washers, brooms, toilets, tubs, cleaning products
	Idaho Falls	Bonneville	Southeast	Multiple	website, state and local history, culture, natural history, nuclear energy, Native Americans
Museum of North Idaho			Northern	History	website, exhibits include logging, agriculture, steamboats, railroads, recreation, the Coeur d'Alene Tribe
Museum of Winchester History		Lewis	North Central	Local history	^[34] ^[35]
Nampa Train Depot Museum			Southwest	Local history	website, operated by the Canyon County Historical Society, exhibits include area railroad history, antique dolls, rodeo, mustache cups
National Oregon/California Trail Center			Eastern	History	website, features simulated wagon train experience of the 1850s, includes the Rails & Trails Museum about area history, railroads, pioneers
Nez Perce County Historical Museum			North Central	Local history	Website, operated by the Nez Perce County Historical Society
Nez Perce National Historical Park			North Central		Spalding Visitor Center has a museum of the Nez Perce; Nez Perce National Historical Park has 38 sites spread over four states (Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington) with sites related to the Nez Perce
North Custer Museum			Central	Local history	^[36]
	Wallace	Shoshone	Northern		website, area railroad and mining history, located in an early 20th-century depot
Oakley Valley Historical Museum			South Central	Local history	Operated by the Oakley Historical Society^[37]
Oasis Bordello Museum			Northern	Industry - prostitution	Local brothels^[38] ^[39]
Old Fort Boise		Canyon	Southwest	Military	Reconstructed replica of Fort Boise, operated by the Old Fort Boise Historical Society^[40]
	Boise	Ada	Southwest	Prison	Operated by the Idaho State Historical Society, includes J. Curtis Earl Arms Collection of historic arms and military memorabilia
		Shoshone	Northern	Native American	Historic tribal mission for the Coeur d'Alene Tribe
Oneida County Pioneer Museum		Oneida	Eastern	Local history	^[41]
			Southwest		Part of College of Idaho, open on Friday afternoons and on the first Saturday of each month^[42]
Our Memories Indian Creek Museum			Southwest	Local history	website, operated by the Canyon County Historical Society, includes period room displays
Owyhee County Historical Society Museum and Library			Southwest	Local history	website
Palouse Discovery Science Center	Moscow	Latah	North Central	Science	website, hands-on science and learning experiences
Pappy Boyington Veterans Museum		Kootenai	Northern	Aviation	https://pappyboyingtonveteransmuseum.org/, Registered 501c3, local aviation and military aviation history, includes artifacts of aviator Pappy Boyington and related Baa Baa Black Sheep television series "Stories From The Museum" . Retelling the lost stories of veterans.
Paris Historical Museum		Bear Lake	Eastern	Local history	^[43] ^[44]
Payette County Museum		Payette	Southwest	Local history	website, operated by the Payette County Historical Society
Post Falls Historical Society Museum		Kootenai	Northern	Local history	^[45]
Power County Museum		Power	Eastern	Local history	Operated by the Power County Historical Society^[46] ^[47]
Priest Lake Museum		Boundary	Northern	Local history	website, exhibits on area Native Americans, pioneers, early businesses, history of the US Forest Service
Priest River Museum and Timber Education Center	Priest River		Northern	Industry - Timber	Exhibits on pioneer life, timber industry, located in the late 19th-century Keyser homestead house^[48]
			South Central	History	Operated by the Idaho State Historical Society, includes the mid-19th-century house, store, pioneer cemetery and outbuildings
Roseberry General Store and Museum		Valley	Southwest	History	website, early 20th-century general store with historic displays and current merchandise
Sacajawea Interpretive, Cultural and Education Center				Biography	website, focuses on Sacajawea, her people the Agaidika, and the Lewis and Clark expedition
Shoshone-Bannock Tribal Museum		Bannock	Eastern		Culture and art of the Shoshone people^[49] ^[50]
Shoshone County Mining & Smelting Museum			Northern	Industry - mining	website, also known as Staff House Museum, exhibits on mining, smelting and cultural history of North Idaho's Silver Valley, located in the former Bunker Hill Staff house
Shoshone Indian Ice Caves and Museum			South Central	Ethnic - Native American / geology	Lava ice cave and museum with Native American artifacts, minerals and gems^[51] ^[52] ^[53]
Sierra Silver Mine Tour			Northern	Industry - mining	website, tours of an underground silver mine
Soda Springs Historical Museum		Caribou	Eastern	Local history	Located in the 1919 Ender's Hotel^[54]
South Bannock County Historical Center Museum		Bannock	Eastern	Local history	website
Spragpole Museum	Mullan	Shoshone	Northern	Local history	Area mining history, logging, late 19th-century period room and business displays^[55] ^[56]
Stanley Historical Museum		Custer	Central	Local history	Operated by the Sawtooth Interpretive & Historical Association in historic Valley Creek Ranger Station in Sawtooth National Recreation Area^[57] ^[58]
			Central	Art	Also operates in Hailey, Idaho, contemporary and historical art by artists from around the world
Wood River Museum of History and Culture^[59]			Central	Local history	Operated by The Community Library,^[60] exhibits include Hemingway and Sun Valley.^[61]
			Southeast	Local history	Website, operated by the Rexburgh Historical Society
Teton Valley Museum		Teton	Southeast	Local history	^[62] ^[63]
Twin Falls County Historical Society Museum			South Central	Local history	website, exhibits include, Oregon Trail migration, ranching, irrigated-farming, early 1900s life. In the old Union School building, offers outbuildings and perimeter displays.
Valley County Museum		Valley	Southwest	Open air	website, also known as Historic Roseberry, operated by the Long Valley Preservation Society, includes the John Korvola Homestead
Wallace District Mining Museum			Northern	Industry - mining	website, features artifacts and model of the Sunshine Mine, area mining heritage
Warhawk Air Museum			Southwest	Aerospace	website, historic military aircraft, military aviation history and artifacts
Weippe Discovery Center		Clearwater	North Central	History	website, library, museum and community center, exhibits about Lewis and Clark
Weippe Hilltop Heritage Museum	Weippe	Clearwater	North Central	Local history	^[64]
Weiser Museum	Weiser, Idaho	Weiser	Washington	Southwest	Local history	Displays include Intermountain Institute, agriculture, Native Americans, mining, local automotive history, military^[65]
White Spring Ranch Museum		Latah	North Central	Historic house	website, late 19th-century farmhouse, c.1876 Log cabin, c.1880 Curio Museum cabin^[66]
Wilford Woodruff Home	Randolph	Bear Lake	Eastern	Local history	Pioneer relics of early Mormon pioneer leader Wilford Woodruff^[67]
World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame	Boise	Ada	Southwest	Hall of fame - sports	Located on the campus of Boise State University, humanitarian contributions of athletes^[68]

Defunct museums

• Hess Heritage Museum, Ashton^[69]
• Ketchum Sun Valley Historical Society Heritage & Ski Museum, Ketchum, collections now part of the Wood River Museum of History and Culture^[70]
• Sacajawea Museum at Spalding, former museum near the site of the Spalding Mission whose contents were sold off after a flood in 1963; featured a buckskin dress from Sacajawea, various Nez Perce Chief headdresses including two from the young Chief Joseph, and a dugout canoe from the Lewis and Clark expedition^[71]

Regions

The Idaho Department of Commerce tourism division has divided the state into these seven regions which are used in the table above:^[72]

• Northern - Counties: Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, Kootenai, and Shoshone,
• North Central - Counties: Clearwater, Idaho, Latah, Lewis, and Nez Perce
• Southwest - Counties: Ada, Adams, Boise, Canyon, Elmore, Gem, Owyhee, Payette, Valley, and Washington
• Central - Counties: Blaine, Butte, Camas, Custer, and Lemhi
• South Central - Counties: Cassia, Gooding, Jerome, Lincoln, Minidoka, and Twin Falls
• East - Counties: Bingham, Bonneville, Clark, Fremont, Jefferson, Madison, and Teton
• Southeastern - Counties: Bannock, Bear Lake, Caribou, Franklin, Oneida, and Power

See also

• List of nature centers in Idaho

References

• Idaho Association of Museums

External links

• Visit Idaho - Museums

Notes and References

1. Web site: Bellevue Historical Society. Idaho Association of Museums. 12 November 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141112033612/http://www.idahomuseums.org/museumsMap.asp?mid=35. 12 November 2014. dead.
2. Web site: Vertebrate Museum. Boise State University. 11 November 2014.
3. Web site: Cambridge Museum. Visit Idaho. 11 November 2014.
4. Web site: DUP Satellite Museum Directory. Daughters of Utah Pioneers. 12 November 2014.
5. Web site: Canyon County Crossroads Transportation Museum. Canyon County, Idaho. 11 November 2014.
6. Web site: About Cassia: Historical Society » Museum. Cassia County, Idaho. 11 November 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141111160132/http://www.cassiacounty.org/about-cassia-county/historical-society/museum.htm. 11 November 2014. dead.
7. Web site: Cassia County Historical Museum. Visit Idaho. 11 November 2014.
8. Web site: Clayton Area Historical Museum. Idaho Association of Museums. 12 November 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141112032607/http://www.idahomuseums.org/museumsMap.asp?mid=9. 12 November 2014. dead.
9. Web site: Official site. Clayton Area Historical Association. 12 November 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141112032345/http://www.claytonidaho.org/. 12 November 2014. dead.
10. Web site: Collector's Corner Museum. Visit Idaho. 11 November 2014.
11. Web site: Collector's Corner Museum. Idaho Association of Museums. 12 November 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141112162859/http://www.idahomuseums.org/museumsMap.asp?mid=63. 12 November 2014. dead.
12. Web site: Official site. Council Valley Museum. 11 November 2014.
13. Web site: Official site. Crane Historical Society. 11 November 2014.
14. Web site: Eagle Historical Museum. City of Eagle. 12 November 2014.
15. Web site: Other Museums. Clearwater Historical Museum. 11 November 2014.
16. Web site: The Historic Franklin Properties. Idaho State Historical Society. 12 November 2014.
17. Web site: Museums. Glenns Ferry, Idaho. 2 June 2016.
18. Web site: Gooding County Museum. City of Gooding. 11 August 2015.
19. Web site: Facebook site. Heritage Hall Museum. 12 November 2014.
20. Web site: Heritage Hall Museum. Idaho Association of Museums. 12 November 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141112162854/http://www.idahomuseums.org/museumsMap.asp?mid=67. 12 November 2014. dead.
21. Web site: Official site. Historic P&In Depot. 12 November 2014.
22. Web site: Historical Hughes House. Visit Idaho. 11 November 2014.
23. Web site: Facebook site. J. Howard Bradbury Memorial Logging Museum. 11 November 2014.
24. Web site: J. Howard Bradbury Memorial Logging Museum. Visit Idaho. 11 November 2014.
25. Web site: Farnsworth TV & Pioneer Museum. Visit Idaho. 11 November 2014.
26. Web site: Kamiah Valley Historical Society. Idaho Association of Museums. 11 November 2014.
27. Web site: Official site. Kuna Historical Society. 12 November 2014.
28. Web site: Kuna Historical Museum. Idaho Association of Museums. 12 November 2014.
29. Web site: Lewis-Clark State College Center for Arts & History. Lewis & Clark State College. 11 November 2014.
30. Web site: Lochsa Historical Ranger Station Museum. Visit Idaho. 11 November 2014.
31. Web site: Historical Society. Minidoka County, Idaho. 12 November 2014.
32. Web site: Minidoka County Museum. Minidoka County Historical Society. 12 November 2014.
33. Web site: Museums in Southeast Idaho. Idaho Association of Museums. 11 August 2015.
34. Web site: Museum of Winchester History. Idaho Association of Museums. 11 November 2014.
35. Web site: Museum of Winchester History. Greater Craigmont Area Chamber of Commerce. 11 November 2014.
36. Web site: North Custer Museum. Idaho Association of Museums. 12 November 2014.
37. Web site: Oakley Valley Historical Museum. Visit Idaho. 11 November 2014.
38. Web site: Oasis Bordello Museum. Visit Idaho. 11 November 2014.
39. Web site: Oasis Bordello Museum. Roadside America. 11 November 2014.
40. Web site: Old Fort Boise Historical Society. Idaho Association of Museums. 12 November 2014.
41. Web site: Oneida County Pioneer Museum. Malad, Idaho. 12 November 2014.
42. Web site: Orma J. Smith Museum of Natural History. College of Idaho. 11 November 2014.
43. Web site: Paris Historical Museum. Bear Lake Valley CVB. 12 November 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141129122941/http://www.bearlake.org/recreation/history-activities/250-paris-historical-museum. 29 November 2014. dead.
44. Web site: Museums. Pioneer Country Travel Council of Southeastern Idaho. 12 November 2014.
45. Web site: Official site. Post Falls Historical Society. 11 November 2014.
46. Web site: Power County Museum. Power County Historical Society. 12 November 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20131206232743/http://powercountymuseum.com/museum10.HTM. 6 December 2013. dead.
47. Web site: Power County Historical Society and Museum. Power County, Idaho. 12 November 2014.
48. Web site: Priest River Museum and Timber Education Center. Visit Idaho. 11 November 2014.
49. Web site: Fort Hall Reservation. Pioneer Country Travel Council of Southeastern Idaho. 11 November 2014.
50. Web site: Shoshone Bannock Tribal Museum. Visit Idaho. 11 November 2014.
51. Web site: Shoshone Indian Ice Caves. Visit Idaho. 11 November 2014.
52. Web site: Shoshone Ice Caves. College of Southern Idaho. 11 November 2014.
53. Web site: Shoshone Ice Caves. Roadside America. 11 November 2014.
54. Web site: Soda Springs Idaho Historical Museum. Idaho Association of Museums. 12 November 2014.
55. Web site: Official site. The Sprag Pole Inn and Museum. 11 November 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20110930123646/http://silver-valley.com/sprag_pole/. 30 September 2011. dead.
56. Web site: Spragpole Museum. Visit Idaho. 11 November 2014.
57. Web site: Stanley Historical Museum. Sawtooth Interpretive & Historical Association. 12 November 2014.
58. Web site: Stanley Museum. Idaho Association of Museums. 12 November 2014.
59. Web site: Wood River Museum of History and Culture . 2024-05-22 . www.wikidata.org . en.
60. Web site: The Community Library . 2024-05-22 . www.wikidata.org . en.
61. Web site: Wood River Museum Current Exhibits . 2024-05-22 . Community Library . en-US.
62. Web site: Teton Valley Museum Foundation. Teton Valley Chamber of Commerce. 11 November 2014.
63. Web site: Teton Valley Museum. Visit Idaho. 11 November 2014.
64. Web site: Weippe Hilltop Heritage Museum. Idaho Association of Museums. 11 November 2014.
65. Web site: Official site. Weiser Museum. 12 November 2014.
66. Web site: White Spring Ranch Museum & Archive Library. Idaho Association of Museums. 11 November 2014.
67. Web site: Wilford Woodruff Home. Bear Lake Valley CVB. 12 November 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141129150018/http://www.bearlake.org/recreation/history-activities/251-wilford-woodruff-home. 29 November 2014. dead.
68. Web site: World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame. Boise Convention & Visitors Bureau. 11 November 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141111155849/http://www.boise.org/Listing.aspx?ID=346&CatID=4&SearchType=ArtsAndCulture&SearchCriteria=32. 11 November 2014. dead.
69. Web site: Hess Heritage Museum collection up for auction. Standard Journal. 9 October 2013.
70. Web site: Wood River Museum of History and Culture . 22 May 2024 . comlib.org . The Community Library.
71. Web site: Special Collections, Albertsons Library, Boise State University . 2013-06-26 . dead . https://archive.today/20130628033822/http://library.boisestate.edu/special/FindingAids/fa282.shtm . 2013-06-28 . The Evans collection, 1884-1959, Boise State University, accessed 6/26/2013
72. http://www.visitidaho.org/ "Visit Idaho" Web page