Reviews of The National Oregon/California Trail Center (Museum)

Tyler Smith

A fun experience and museum. The basement hosts a free to see museum with some pioneer-era things like spinning wheel, typewriters, books, swords, and sewing machines. There is a paid-for experience where they take you through a mercantile recreation prepping for the journey and a campsite that was informative and funny. It may cost more than it's worth, but seems ok once.

Ralph Hebb

Small museum/visitor's center. Very friendly, informative staff. Very impressive set of paintings of scenes from the Oregon Trail.

Maren Hansen

It's not cheap to get the full experience at this museum, but very, very worth it. The top floor had a wonderful quilt show at the time, and the basement lots of local artifacts that really gave you a feel for the early European settlers. The paid part of the tour is worth every penny--you get a feeling of what kind of sacrifices these settlers had to make. All set in lovely Montpelier, ID. Well worth the drive--we took an hour and stopped at Fossil Butte Nat Monument on the way home which was also fun.

Sandy Metzler

Unique and informative experience

tina wambeke

Visited their Festival of Trees in December. Very friendly and welcoming staff and volunteers; great cowboy coffee and fun gift shop. Impressive local community support. Great experience!

Ken Hull

Very cool. There is something for everyone.

Kyne Hatch

Nice place for some good history

Nikki Kindinger

Loved it! The tour was great! Just a smidge expensive, but we had a wonderful time-- such an unexpected treat. There is a playground and picnic area outside available, as well as a small gift shop inside. The tour guide did an excellent job answerung my children's questions. Highly recommend it!

Karen Bastow

A gem of a place to visit!

Joe Mannino

Very informative. Excellent presentation exhibit and artifacts.

Evan and Devin Skinner

Great place to see a part of history

Nathaniel Roberts

Really shows what it was like on the Oregon trail.

Freddy Eduard Liske

Außer der Bank, die mal von Butch Cassidy überfallen wurde..., so ziemlich das Interessanteste in Montpelier/ Idaho!

Michelle Bonds

The immersive trail tour is awesome! Also their is a train exhibit and mountain man exhibit. Best center we visited on the trail.

Karen Robins

This was such a fun experience! Employees dressed in character showed us a little of what it would be like crossing the country in a wagon train. Highly recommend!

Thomas Mc Mahon

Great day and good show for kids

Eli whitney

I love it so much i wish i could go back.

Rick Stirling

Wonderful Oregon Trail museum. Nice auditorium with great stage presentations throughout the year.

bls txi

This was very well done if overly simple view at life on the Oregon Trail of the 19th century.

Barry Richardson

Would have been an awesome place to visit had it been open when in actuality it is closed for the season. That sucks. Apparently it is closed from some time in October to some other time when it is open again for the season. Not entirely certain when the open season is and why that wasn't clear when we Googled it or looked on the website. Well, off to find something else to do in Montpelier.

Martin Woudstra

Amazing story! Take the Tour! Never complain again about your car :)

Tyler J. Adams

Interactive tour. If you're in Montpelier and you don't stop here, why? ©TIFA 2003

M P

There are several museums here. It is a bit confusing. I visited the county museum and I would give it 4 stars. Lots of historic items.

Sandra Caito

Great tour. Great staff. Check it out!

EJ Reed

This place was a quaint sort of fun. $12.50 of your money ($11.50 for seniors) can be traded for a tour where a 'wagon master' aka your guide takes you around and talks about the trip out on the Oregon Trail while you look/touch the items that are often locked in glass cases. The tour isn't long and the museum isn't huge, but it was a fun stop.

Steven-Akio Gumataotao

Great place with so much information! A must visit!

Suzanne Christofferson

I love the art display featuring The different places along the trail. I also loved the museum in the basement with the miniature train set up of Montpelier.

Kara Garcia

Great place to take your kids just overpriced.

Driggs 83

A very informative museum. Friendly people, interesting artifacts, beautiful art work. We will definitely go back.

Paul Cooper

Lots of local flavor & attentive staff.

Robert Konen

Unbelievable Oregon trail experience.

Will Wood

Awesome museum! Loved the history. Everyone on staff was so friendly and they made us feel very welcomed. I would highly recommend this museum.

Brooke Larsen

It's a reasonably interesting place, but the tour was rather overpriced. I wouldn't recommend going out if the way for it. Still, it was decent.

sugarsean19

I'm a city guy from Los Angeles, and my city girlfriend didn't expect much.. but he absolutely had a blast and the tour was great and informative. . Stay at the nice motel 6 right across the street then go too the trail center is an awesome vacation

Dave Goodwillie

It's very informative and fun. There's two tours, one free and one pair. Spent almost 2 hours on the unpaid and may do the pay tour tomorrow.

Susan Biddulph

The visitors' center is technically free; if you want to do the living history tour, plan on $25 for two people. It's about a 20-25 minute experience. We opted out of it, but it looked interesting. There is a small museum on Bear Lake pioneer history in the basement that is free & totally worth a look. It takes about 30 minutes; the docent was very friendly, knowledgeable, and good with kids.

Joseph Andrade

Interesting place well worth visiting. Fun exhibits. Knowledgeable friendly staff. Very good lunch in chuck wagon cafe.

Cory Lytle

Nice place full of information

Noah Hopkins

Cool history stop on the way to Bear Lake. Lots of interesting donated items from pioneer times. Highly recommended.

Kathy Tiffin

Fun, realistic experience of pioneer trail blazing!

William Giles

A friendly little Musium with some interesting exhibits well worth a visit

Emily Oakden

Really friendly staff here. Free hot drinks and toilets along with a very reasonably priced gift shop and interesting museum. A great rest stop.

Daniel Erickson

As a descendent of pioneers who travelled the California Trail from Wisconsin to Placerville, CA, I found this museum to be a complete scam and sham! How it can call itself the "National" center is beyond me. It covers (very poorly) only the segment of the trail through Idaho to Oregon, not the entire trail. Its claim to fame is a series of paintings done by an artist who supposedly read journals and diaries written by pioneers and then painted scenes depicted in the journals. Oh, but wait!!! That can't be interesting enough on its own, so the artist hid his face somewhere in each of the paintings - can you find it?? - as well as his wife's initials - can you see them? There was also some nonsense about hidden Indians - can you find them?? What is this, Where's Waldo??? But wait, there's more! In one painting, ET (!!!!) is hidden! How exciting! What a joke! If you seriously are interested in learning the history of the Oregon/California Trails, this is definitely not the place to waste your time. Museums and centers that deserve the name National can be found throughout Missouri, Nebraska, Wyoming, Oregon and California. But sorry, you won't find ET hiding in any of these. Montpelier Idaho, you should be ashamed of this.

Leah Lambert

The tour guides are informative and clearly enjoy their work. The tour was great. Thank you.

Allen Miller

Very interesting if you like history.

Mrs Maureen Benson

Very welcoming staff and interesting displays.

Stacey Pearson

The site says that it's open but it is not. Drove 2 1/2 hours to experience it and it is closed during the winter time.

Donald Wilcox

Very informative. Enjoyable

Michael Mitchell

Tours are great, some interesting items throughout the center

Katie Gibbons

Great stop on our vacation! Extremely kind and knowledgeable workers. Fun for kids and adults.

Wallace Williams

Loved it

Kyle Hunter

Oregon or bust!!!

Raul

Great interactive exhibits. Excellent for a quick glimpse of the Historic Oregon trail.

Matthew Wyman

Nicely curated and informative museum about the early pioneers that passed through there. Definitely recommend if you are in the area.

Lora Waloski

A solid road stop that's much larger than it looks from the outside. It's not terribly interactive for small kids, but there is a small playground out back if you have younger passengers needing to stretch their legs. In the basement they have additional artifacts as well as a model railroad to educate the kids on the history of the town in relation to it's importance on the Union Pacific railway. They also have a small coffee bar, gift shop and clean restrooms. Just watch for the tour busses.

Robert Pearson

Good review of early settlors who came west with a promise of free land.

Jeri VanderVeen

It was an interactive experience of the pioneers going on the Oregon Trail in the 1800's. Loved it! Fun and informative.

Becky Breshears

Truly a museum not to be missed. The interactive experience was one of the best ever. We had to be a pioneer to play. Loved it!

Forrest Allen

Very informative and a lot of history to cover about the people traveling to Oregon and California.

Sherry Sloan

This was a great place to visit if you love history. We loved it

kiwibirdpets _

Cool exhibits

Jay Allen

Great place to learn about the hardships of the Oregon Trail

Mark Johnson

Educational and entertaining. Very fine lunch.

SREEDHAR RAO

Very informative

Vickey Rodriguez

Very informative and fun presentation

Bridget Mccarthy

Very well done authentic feeling experience

s c

Great facility, great museum!

Celeste Foster

Great tour and museum

Roberto Montenegro

Amazing place where the settlers wagon trains passed on the way to Oregon. Building was built on the original stop and the dirt inside the interactive display is the actual dirt saved from the original trail, so you can step on the same ground the settlers walked. Interactive tours available. A must stop to learn about history.

Laura Seekings

Very cool place, very informative

Sylvia Rhynsburger

Very helpful volunteers. Very knowledgeable.

James Coleman

We love to visit historical places. This was exceptional. They actually built the building over the spot where the pioneers camped. Absolutely loved it.

Eric P

Nous avons pu le visiter gratuitement. Centre sur la route de l’Oregon et de Californie qui passait ici. Une salle de tableaux explicatifs. Une exposition d’armes de l’époque. Un chariot des pionniers. Une boutique également et de la documentation. Très instructif sur ce point assez méconnu.

Eric Colburn

Must stop if you're in the area

Glen Sedgwick

It only takes a couple hours to go through great staff wonderful people run that place

Deron Lawrence

great resource

Guilherme Horstmann

lots of fun at the museum !

Michael Scarlett

There are two main sections to the Trail Center--the lower (free) level with interpretive history from the Civil War up to middle of the late 19th Century, with the other pretty being a tour guided by costumed characters. There's a small coffee shop and gift shop. If you collect cancellation stamps from the National Parks, et al, related to the National Parks Passport, you can get a big ink stamp.

Mark Meyer

Very cool

Jane Whitlock

Great gift shop, very friendly. Gallery, picnic area.

Melissa McCubbins

Learned things and loved it!

Grace Pazos

Great and humbling experience

Dave Clark

We really enjoyed the center and we learneda lot -very interesting. It may have been a little over priced - that's why the 4-star rating.

Tammy McLane

So informative! Loved the interactive presentation.

Brian Gardner

Well done! We did the SELF tour which was a good pace. However, it would be MUCH more educational if guided. So much HISTORY in the basement. Not much need for guide there, since VERY WELL labeled.

dmy lgy

We came Oct. 3. Maps program indicated that it was open and nothing indicated it was closed until May until we got to the door. Very disappointing.

Cody Eldridge

Really really awesome!! This museum was totally awesome, full of history, and free to boot! The historical stuff in the basement is unreal and soooo interesting! We loved the old medical equipment, cooking stuff, and the cash register! It was so cool. If passing through Montpellier I highly recommend this stop!

Br Atkins

Free entrance except the living history part.

vanessa horne

Very fun , interesting and can be interactive if you want...staff very friendly , entertaining and helpful!

JOHN REID

Without a doubt, a MUST VISIT when in the area. Very well done and the people there are the absolute BEST!!!

Pam Girtz

Very interesting museum! Recreation of trip on Oregon Trail in 1850 was very good!

George Vogler

Fabulous. Take the guided tour.

Colleen Moore

Worth a stop. Interesting building devoted to an interesting time in history.

Laurence McKeen

Can picnic here

Kevin Curtis

Enjoyed every minute.

Marilynn Bunce

Very Friendly Staff

Todd Binsz

Wonderful museum and the gift shop had great local craft items.

Linda Ludwig

Fun and very informative! Made you really appreciate the difficulties the pioneers experienced.

Neil Beck

Wonderful tour and tour guides. Don't miss it!

Amy Laue

Non-profit organization learn something our history books don't teach you

Randee Hunter

Great experience

barb hamilton

Knowledgeable persons working there. Atmosphere very pleasing, like going back in time. Displays phenomenal!

Kevin Tracy

What a great opportunity to get an interactive experience with history! Learn the hardships facing and experienced by the early pioneers who forged West on the Oregon Trail. The period dressed docents really immersed us in the daily life of those travelers looking for land and opportunity. Definitely want to experience that Studebaker wagon ride to appreciate the hardships they endured.

A Google User

I love this so very much a lot it was very interesting another great experience and I love history

Sheri Ritchie

God is full owner with all his and her baby oxen, completely Commanded and officially declared exact true and hearts paid to GOD, from his forever loving son and daughter JESUS CHRIST

James Liddell

Ml

Marc Boeker

My family all thought this was one of the most enjoyable museums we've been to in a while. As the last stop before heading over the mountains this museum stands over the actual Oregon Trail and campground. They carefully excavated during the building process and then used the actual trail as the floor inside museum. The museum guides are dressed in period clothing as they walk you through the decisions and sacrifices that one had to make as they set out in hopes of free land in west.

Ritu Bansal

Interesting history

Cheryl Monson

Wonderful interactive experience

J Goodier

It was ok..glad it was free because if I had to pay it would have been disappointing.

Richard Abel

Fun and pretty authentic. Gorgeous quilts for sale

Carol White

Loved the museum the people running it were great! Helpful, knowledgeable & friendly!

Thomas Smith

Definitely worth a visit. Coffee bar and gift shop, amazing artwork and quilt exhibit. The official tour has Hollywood quality representations of a general store and a simulated experience of traveling in a wagon across the trail.

David Mooth

Great, concise history of the Oregon Trail. Dave, the trail did an excellent job.

Janis RB

Love the trip back in time.

Jim Obrien

Interesting and informative stop. $12 fee for about 30 minute tour

R.L. TABOR

Outstanding interpretive staff. Very well done!

Timothy Tucak

Authentic trail experience for those learning.

Otis DuPont

That old wagon life was HARD! We discussed the economics, life and death. Amazing.

Daniel & Lynda Pearce

Very friendly and educational atmosphere.

Sreedhar Rao

A very informative museum about the great migration.

Scott Mcune

Friendly staff. Amazing place!

Coleen Berger-Mori

Clean and great ice cream place on grounds

Chad Rappleye

Good education program.

Lanetta Merritt

Best place ever for history... Fun people who work there especially the wagon master Dave.....

Jesse Jenkins

Not quite what I was expecting. Not as much Oregon trail stuff as I was hoping for.

Rachel Mitchell

Great experience for the whole family! The actors are fun and we all learned about being pioneers. The theatre is also a great setting for community events. It's beautiful and comfortable!

Sherri Kolivoski

Interesting program. Friendly staff. Loved the quilt show!

Kevin Varner

Many artifacts

Glenn Compton

Very good representation of a variety of historical artifacts and super docents add to the visitor experience.

Gene Wong

Very interesting exhibit and presentation of times gone by of our ancestors and their travels westward into the new frontier of America

Brandon Squires

Great museum. Wonderful customer service and tour guides!!!

Lisa Miller

Very disappointed in the Old Fashioned Chocolate Shop attached to this museum. I tried to find them but they weren't listed. If anyone know what they are listed under I will willingly switch this review to them. We pulled up several minutes before they closed, as I got my 2 year old out they flipped their sign to closed and slammed their door shut. As we were pulling away They re-opened and turned the sign back around. What very rude people!

Duane Watson

Real experience

Vic Sprenger

Wonderful Museum if you're in the area a must see

Clarence Bennett

Excellent experience and a must see!

Kevin Klipfel

Take the tour, worth it!

Tammy Pelt

Trip down the Oregon trail. A must see and do adventure!

Tania Greenhalgh

This is such a fun, interactive museum! The staff was so friendly, especially the lady in the train part downstairs. It was a little more than we were hoping to pay for admission. I'm still torn about whether it was worth the price. I'd probably do it again someday though.