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Homeschool Discounts in Montana

Big-ticket Montana museums and attractions with homeschool discount days — typically 30–50% off for kids, sometimes free.

✓ Programs verified September 2026 · 8 confirmed programs · 4 call-to-confirm · 13 museums free

Montana's strongest homeschool deal is also one of its biggest attractions: Bozeman's Museum of the Rockies — home to the country's largest collection of T. rex specimens — admits homeschool families free on the second Monday of each month and runs free homeschool group field trips all school year. Billings' ZooMontana drops to $5 a person for homeschool groups, Helena's ExplorationWorks runs $5 hands-on science field trips, and the brand-new Montana Heritage Center gives free guided gallery tours to homeschool and school groups.

The deals keep going across the state. Missoula's spectrUM Discovery Area offers free self-guided science field trips (or a $175 class lab), the Historical Museum at Fort Missoula guides student groups through its grounds for free, and Great Falls' Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center admits kids under 16 free with Every Kid in a Park passes. Butte's World Museum of Mining and Great Falls' C.M. Russell Museum round things out with K–12 field-trip programs you book by phone. Up in the Flathead Valley, Kalispell's Conrad Mansion runs its educational history tours free for students and teachers through 2027, and the Glacier Art Museum and Montana Wild Wings Recovery Center both take school groups by arrangement.

Your Montana homeschool toolkit

Local resources worth bookmarking
Start here

Montana homeschool laws

Notice, recordkeeping & assessment rules — straight from the source.

Read Montana's requirements →

Check your local library

Free museum passes, classes, makerspaces & interlibrary loan — the cheapest field trips there are. Ask what they offer homeschoolers.

Find Montana libraries →

Always ask about homeschool rates

Many venues give 30–50% off (sometimes free) and never advertise it. Call ahead and ask for a homeschool, education, or co-op rate before you pay.

State parks & history

Free and cheap educational programming statewide — nature centers, historic sites, junior-ranger days.

State parks → · Montana history →

Free Montana homeschool printables

Print, pin & take along — no email needed

Free PDF worksheets to bring on any Montana field trip. Print as many copies as you like.

My Montana Study

A one-page state study your child fills in — capital, state symbols, flag, and a place to visit.

Download PDF →

Field trip scavenger hunt

A find-it checklist that works at any museum, park, or downtown outing. Reusable every trip.

Download PDF →

Nature journal

A draw-and-observe page for park, trail, and garden days — senses, sketches, and a leaf rubbing.

Download PDF →

Landmarks I want to see in Montana

A checklist to fill in — the parks and famous places in Montana you want to visit, with a box to tick off each one.

Download PDF →

See all our free printables →

Confirmed homeschool pricing

Published price on the venue's own homeschool page — most under $20 per child.

Offers
Homeschool Days
2nd Mondays · + weekday group field trips
Free
per kid

Museum of the Rockies

Bozeman · All ages · Register for Homeschool Mondays or pre-book a field trip 2 weeks ahead

One of the world's great dinosaur museums — the Siebel Dinosaur Complex holds the largest collection of T. rex specimens anywhere — plus a planetarium, Montana history, and Indigenous culture galleries. A Smithsonian Affiliate on the Montana State campus, it's the flagship homeschool stop in the state.

Regular admission: $20 adults / $14 ages 5-17 (gate) — free for homeschool families against a $20 gate
Note: Free Homeschool Mondays (the second Monday of each month during the school year) admit a homeschool family plus one chaperone free; additional adults pay regular admission. Free homeschool group field trips also run Monday–Friday by request — book two weeks ahead, one caregiver per family free, 10+ children for special programs.
Homeschool page at museumoftherockies.org →
Offers
Field Trips
Weekdays · By reservation
$5
per kid

ZooMontana

Billings · All ages · Groups of 10+; register through the education department

Montana's only zoo, a 70-acre botanical and wildlife park with grizzly bears, gray wolves, an Amur tiger, and a red panda. Homeschool groups book the same discounted school-group rate, and the zoo's educators run animal encounters and themed programs to match.

Regular admission: $15 adults / $12 ages 3-15 (gate) — $5 per person homeschool group rate versus the $15 gate
Note: Homeschool families or groups of 10 or more get the school-group rate of $5 per person with advance registration — homeschools are named on the zoo's own page. Can't make it in? ZooTrunk rentals bring biofacts and a curriculum guide to your group.
Homeschool page at zoomontana.org →
Offers
Field Trips
Tue–Fri · by reservation
$5
per kid

ExplorationWorks

Helena · All ages · Minimum 10 students; book 2 weeks ahead

Helena's hands-on science center pairs a floor of interactive exhibits with educator-led lab experiences aligned to Next Generation Science Standards. A homeschool co-op of ten clears the minimum, and a Teacher Resource Center lends 40-plus science kits to extend the visit.

Regular admission: $12 ages 2+ (gate) — $5 per student field-trip rate, chaperones free
Note: Tour Experience field trips are $5 per student; the educator-led Laboratory Experience (chemistry, crash, or fire science) is $10 per student. Minimum 10 students, one free adult per five children, and homeschool groups are explicitly welcomed. Book at least two weeks ahead.
Homeschool page at explorationworks.org →
Offers
Field Trips
Weekdays · By reservation
Free
per kid

Montana Heritage Center & State Capitol

Helena · All ages · Schedule at least 2 weeks ahead

The Montana Historical Society's brand-new Heritage Center (opened 2026) anchors a free field-trip circuit through Helena: 45-minute guided tours of the Homeland and Charlie Russell galleries, a civics-focused tour of the State Capitol, and the Queen Anne Original Governor's Mansion.

Regular admission: Free — free guided gallery and Capitol tours for homeschool groups
Note: Field trips to the new Museum at the Montana Heritage Center, the Montana State Capitol, and the Original Governor's Mansion are free for school and homeschool groups; book two weeks ahead. History and Civics travel grants help groups coming from 50+ miles away. (The Governor's Mansion reopens after construction in July 2026.)
Homeschool page at mhs.mt.gov →
Offers
Field Trips
Tue–Fri · By reservation
Free
per kid

spectrUM Discovery Area

Missoula · All ages · Book 2 weeks ahead; up to 60 students

The University of Montana's hands-on science center, on the second floor of the Missoula Public Library, with exhibits on neuroscience, motion, river dynamics, and health science that change every six months. A free self-guided visit covers state science standards just by walking through.

Regular admission: Free self-guided field trips — free museum-exploration field trips at the university's science center
Note: Museum Exploration field trips are free (self-guided); the educator-led Science Lab (chemistry, crash, or fire science) is $175 per class of up to 24 kids. Teachers, parents, and volunteers are free, up to 60 students, Tuesday–Friday. Needs-based scholarships available.
Homeschool page at umt.edu →
Offers
Field Trips
By reservation · School year
Free
per kid

Historical Museum at Fort Missoula

Missoula · All grade levels · Reserve via the field-trip request form

A 32-acre open-air museum on a historic military post, with original buildings and hands-on history stations spanning the homestead era to the present. Costumed-style activity rotations make it an easy single-day field trip for a homeschool group of any age.

Regular admission: $5 adults / $3 students (general gate) — free guided field trips against the $5/$3 gate
Note: Educational group tours are free of charge by reservation, with students rotating through hands-on activity stations (35–45 minutes each) across the historic fort. The museum's programming explicitly includes homeschool activities. Reserve through the field-trip form.
Homeschool page at fortmissoulamuseum.org →
Offers
Field Trips
Tue–Sun · by reservation
Free
per kid

Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center

Great Falls · All ages · Call (406) 727-8733 to reserve a group program

The USFS center above the Missouri tells the Corps of Discovery's grueling 18-mile portage around the Great Falls through two floors of exhibits, a 158-seat theater, an education room, and living-history programs. Kids' free admission makes a homeschool visit nearly cost-free.

Regular admission: $8 adults / Free under 16 — kids under 16 free; $6 adult group rate
Note: Children under 16 are admitted free, and groups of 20+ pay just $6 per adult with the leader and bus driver free. School and homeschool groups can earn Every Kid in a Park passes — free federal-land entry — by completing an education program. (Exhibits close October 2026–March 2027 for upgrades.)
Homeschool page at lewisandclarkfoundation.org →
Offers
Field Trips
Mid-Jan to mid-June · By reservation
Free
per kid

Conrad Mansion Museum

Kalispell · K-12 · 10-22 children, max 2 chaperones, book 14 days ahead

Charles Conrad's 26-room 1895 mansion is Kalispell's founding story in a single building - original family furnishings, stained glass, and a Victorian nursery, with docents who connect the Conrads to Fort Benton steamboats and the Great Northern Railway. The grant makes it one of the few genuinely free history field trips in northwest Montana.

Regular admission: $20 adults / $5 youth 5-17 (self-guided gate) — free for students and teachers against a $20 and $5 gate
Note: A Flathead Electric Cooperative Community Education Grant covers the museum's educational history tours for all students and teachers on a scheduled field trip through 2027, so the visit costs the group nothing against a $20 adult / $5 youth gate. Groups run 10 to 22 children, kindergarten through 12th grade, with a maximum of two adult chaperones, and must be booked 14 days ahead by phone. Field trips are scheduled between mid-January and mid-June only.
Homeschool page at conradmansion.com →

When everything’s free

Big-ticket museums with a recurring free-admission day — open to everyone, no homeschool sign-up needed.

Year-round
13 museums
FREE
Admission days
Free-for-all guide

Free museum days across Montana

Helena · Billings · Missoula · Great Falls · Butte

No group minimums and no booking forms — just show up on the right day. From free weeknights and weekend days to resident-free museums, these are the recurring free-admission days at Montana’s major museums, each verified on the museum’s own site.

Why it’s here: the cheapest field trip there is — no per-kid ticket and no reservation.
See all Montana free museum days →

Worth calling about

These venues run homeschool programs but don't publish pricing online. Call before you go.

Offers
Group Visits
Call
no public price

World Museum of Mining

Butte

A 50-acre museum on the actual Orphan Girl mine yard, with the recreated 1890s boomtown of Hell Roarin' Gulch and an underground tour that descends 100 feet past an exposed ore vein. A vivid single-day study of Butte's copper-mining history for school and homeschool groups.

Regular admission: $12 adults / Orphan Girl underground tour $30 extra
How to reach them: School and homeschool field trips are arranged by the museum office — call (406) 723-7211 or email buttewmm@gmail.com. Options include self-guided visits, a guided mine-yard tour, the underground Orphan Girl mine tour, a free scavenger hunt, and a Junior Miner program.
Homeschool page at miningmuseum.org →
Offers
Field Trips
Call
no public price

C.M. Russell Museum

Great Falls

The world's premier collection devoted to cowboy artist Charlie Russell, including his original log-cabin studio and home. Field-trip groups explore Western art, Plains Indian artifacts, and Montana wildlife, and the museum runs youth art and history programs throughout the year.

Regular admission: $20 adults / $7 students
How to reach them: The museum welcomes school and homeschool field trips for grades K–12 year-round. Students pay the $7 student rate, or $17 for a scheduled guided tour group (book two weeks ahead). Contact education@cmrussell.org to arrange a visit.
Homeschool page at cmrussell.org →
Offers
Field Trips
Call
no public price

Glacier Art Museum

Kalispell

Kalispell's art museum, in the 1903 Carnegie library building, runs docent-led tours built for school and youth groups: a 45-minute highlights tour of the current exhibition, an Art & Artists of Montana tour for ages 7 and up, an elements-of-art tour, and a 30-minute museum introduction for preschool through first grade.

Regular admission: $8 adults / Free under 18
How to reach them: Children under 18 always get in free and most docent-led tours are free with admission, but the student group rate for schools without an education membership is not published. Email education@glacierartmuseum.org or call (406) 755-5268 at least two weeks ahead.
Homeschool page at glacierartmuseum.org →
Offers
Field Trips
Call
no public price

Montana Wild Wings Recovery Center

Kalispell

A raptor rehabilitation center in the hills above Kalispell that keeps non-releasable eagles, hawks, owls, and falcons as education birds. It opens to the public by appointment only, so a visit is effectively a private tour, and staff will build the program around whatever the group is studying. The bird buildings are not wheelchair accessible.

Regular admission: $10 adults / $5 children 12 & under (public tour)
How to reach them: The center says it can accommodate home-schooled groups at its facility and shapes programs around the students' ages and the species they want to meet, but the school-group rate is not published. Public facility tours, by appointment, run $10 adults and $5 for children 12 and under. Call (406) 250-1070 or email wildwingsrecovery@yahoo.com.
Homeschool page at wildwingsrecovery.org →

Gear up for your field trip

A few inexpensive things that turn a museum or nature day into a richer lesson — favorites from homeschooling families.

Kids' field journal
Sketch and note what they see at each stop
Shop on Amazon →
Compact binoculars for kids
Zoos, nature centers, living-history farms
Shop on Amazon →
Bug viewer & magnifier
Turn any nature trail into a science lesson
Shop on Amazon →
Kids' sketchbook
Art-museum and outdoor sketching days
Shop on Amazon →
Scavenger hunt cards
Keep little ones engaged on long visits
Shop on Amazon →
Junior ranger activity book
Pairs with park and museum trips
Shop on Amazon →

Homeschool resources we love

Homeschool curriculum Science experiment kits Kids' art supplies Educational workbooks

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Plus more free and cheap educational outings in Montana

Already on DiscoverCheapUS — free and low-cost Montana attractions homeschool families plan whole field-trip days around.

Missoula

4 free or cheap
  • Missoula Art MuseumFree
  • Missoula Smokejumper Visitor CenterFree / donations accepted
  • A Carousel for Missoula$2 adults / $1 children 11 & under / Free for riders with disabilities
  • Historical Museum at Fort Missoula$5 adults / $3 students / Free under 6 / $15 family max
See all Missoula attractions →

Billings

6 free or cheap
  • Pictograph Cave State Park$8 per vehicle (nonresident) / Free for Montana vehicles
  • Western Heritage CenterFree (suggested donation)
  • Yellowstone Art MuseumAdults $8, free 18 & under
  • Moss Mansion Historic House MuseumAdults $15, ages 6-18 $10
  • Yellowstone County MuseumFree
  • ZooMontanaAdults $15, ages 3-15 $12
See all Billings attractions →

Bozeman

4 free or cheap
  • Museum of the RockiesAdults $20, ages 5-17 $14, under 5 free
  • Gallatin History MuseumAdults $10, ages 6-17 $5
  • American Computer & Robotics MuseumAdults $10, ages 10-17 $5, under 10 free
  • Montana Shakespeare in the ParksFree
See all Bozeman attractions →

Helena

7 free or cheap
  • Montana State CapitolFree
  • Cathedral of St. HelenaFree
  • Reeder's AlleyFree
  • Holter Museum of Art$10 adults 18-69 / Free under 18 / Free Fridays
  • Archie Bray FoundationFree
  • Montana Heritage CenterFree
  • ExplorationWorks$12 ages 2+ / Free under 2 / $5 with EBT-WIC
See all Helena attractions →

Great Falls

6 free or cheap
  • Giant Springs State Park$8 per vehicle (nonresident) / Free for Montana vehicles
  • C.M. Russell Museum$20 adults / $7 students / Free under 6
  • Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center$8 adults / Free under 16
  • Paris Gibson Square Museum of ArtFree
  • The History MuseumFree (donations welcome)
  • First Peoples Buffalo Jump State Park$8 per vehicle (nonresident) / Free for Montana vehicles
See all Great Falls attractions →

Butte

8 free or cheap
  • World Museum of Mining$12 adults (good 2 days) / Orphan Girl underground tour $30 extra
  • Montana Tech Mineral MuseumFree (donations welcome)
  • Berkeley Pit Viewing StandSmall admission fee (~$2)
  • Granite Mountain Memorial OverlookFree
  • Uptown Butte Historic DistrictFree
  • Copper King Mansion$22 adults / $10 children 5-15
  • Mai Wah Museum$8 adults / $5 children & students
  • Clark Chateau Museum & Gallery$7 self-guided / $10 guided
See all Butte attractions →

Kalispell

5 free or cheap
  • Conrad Mansion Museum$20 adults / $5 youth 5-17 / Free grounds
  • Northwest Montana History Museum$9 adults / Free under 18
  • Glacier Art Museum (the Hockaday)$8 adults / Free under 18
  • Lone Pine State Park$8 per vehicle (nonresident) / Free for Montana vehicles
  • Historic Downtown Kalispell Walking TourFree
See all Kalispell attractions →

Whitefish

2 free or cheap
  • Glacier National Park: Apgar & Lake McDonald$35 per vehicle (7 days) / $20 on foot or bike
  • The Whitefish MuseumFree
See all Whitefish attractions →

See all 96 Montana attractions on the directory →