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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.

Updated June 2026 · 7 confirmed programs · 2 call-to-confirm

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 $6.50 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.

Confirmed homeschool pricing

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

Recurring
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 →
Recurring
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 →
Recurring
Tue–Fri
Field trips 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 →
Recurring
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 →
Recurring
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 adds $6.50 per student (chemistry, crash, or fire science) with a $100 minimum. Teachers, parents, and volunteers are free, up to 60 students, Tuesday–Friday. Needs-based scholarships available.
Homeschool page at umt.edu →
Recurring
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: $4 adults / $2 students (general gate) — free guided field trips against the $4/$2 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 →
Recurring
Tue–Sun
Group programs 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 →

Worth calling about

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

When
School & homeschool groups
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 →
When
School & homeschool 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 →

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$4 adults / $2 students / Free under 6 / $10 family max
See all Missoula attractions →

Billings

6 free or cheap
  • Pictograph Cave State Park$6 per vehicle
  • Western Heritage CenterFree (suggested donation)
  • Yellowstone Art MuseumAdults $8, free under 18
  • 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 →

See all 70 Montana attractions on the directory →