Free & Cheap Things to Do in Pocatello

Museums

Don Aslett's 75,000-square-foot monument to everything spotless is one of America's great quirky museums: the world's first vacuum, a six-story collection of cleaning history, art made of trash, and a three-story Kids Clean World playground. Equal parts history lesson, STEAM field trip, and gleeful eccentricity.

Address: 711 S 2nd Ave, Pocatello, ID 83201

Tip: Plan more time than you think — guided tours with the staff (sometimes Don's family) unlock the best stories. Closed Sunday and Monday; the gift shop's cleaning-themed souvenirs are genuinely funny.

Museums

Idaho's official natural history museum, on the Idaho State University campus, holds half a million specimens — headlined by Ice Age megafauna and the bizarre buzzsaw-jawed Helicoprion shark, a Pocatello-area fossil celebrity. A hands-on Discovery Room keeps younger kids busy while the galleries rotate.

Address: 698 E Dillon St, Pocatello, ID 83201

Tip: ASTC Passport members get in free, and the museum runs $4-per-person Homeschool Days each semester. Pair it with a free walk around the ISU campus quad; parking is easiest on weekends.

Parks & Nature

A zoo with a thesis: only animals native to the Intermountain West, from grizzlies and bison to elk, pronghorn, and birds of prey, most of them non-releasable rescues. Spread across 25 hilly acres in Upper Ross Park with natural sagebrush-steppe enclosures rather than concrete exhibits.

Address: 3101 Ave of the Chiefs, Pocatello, ID 83204

Tip: Seasonal — daily May through early September, weekends-only in April and the fall. Watch the events calendar for the annual free day in late May and discounted-admission family days through summer.

History

A full-scale recreation of the 1834 Snake River trading post that anchored the Oregon Trail through southeast Idaho, rebuilt log-by-log in Upper Ross Park. Costumed rooms cover trappers, Shoshone-Bannock life, and pioneer wagons, with a blacksmith shop and frontier main street kids can wander freely.

Address: 3002 Alvord Loop, Pocatello, ID 83204

Tip: Summer only — Memorial Day to Labor Day, Tuesday through Saturday 10am–4pm. An easy budget double-bill with Zoo Idaho next door; most visits run about an hour, perfect for Oregon Trail-obsessed kids.

Parks & Nature

Pocatello's signature park spreads across two levels divided by basalt lava cliffs — a free playground of climbing walls, picnic shelters, a skate park, sand volleyball, and the Pleasureland play area, with the zoo, Fort Hall Replica, and a summer aquatic complex stacked on the upper level.

Address: 2612 S 2nd Ave, Pocatello, ID 83204

Tip: The lava cliffs between the park levels are a legit local climbing spot — watch climbers or scramble the easy routes. Summer band-shell concerts are free; the aquatic complex charges separate admission.

Town & Shops

The historic rail-era downtown packs indie shops, restaurants, and bars into century-old brick buildings between the Union Pacific tracks and the Portneuf River. Self-guided historical tours cover the 1915 high school, the grand Union Pacific Depot, and a dozen other landmark buildings.

Address: Main St & Center St, Pocatello, ID 83204

Tip: Download the historical building guide from the Old Town site and do the loop on foot — under an hour. First Fridays bring gallery walks and live music; the Saturday farmers market runs May through October.

Parks & Nature

More than 18 miles of paved foundation-built trail link Pocatello's riverfront parks, the Idaho State University campus, and the neighboring city of Chubbuck along the Portneuf River. Flat, free, and stroller-friendly, with trailhead maps making it easy to bite off short sections.

Address: Centennial Park, Pocatello, ID 83201

Tip: The riverside stretch near Centennial Park is the prettiest starter segment. Print or screenshot the section maps from the trails page first — wayfinding signs are improving but still patchy between segments.

Parks & Nature

A shaded, fully paved two-mile nature trail through a 54-acre Forest Service preserve in the Mink Creek drainage south of town. Over 100 bird species have been recorded along the creek, and the wide, accessible path suits wheelchairs, strollers, and short little legs alike.

Address: 1470 S Mink Creek Rd, Pocatello, ID 83204

Tip: Ten minutes from downtown up the Bannock Highway — go early morning for birdsong and shade. Creekside picnic tables make it an easy half-day with kids; dogs are welcome on leash.