ROCK-IT SCIENCE
Help create a geyser, see a famous fossil stash and learn about dinosaurs at Bozeman's Museum of the Rockies, a Smithsonian Affliate. The T. rex skeleton and planetarium shows are crowd-pleasers for both the young and the young-at-heart.
TAKE A (KID-FRIENDLY) HIKE
Trek just a half-mile to see impressive Palisade Falls south of Bozeman. See wildflowers (and a few salamanders) at Grotto Falls, reached via an easy 1.3-mile path. At Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park, you can slide down a natural tunnel.
SOAK IT UP
Take a swim in hot pools heated by Mother Nature. Popular dips include Bozeman Hot Springs, Norris Hot Springs, or Chico Hot Springs Resort and Day Spa.
FLY IN BIG SKY
Check out these three ways to fly high in Big Sky:
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At Big Sky Resort Zipline Tours, cruise up a chairlift and soak in views of Lone Mountain and Spanish Peak, then zoom down four speedy zips.
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Take a Lone Peak Tram to the top of Big Sky Resort, the state's highest scenic overlook.
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Learn to ski at Big Sky, where 300 runs - several of them suited to beginners - cut through more than 5,800 skiable acres. Lessons and rentals are available.
FIND A NEW PLAYGROUND IN WEST YELLOWSTONE
Start with a tour wildlife watching at the park, then dine cowboy-style at a Western cookout. Horseback riding? We have that, too. Catch trout at Hebgen Lake, or fly fish a famous stream. Zipline at Yellowstone Aerial Adventures, or check out the locals at the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center. View classics at the Rod Run Car Show. And there's splenty to do in winter, too, including cross-country skiing (50-plus kilometers of groomed trails), snowmobiling, the Snowmobile Expo and Races, and the Yellowstone Ski Festival. Plus, kids can try a new winter activity at Kids'N'Snow, a one-weekend-a-month event for families from December to March.
