museum
Montana Heritage Center events – Helena, MT
The Montana Heritage Center is the Montana Historical Society's expanded museum on North Roberts Street, across from the State Capitol, which opened to the public December 3, 2025.
225 N Roberts St, Helena, MT 59601 · Official site
Upcoming at Montana Heritage Center
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About Montana Heritage Center
The Montana Heritage Center is the Montana Historical Society's museum campus on North Roberts Street, across from the State Capitol. It replaces and greatly expands what was long known informally as Montana's Museum: a $107 million, five-year construction project combined a new 70,000-square-foot Betty Babcock Building with a renovated, roughly 95,000-square-foot Veterans and Pioneers Memorial Building, for 165,000 square feet total. It houses the Homeland Gallery (Montana history from the Ice Age forward, with Indigenous artifacts, a covered wagon and a mineshaft simulation), the Charles M. Russell Gallery, and a rotating-exhibit gallery, plus a library and archives research center, café, gift shop and event space.
The Heritage Center opened to the public with regular hours on December 3, 2025, and celebrated its full opening with a Montana History Festival June 24-28, 2026. Hours are Monday-Wednesday and Friday 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Thursday 9 a.m.-6:30 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday noon-5 p.m.; closed Thanksgiving and Christmas. Admission is free for all visitors. It's across the street from the Capitol at 225 N. Roberts St., with nearby street and lot parking, and is wheelchair accessible.
What happens here
- Permanent Montana history exhibits in the Homeland Gallery, spanning the Ice Age to the present
- The Charles M. Russell Gallery, showing an extensive collection of the cowboy artist's paintings, many previously in storage
- Rotating temporary exhibits (about 10% of the collection is displayed at any given time)
- Free guided and self-guided tours
- The Montana History Festival, a multi-day event with tours, workshops, live music and an Indigenous artisan market that marked the center's full 2026 opening
Good to know
- Admission is free for everyone; no ticket or reservation is required for general visits.
- It's directly across the street from the State Capitol, so the two make an easy pairing for one visit.
- Only about 10% of the collection is on display at a time; ask staff about current rotating exhibits before visiting for a specific piece.
Montana Heritage Center FAQ
- is the Montana Heritage Center open now
- Yes. It opened to the public with regular hours on December 3, 2025, after a five-year, $107 million construction and renovation project, and celebrated its full public opening with a five-day history festival in June 2026.
- how much does it cost to visit the Montana Heritage Center
- Admission is free for all visitors.
- does the Montana Heritage Center have Charlie Russell paintings
- Yes. The Charles M. Russell Gallery displays an extensive collection of the artist's western paintings, including many that were previously kept in storage and are now on permanent public display.