12 Favorite Museums in the West

“Cody, Wyoming, was founded in 1896 by Buffalo Bill Cody, famous for his Wild West shows, live performances of Western lore that toured the United States and Europe over a century ago. His amazing life story is aptly displayed in the Buffalo Bill Center of the West. The extensive five-in-one museum also showcases the Plains Indians, whose homeland was the setting of the Wild West shows; the natural history of the region; the art of the region; and a firearms collection claimed to be one of the largest in the nation.” —Steve Baker

“Who would expect to find a fine arts museum in the heart of California’s agricultural Central Valley? The Haggin Museum in Stockton was apparently no surprise to Ronald Reagan, who borrowed Albert Bierstadt’s Looking up the Yosemite Valley from there to display inside the White House during his first term as president.” —Debra Hyman

“In Missoula, Montana, the National Museum of Forest Service History recently opened a new building: the National Conservation Legacy Center. Families and conservation enthusiasts will enjoy its immersive exhibits—like the 20-by-60 foot digital screen showing stunning images of our national forests—as well as an oversized lookout on the top level. The building itself is an exhibit, a gorgeous mass timber structure with treelike columns that make it seem like you’re walking through a forest.” —Tommy Petersen

“My favorite will always be the Charles M. Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa, California. Large, colorful statues of the familiar characters from Schulz’s Peanuts comic strip welcome you to the property. Inside, you can spend a long time perusing thousands of comic strips. They always bring me back to the 1960s and ’70s, when I would read the daily wisdom of Snoopy, Charlie Brown, Lucy, and Linus.” —Laurie Barna

“The Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix is an amazing place displaying musical instruments and history from all over the world. You are given headphones to hear the sounds as you walk past each display. Every genre is represented, and many of the instruments were played by top artists. There is a beautiful courtyard where live performances are occasionally held, as well as an indoor theater. You will see and hear musical instruments that you never even knew existed.” —Beverly Robbins

“Utah’s pioneers came some 2,000 miles across the plains, walking, by wagon, or by handcart, between 1847 and 1869. Many of the items at the Pioneer Memorial Museum in Salt Lake City came with them: furniture, quilts, toys, blacksmith items. The exhibit cases are filled with interesting artifacts that make one appreciate the hardship and struggles that the pioneers endured.” —Kandi Uffer

“The Mob Museum in Las Vegas is the only one of its kind in the United States. There are many unique exhibits. The Prohibition-era section includes the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre with bullets, autopsy reports, and the Tommy gun used in the crime. The courtroom area recreates the site of the 1950s Kefauver hearings, where many mob crimes were tried on TV. The Tough Little Town exhibit has a lot of Las Vegas history. Actually, the whole building is an exhibit in itself: It was a post office in the 1930s—the basement is now a speakeasy—and a federal courthouse. It’s a great break from the casinos.” —Carolyn Weaver

“Located in an old school building, in a small historic town away from the big cities, the Arizona Copper Art Museum in Clarkdale is so unexpected. The amount of copper art is amazing and beautiful! Pieces range from a Statue of Liberty replica to copper ceilings to a kitchen full of copper kitchenware. Plus, there are military, musical, and medical devices—too many objects to mention. It connects Arizona to its mining history, which continues today.” —Cinda Molitoris

“Founded in 1883, the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History in Pacific Grove, California, is one of the oldest natural history museums in the United States. The displays of rocks and shells are amazing and will delight collectors. There are very old collections of mounted insects and preserved birds and mammals of the area. People had different ideas about collecting back then—but these items were not discarded. Instead, they present a thought-provoking contrast to the presentations on current ecological challenges we face.” —Ellen Jahn

“Once a year, I go to the Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson. It’s one of the largest aviation museums in the world, with a huge outside area filled with aircraft and several hangars. During the summer, you can view part of the outside displays, duck into a cool hangar and enjoy the indoor displays, then hit another section of the outside displays. The Tucson Military Vehicle Museum opened next door last year.” —Don Richey

“When I tell people about the Blackhawk Museum in Danville, California, I usually get the comment, ‘Oh, the car place?’ It’s so much more, as over the years many wonderful additions have been made. Permanent exhibits include The Spirit of the Old West, Art of Africa, Into China, and World of Nature. In addition, it hosts rotating exhibits with themes such as American jukeboxes and antique gas pumps. And, yes, the car collection is still there, too!” —Judith Scott