The hubs and I stopped in as a bit of a pit stop on our way towards Yellowstone. We love a good museum and this did not disappoint. Small enough to wrap your hands around but packed with really good information. There is also an interactive "river crossing" where you are in a wagon and it moves a bit to simulate crossing a river. Really unique and i appreciated the experience. The employees were also exceedingly friendly and went out of their way to engage with us, teach us what they found interesting and gave a nice restaurant recommendation to boot. Definitely add this to a trip to Casper. read more

If you are passing through Capser, the museum of the trails is a FREE must do stop. Firstly, the views from the parking lot and entrance are spectacular of Casper and the Casper MT. Secondly, its free! Clean rest rooms and lots of historic information about Casper and the local areas. The staff are very helpful and knowledgeable about all the local history. You'll learn about the migrants on the Oregon Trail, (yes the video game is based on a true story) Farmers going to Oregon, Gold miners going to Sacramento and San Fran, (the original 49ers) and the Mormoms going through to SLC. There are interesting exhibits, videos and a large auditorium show of life on the trail, which is really rather informative. The museum covers trails before the migrants, settlers moving across US and the progress of the Pony Express, Telegraph and Railroads. The museum has a few neat simulators for kids such as riding a prairie cart through the river. Sitting in a Wells Fargo stage coach and even experience how it was to pull a 150lb hand cart through the 1000 miles of wilderness. Definitely worth your time, can be done in 1 hour, most likely take 2. read more

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Can I leave 0 stars??! We never did get there....gps took us all around, not to mention a purely industrial area!!! We got to the events center, maybe a wedding venue, eventually a gas station. We are seasoned travelers and have been all over this beautiful country, and this is one of the most poorly marked/designed entrances ever!!! Maybe it's designed for school buses and field trips. Definitely not for the occasional tourist getting off the interstate for a break!!! read more

It's the weekend and we had nothing to do so we went sightseeing before coming to the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center. The view from the building was gorgeous just as gorgeous as looking down from Casper Mountain. This is definitely a great place to visit and learn about the trails that converged here in central Wyoming. Lots of interactive exhibits. The staff is super friendly and love talking about the trails. Oh by the way it's free they do accept donations however. read more

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Great presentation with interactions. I watched the whole two movies, including Battles Along the Bozeman Trail. Eye-opening! I also rode the wagon crossing the river (attraction) that was quite real. Fun for all in different generations. It was an extra trip for me to drive for hours, but it was sure worth visiting here. read more

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This place is great! It's really interesting and the staff are friendly and helpful. I enjoyed learning about the various trails people took on their way out West. The exhibitions are engaging, interesting, well done, and maintained. My favorite object was the stone grave marker of a woman from Nashville (where we were from). Outside of the center there's a nice overlook which provides a good view of the city. read more

National Historic Trails Interpretive Center - Grave - Museums Near Me - Casper, Wyoming

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What a fantastic place to visit! We had an enjoyable experience. Staff was great and warm and the exhibits are top notch and very informative. This should be a must go to if you're from, living in, visiting, stopping through Casper. The outside views are absolutely stunning, especially at sunset. This place is truly a gem. Don't make the mistake of not coming here. Make it a priority that you do!! read more

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My kids love coming here. The interactive learning is great and they loved the presentation out front by the live actors.

Very nice museum! Free entrance. We came early this morning to visit (8.30am), we were the only one in the museum (+rangers). The exhibit is very well done, the theater show last 15min (must to do). Stop by if you have time! We are from France, and we learned a lot about the American first pioneers (Oregon trail, Mormon Trail to Salt Lake City, California Trail for gold, and the Pony Express). Fascinating! The visit took us 1hour. read more

National Historic Trails Interpretive Center - Museums Near Me - Casper, Wyoming

Fun place. Cool history nerd kinda stuff going on. Beware of swarms of unmasked little kids roaming around coughing on everything. read more

This place is awesome. It sits up on a bluff overlooking Casper. Views are impressive. The kiosks and displays are first rate. Lots of information about the Oregon, California, Mormon and Pony Express Trails. The Handcart Experience wasn't working, but the displays were terrific. Was really impressed with the small library of resource materials they have. Great gift shop/book store. The staff were really friendly and knowledgeable. Bathrooms were spotless. Would definitely come back. read more

Informational . Has loads of things to listen to and read. Was wheelchair accessible for the most part. Definitely one of my favorite museums in casper wyoming. read more

Ended up spending about an hour here, both inside and out. Entrance is FREE, but donations are accepted. Very nice displays featuring the California Gold Rush, Pony Express, Mormon Trail and other historical events throughout Wyoming. read more

Such an interesting, interactive place. We enjoyed all the exhibits, the wagon ride was especially fun. I liked that they had exhibits for kids to actually touch. The "show" was really cool and informative. The staff were nice and helpful. The best part, it's FREE. Highly recommend. read more

What a great experience. There are interactive activities, short movies and displays. I highly recommend it.

Make the stop. Was very well done; informative and interactive. Our entire family; 6 to 21 yr old was glad we included it in our visit thru Casper. We spent about 90 minutes there. It was free, but make sure to consider leaving a donation to help preserve for the next family to enjoy too... read more

Very informative with a twenty minute movie and several interactive activities to help feel and see things through pioneers and settlers perspectives. I practically had to drag my 10 and 12 year old kids here, but they ended up really enjoying it and learning a lot. It took us about an hour to go all the way around inside the center, and a few minutes to take in the amazing views of Casper outside. read more

A very well laid out historical museum with very good movies and interactive displays. Great for kids and adults alike.

I expected a decent museum tour, but was surprised to find an outstanding arrangement of exhibits detailing the various migration corridors in the Casper area. We were fortunate enough to speak to a museum volunteer whose ancestors were part of the Mormon hand cart companies. We really enjoyed talking to him. The hand cart and wagon simulators are fun, too. This is a great stop for anyone in Casper. read more

Stumbled upon this gem of a place while driving to Cheyenne, Wyoming from ND. Decided to stop for a few minutes but ended up spending a couple of hours learning about the trails that crossed this area. All the various migratory trails ( Oregon, Mormon, California and pony express) were well explained. I came out with a great appreciation and understanding of when and where each of the trials started, intersected and ended finally. Displaying newspaper clippings, journal entries and ads for the journeys added a nice touch-you could feel the excitement of the people embarking on a new beginning with hope and possibilities. Exhibits are detailed and presented in a non-overwhelming way. You can tell that the staff care about this place and happy to answer any questions. Entrance is free but please consider donating. read more

Great museum. Very informative and educational. My son enjoyed the wagon ride simulation. read more

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What a wonderful surprise! Like so many others we stopped here with low expectations/intending to spend half an hour or so ... and we were so fascinated we spent a whole afternoon. The exhibits are first class and the staff is very friendly and accommodating. Don't miss the official film, shown on five integrated screens over a large diorama display that lights up as different aspects of the history are discussed. And be sure to get a staff member to assistant you with the "river crossing" which is a little corny but still cool. If you have a National Parks passport you can get several trail stamps here and there is also an explorer program for Junior Rangers. We will be recommending this to all of our traveling friends! read more

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Worth a stop. Did not realize the Mormons travelling to Utah went through Wyoming. The Platte River at what is today Casper was an important and dangerous crossing. A lot on the covered wagons, in the 1840-1860 period, before the transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869. For a country that cannot balance its federal budget, I wondered at the evidently lavish funds spent to build, equip, and maintain this Center. There is a covered wagon; you look through the wagon to a screen which displays modern video of the crossing of the Platte. Motors were mounted at the corners of the "wagon" to shake it! Our taxes paid for this. Actually our taxes paid for part; the rest, like other federal expenditures, was borrowed. read more

Great museum! Very manageable size/time stop on a road trip. Great exhibits with plenty of hands on stuff. Allot 30 to 60 minutes. They take the national all-parks pass. Friendly staff. This is really a must see deal. It really puts the Casper location into perspective about why its here and what the area means in the overall scheme of westward migration read more

The historic center was great! They helped with my 90 year old gram while she talked their leg off as she grew up south of here in Douglas. She loved the short movies and stagecoach ride the best. By the time we were done, she had bought half the books in the bookstore and read them out loud to all of us all the way home. read more

I really thought this was going to be a 15 minute, maybe half hour tops type of stop, a literal drive by if I needed to stop for moment to stretch my legs. NOPE!! I spent a good three hours here. This interpretive center was very educational and well put together. There was gallery for each trail that went over the goals and struggles of each of the trails. There were also a few interactive pieces that helped drill in the life of these pioneers. You could ride in a stage coach, or pretend you're crossing the river in a wagon, or try to pull a load of supplies and see how you would have stacked up against the settlers years ago. If you need a one stop show to brush up on your American frontier history, this is by far the place. read more

I really didn't want to come here, but I'm glad I did. Great history to be seen and learned here. A great staff on hand.