The Idaho State Museum has been closed for renovations and expansion since 2014. The project located at the entrance of Julia Davis Park cost approximately $17 million, but Janet Gallimore, Executive Director and State Historic Preservation Officer for the Idaho State Historical Society thinks visitors will find the new museum worth the wait. Upon entering the new museum, there’s a large touchscreen map of the state of Idaho with about 70 different icons listing different cultural and natural resources across the state.
The big idea for every exhibit is to highlight how unique the state of Idaho is, with fairly irregular borders in comparison to our neighboring states, Janet Gallimore of Idaho State Historical Society mentions that from top to bottom Idaho comes out to be the same distance as Chicago to New York also adding that geography within the state is so diverse.
Additional exhibits include but are not limited to a dedication to the First Ladies of Idaho’s wardrobe, similar to an exhibit seen at the Smithsonian in New York. An Origins of Idaho display explaining how land and people shape each other over time will include interactive screens for visitors to see first hand the link between people and land. Lastly, one of the more highly anticipated attractions will include detailed stories from federally recognized Native American Tribes.
The Idaho State Museum is scheduled to open it’s doors October 13th.
