national historic trails interpretive center

The setting of this modern museum is incredible. On a bluff, the verandah offers visitors get a great view of Caper below them. The staff is knowledgable and helpful. A good bookstore and good exhibits make his a great place to get local history.

As a native of Casper (born and raised), I love seeing a facility that tells our story. It seems that most children learn about the Oregon trail in school, but few if any truly understand the complexity of traveling across country in nothing but a wagon or the fact that there were many many trails. All of these trails serving a very specific purpose.The Trails Center is an excellent resource for those wanting to learn how it truly was/is simply surviving in the American west.This should be a top priority for anybody looking to see the sights around Wyoming.

I had no idea that so many pioneer trails passed through this area. Everyone has heard of the Oregon Trail, however, the trail that caught my attention was the Mormon trail. With no Ox or horse to pull their wagons they pulled and pushed the carts with their own "man" power. Each cart had all their worldly belongings and family either inside or walk behind.

Learned a lot about Wyoming and the pioneers an the Oregon Trail, my kiddos like the movie in the beginning of the tour and the museum you walk thru, would definitely recommend to someone who just moved into town

It is focused on the period of America's "Manifest Destiny", when the immigrant movement west on the Oregon, California, Mormon trails began and ended. Exhibits are arranged like none I’ve every seen before. They are especially designed for hands-on operation by children and adults but are there to educate, inform and glorify. One especially interesting exhibit was to ford the North Platt River in the back of a Conestoga Wagon and experience being pitched, battered and slammed while rolling over rocks and boulders in the rivers bottom. Looking forward, from the back of the wagon, one views a film that actually has one entering, crossing the river and out the other side. During the crossing another wagon is seen to overturn, its contents spilling out and floating away on the current. Like all good museums and Interpretive Centers, an excellent movie presentation tells the story of this area and the people who passed through it. This is a museum not to be missed.

I had never visited and it turned into a perfect activity for family staying in town. Offered great views of Casper. Enjoyed the video and life-size figures. They even have loan display items from the smithsonian. The gift shop even offered a few unique treasures for tourists. We had a stroller, and had enough room to navigate through the exhibits.

The trails center is a wonderful slice of pioneer history. A must see for anyone passing through Casper, Wyoming.

We hadn't planned on stopping here so hadn't done our homework to know what to expect. We were very pleasantly surprised by this museum. It is very modern with lots of visual aids and hand on experiences. But those aren't just geared towards children. It begins with a film with various vignettes of the people who were on the trails and the people who were already there. We enjoyed being in a covered wagon fording a river and finding out how heavy a Mormon pushcart was. It also explains the decisions about what to take and leave behind in the beginning and along the trail.

Did not expect too much from this place as we had it in our vacation as a time filler. Boy were we surprised. Being a history buff, I learned more about the westward expansion of our country in 3 hours here, than in years of study. Every thing was well thought our and organized and the movie/video was very entertaining. A must for all ages.

This is a well organized and conceived museum with a lot of interactive exhibits that will interest kids and adults alike. Even though I grew up in Wyoming learning about the trails and their stories, I still learned some new and interesting information! Whether passing through or a Casper resident, this museum is worth a visit.

This is an excellent museum, more than you would expect to find in a city the size of Casper. There is a wide variety of exhibits, both passive and interactive, and the kids really enjoyed "crossing the river" in the covered wagon.

Started with an 18 minute movie including real-life scenes and video combined. Then spent about an hour going through to read the history of the 4 trails. Interesting & interactive. Fun for history lovers.

Glad we took the tike to stop and check it out. I always wanted to know a little more about the wagon trains and all the different trails west. This is well laid out and organized without being overbearing. Our National Parks pass got us in. Helpful people.

so this is a must see if you care about history at all. There are great interactive exhibits. The programs are excellent for both adults and children. Stop here for sure and bring your children. Plan maybe an hour

We spent three hours at this museum. There were a lot of interesting displays, especially if you are really in to genealogy and history. The day we were there there was also a special presentation on historical clothing during the periods of the various trails going from east to west in the United States.The Museum was top notch in my opinion.