Sometimes it's necessary to step inside to get a better perspective on the great outdoors. Here are four top museums and visitor centers at parks in the American West.
What: Giant Forest Museum
Where: Sequoia National Park
The life and times of sequoia trees are best explained in this neat museum in the park's Giant Forest section. A visit here will teach you and your kids how sequoias naturally ward off fire and insects, how many seeds are stored in one of the tree's pine cones, and what sort of climate the trees thrive in.
What: Albright Visitor Center
Where: Yellowstone National Park
At Mammoth Hot Springs, the museum offers exhibits depicting park history from prehistory through the creation of the National Park Service and features a wildlife display. My favorite aspect of this museum, though, is the exhibit on landscape painter Thomas Moran, whose works helped convince Congress to turn to Yellowstone to kick-start the world's national parks movement.
What: Yosemite Museum and Indian Village of Ahwahnee
Where: Yosemite National Park
Yosemite's cultural history is tracked here. The Indian Cultural Exhibit explains the lives of the Ahwahneeche, Miwok, and Paiute tribes that once lived in the area. You occasionally find Native Americans speaking here or giving demonstrations of long-forgotten arts, such as basket weaving. A replica of an Ahwahneeche village is behind the museum. Its exhibits guide you through the tribe's transformation in the years after whites discovered the valley. A ceremonial roundhouse, which is still used, is also on-site.
What: Olympic National Park Visitor Center
Where: Olympic National Park
Inside this building you'll find a nice little museum that tracks the Native Americans who once lived across the Olympic peninsula and examines the wildlife that calls it home. Too, younger kids enjoy the Discovery Room, where they can play in a miniature log ranger station, learn about ecology, and build a totem pole with felt stick-on pieces. In the main visitor center, older kids can keep busy with a virtual scavenger hunt that requires them to study the exhibits in order to answer questions about the park.
Talk with fellow Frommer's readers on our Outdoor and Adventure Travel Message Boards today.