Definitely worth your time if you're interested in the history of coal mining, religious antiques,…read moreand best of all working model trains. The museum is very well organized, educational and taken care of by people who love their job and community. We all had a great time, thank you.

We had a great time here. I liked how it was organized, with each of the many rooms being more…read morefocused on a piece of history. We loved seeing the old technology like cash registers or medical equipment. The train and mining exhibits were all really great. I wished they gave you a quarter with your donation! We couldn't see the model train exhibits because we had no quarters to turn them on. If not, they should warn you to have a quarter. Oh well. This was a fun visit and all of Helper downtown was fun to walk by.

This place is awesome. If you have any questions and Sammy is working she is so knowledgeable. She…read morehelped everyone in our group and made our experience so pleasant. All of the kids had so much fun with the QR code scavenger hunt. I can't believe what a gem this place is for the community of Carbon County. I felt like we were in Seattle again, obviously inside of course. Don't forget to check out the gift shop, they have some pretty awesome clearance items as well.

We stopped here spontaneously (we actually found it promoted on a rest stop sign) on our roadtrip…read morethrough Utah and while it isn't a big museum it had a lot of really cool dinos/other artifacts and lots of information that was presented in a really interesting, easy to read format. Definitely worth the minimal admission price! The staff were super friendly too. We only had about an hour to spend here because of time constraints but we definitely could have been here longer. They seemed to be working on renovations so I can only imagine it'll get even better after that! Also a cool fact is most of the fossils they have in their collection were found locally. In addition to the dinosaur portion they have another portion with American history which was also very interesting!

This place is a little out of the way, with some traveling on dirt roads (take into account any…read more"traffic" such as a sheep crossing on the road), but well worth it. There's no cell service either. At the end of the road, there's a parking lot with a small visitor center containing a gift shop and exhibits. A short paved walk outside leads to a covered quarry where fossils are being excavated. There are a few hikes to do here. There were plenty of white-tailed antelope squirrels running round to watch, cute! In all, I would say this is worth the drive if you're a huge fossil or dinosaur nerd.

Very informative. What a great collection. Right in town so it was in our way through.read more

Where do I start with this place? We discovered it while looking at Google Maps and saw "UFO…read morelanding site"...of course, we had to venture out to see it! From the road, you see various odd metal sculptures just begging you to come take a look. We pulled off the road and got out, wandering around cluelessly. There is not really any signage that explains what we were looking at. After a few minutes, a couple of very friendly dogs came running up the road to us, excited for the company. Then, a couple in an old pick up truck drove up the road and stopped to chat with us. Turns out it is the owner of the property and he was excited for us to come check out the museum. The museum is really just the couple's living room-stuffed full of antiques and wood carvings. He had a story to tell with each thing and most of them also had a dad joke punch line. Vaughn's a funny fella and is thrilled for the audience. I asked him about the UFO landing site and he cheerfully said that it was a made up story to get people to stop by. It worked! This is the epitome of roadside attraction and I highly recommend that anyone who's driving through Clawson make it a point to stop and visit.

I had friends in town from out of state. I took them to the Eastern Utah Tourism and History…read moreAssociation to get some ideas on where to go. They helped us so much! They gave us so much good information! They know so much about the area and they really helped make our visit great! My friends even got some great books and rocks from them to remember their trip!

From the owner: We are your one-stop shop for all things Eastern Utah. We carry a full line of brochures to help…read moreyou plan your trip and our Interpretive Bookstore features great titles in local and regional history, prehistory and geology. We also carry a wide variety of maps and guidebooks.

After being closed for renovations the Monte L. Bean museum is open again, and it is spectacular!…read more They could easily charge a hefty admission fee for this museum (it is that cool!), but they don't. It's still free. I marveled at this fact as I walked around. And I heard many other patrons comment on it, as well. It's so hard to believe a place like this, in this day-and-age is free! Anyway, as you walk up you can look in the windows & see animals like: a polar bear, & big-horned sheep. The museum itself is so light & airy! The lobby has not one, but two giraffes on display! Around every corner, & up every staircase; you will be delighted. They've done wonders with the displays. Everything looks so authentic. I thought everything was really cool, & not at all creepy. In the back corner of the museum they have a play area for kids, that my children adored! I would come back in a heartbeat!

Lots of variety of animals. They are currently doing construction in a couple of the areas so you…read morecan't access everything. I do wish they had more animals compared to Birds and insects. However, it is a neat place to walk around and a good activity to do.

Was in town for the weekend so we decided to look up places to visit. Our family homeschools and my…read moredaughter loves little house on the prairie so this was a must. The village is really small and can be done in an hour maybe even less depending on how long you take to enjoy looking around. We did a little scavenger hunt which was pretty fun. If you find all items you get a candy. Friendly staff and a lot of history located at this tiny pioneer village. The best part is it is all free. Although they do accept donations.

Really nice historical living museum. I enjoy history and this was an interesting experience. We…read morewent for their Fall Festival and volunteers were on hand for demonstrations and information. There was an apple cider press with samples, story telling, music making, and various other activities. It was fun to do pioneer games as they had equipment for the hoop toss, barrel ring run, stilts, etc. There are various historical buildings that were either restored, or relocated to this village. All very interesting. There are information placards, some with QR codes for more photos or videos of what is being explained. There is also a QR code for a self-guided tour. I recommend visiting here for a good dose of pioneer appreciation. (Pics are to show the real name of this place.) 5* = A top favorite. Mind-blowing good. I will definitely return and I will go out of my way to go here. Worth every dime of my money. 4* = Outstanding. Top-tier. Some elements not quite as good as it gets, but it still is worthy of my regular business. 3* = Good experience. I might do repeat business if it is convenient, the only option, the only one in its category, or on a whim, but would not be among the first thing to come to mind. Would definitely recommend you trying it to get your own take on it. 2* = Not so good. Would not recommend at all. Waste of money. 1* = How are they still in business? Stay away at all costs!

July 12, 2026 - Helper, UT…read more Enjoyed our walk down Main Street. It was early Sunday, so most shops were closed, but with all the historic buildings, there was much to see. There is an audio walking tour through the TravelStories app which is helpful as a guide. Helper was one of Utah's most ethnically diverse towns in the early twentieth century. Italians, Slovenians, Croatians, and Serbians immigrated to the area to work in the coal mines for the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad. Scattered along Main Street are 27 embedded sidewalk plaques. Each one reads "Welcome Friend" in a different language, representing the diverse backgrounds of the miners and railroad workers who built Helper in the 20th century. What a great tribute!

Not long ago, the city of Helper, Utah had a bad reputation. Residents from neighboring towns…read moreavoided Helper due to its crime rate and overabundance of drugs. While this may be true for some parts of the city, the downtown area is actively undergoing a face lift, and people are putting a good amount of effort into making it a charming small town. There are glorious old buildings-rich with history-all around. Each one has its own story, and possibly a ghost or two. Many of the original signs are still in place outside of the businesses-which adds the the ambiance. If you walk up or down the main street, you'll likely find yourself in conversation with a local resident. Most of them are extremely friendly, eager to chit chat and happy to tell you about the town. Take in some of the local eateries and museums, and be sure to get a picture with the iconic statue of Big John (you can't miss him.)

I think had an epiphany while visiting this museum: I just don't have the attention span to make it…read morethrough any kind of art/history collection, no matter how large or small it is. I've never really thought twice about calling it quits after exploring a wing or two at the Met or the Louvre. But, even at a substantially more modest venue like the John Wesley Powell River History Museum, I probably only really paid attention to about half of its contents before hitting my limit. The highlights I appreciated most were the informative video that explained the historical significance of The Major and his nearby explorations, the replicas of various river craft, and the totally unexpected mini-dinosaur exhibit on the lower level. The latter is tucked away in a room behind the stairs and is otherwise easy to miss if you don't bother actually walking down. We probably wouldn't have considered stopping by this museum if not for the recommendation from the staffer at the Torrey visitor center. If you're passing through, it's definitely worth an hour or two pitstop and the nominal $6 entry fee per adult.

Well worth the visit! We happened upon this when we drove in to Green River to have breakfast after…read morestopping in Moab for the night. On our way to Yellowstone. However, it was Sunday and they were closed. So it became a must do on our return home, which we did today. Great film, great exhibits and great historical and current information the Green River as well as much of the Colorado plateau. It's very inexpensive ($6 was the senior rate). If you're driving 70 west through this area , stop in! Open 9-5, Monday through Saturday.