The Classic Toy Museum a Short Drive from Idaho

The web says it’s temporarily closed.  I hope it’s just for touching up.  A few years ago, I got off the highway in Deer Lodge, Montana, and visited several museums.  There is an amazing array of collections in a town of 3,000 people.  I was walking around downtown when I saw a sign for a toy museum.  I had to drop in.  It brought back a variety of childhood memories.  Most of my childhood was before technology took over the toy market.  Girls played with dolls, and boys played with trucks.

Old Toys are Timeless

Despite all the chips and gadgets that constitute modern toys, I still believe the little ones like what we did.  My daughter would carry her Raggedy Ann or a stuffed puppy to bed every night.  She liked toy horses and coloring books.  When my sister was a little girl, she carried one doll until even after its hair fell out.  When I was a baby, I had surgery, and the nurses bought me a toy dog, which was under an arm until my mom finally threw it away after it was badly worn (she didn’t ask my permission!)  A few years ago, my sister was at an auction and found a duplicate.  I now have it on a shelf at home.

Make it a Long Weekend

You could spend a couple of days in Deer Lodge.  There are several places to stay, and you’ll need more than a day to tour the museums (I’ll write later about some of the others) and historic ranches.  This link provides a map and details.  I should not the town is also the childhood home of NBA legend Phil Jackson.