About the National Discovery Center
Two of the core tenets of American Prairie are providing education about the prairie and access to the land. The National Discovery Center is a rendezvous point for visitors going to the prairie, a vibrant place for community building and partnership, and an important educational resource on the importance of grassland ecosystems to the health of our planet. The National Discovery Center is located a short drive from the prairie in Lewistown, Montana. It is open to the public and hosts an ever-growing lineup of local, regional, and national activities and programs that stir visitors to love and want to preserve the prairie and all of its inhabitants.
Located in the renovated Power Mercantile building, the National Discovery Center features interactive exhibits about the prairie ecosystem, community meeting spaces, and a film theater. The Exhibit Hall includes interactive exhibits and the Night Sky Theater that explore the nuances of the prairie ecosystem. The Talpins Children’s Center gives kids their own place to play and learn about the prairie. The Clyde Aspevig Event Center, which provides flexible spaces for events, presentations, and meetings with state-of-the-art technology. The Ken Burns American Heritage Theater offers a variety of films that introduce visitors to American Prairie, its mission, and the prairie ecosystem.
Location: 302 W Main St Lewistown, MT 59457
Hours: Thursday-Saturday from 10am-4pm
Upcoming Events
November
8
2025
Tenacious Beasts: A Presentation and Book Signing with Christopher Preston
Nov 8 / 1:00pm
Join award-winning author and environmental philosopher Christopher Preston for a presentation and book-signing at the National Discovery Center. Raised in England and currently living in Missoula, his books and articles explore wildlife, technology, justice, climate change, and other topics that relate to how we live. Preston’s works have appeared in The Atlantic, Smithsonian, Discover, Orion, Slate, the Wall Street Journal, The Conversation, Salon, The BBC, Yale E360, and other publications. His latest book is "Tenacious Beasts: Wildlife Recoveries That Change How We Think About Animals," which won the 2024 High Plains International Book Award for non-fiction and was included in The New Yorker’s ‘Best Books of 2023.’ This event is free and open to the public.