Is the ‘Wyoming Museum of Science and History’ From ‘The Last of Us’ a Real Place?

After watching episode six of "The Last of Us" from season two when it first aired on Sunday (May 18th, 2025), one question came to mind: is the "Wyoming Museum of Science and History" a real place?

Is the Wyoming Museum of Science and History real?

As a Wyoming native, I thought it sounded familiar, but considering my Jackson knowledge isn't the best (and a good 50% of Wyomingites don't claim the town officially anyway), but I wasn't positive.

The correct answer is slightly more difficult than a "yes" or "no" response, because the truth is, both answers are correct, although if we're being technical, no is the slightly better answer.

The Wyoming Museum of Science and History is not a real place. It was invented for The Last of Us Part II PS4 video game. It was also recreated for season two of the live action series. It is however based on at least one real world museum located here in the Cowboy State though.

What museum is it based on?

It is at least partially based on The Wyoming Dinosaur Center that is located in Thermopolis.

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It is worth noting that the museum sequence in episode 6 is taken verbatim from a flashback of the game, from the dinosaur statues to Joel and Ellie's exchange inside the space capsule.