The Hill Tribe museum is really worth a visit. It was originally a part of the Tribal Research Institute, but in 1997 it was moved to Ratchamangkla Park. It is a very good place to get information about the different hill tribe people. It is open from Monday to Friday from 8.30 am to 4.30pm and entrance is free. It's about a ten-minute walk from the park gate on Chotana Road or take a songthaew.
The museum is set out on two floors, with the main exhibition area on the lower floor where displays about each of the main hill tribes are accompanied by concise information written in both Thai and English. Photos and models of village dwellings give a good idea of the different styles of architecture which you might encounter while trekking, and a useful month-by-month wall chart shows the traditional life cycle in terms of agricultural production and ceremonies of each tribe, enabling you to zone in on the month you are trekking and put each village culture into context. A display of hill-tribe instruments accompanied by taped music also features.