I'm surprised by some of the negative reviews for this museum. I feel like the curators did an incredible job - wonderful artifacts, tons of illuminating information placards, and an exciting balance of things to see. I appreciate the activities for kids an overall layout.
The only criticism I can provide is that they should get more books that reflect the exhibits - they don't have books on flintknapping, animal tracking, books from the Audobon Society, or books on native/Indian crafting.
Either way - awesome museum. ;)
If you have kids and living in South Dakota you should go this museum. Definitely designed to make children love science. I just moved this state with my family and learned too much about the history of the area. We really enjoyed the time we spent there and went again with our friends. Highly recommended for families who have kids between 2-12
EEvanJan 2026 · Google
★★★☆☆Very informative museum primarily on the history of South Dakota with lots of reading, but it should be noted that there are mainly child focused activities. It seemed about a third of the exhibits were “under construction” and had nothing present in them besides a sign stating so.
Bathrooms were readily available and staff were very polite. The gift shop staff was not present, so we didn’t end up buying anything.
Ultimately the price for entry was not very much worth the experience, as even as slowly as we moved through the museum we still only spent about 40 minutes in total.
Excellent local history museum, with a smattering of geology and paleontology. Lots of hands on stuff for children and students. A lot of very good native American artifacts.
First, the architecture of the building is fascinating. Inside you'll find sections highlighting various aspects of South Dakota, from rocks to dinos to indigenous people and westward expansion. Our family (ages 8 to 84) found it all very interesting. It's easy to do, doesn't take hours. Beautiful specimens in each section. This is well worth a stop.
Very well done museum and lots of spots for kids to play and interact with the exhibits. Cost seemed a little high for the experience
I was in the area with time to spend and after some research, decided to check this place out with my preschooler. We went on a Friday afternoon and nearly had the place to ourselves! We had a BLAST in the archeology dino digs- looking at fossils and playing in the super fine sand table were my preschooler's favorite. The STEAM corner was somewhat small, but with no other kids present, we had so much fun checking out the plasma ball and the giant microscope. My preschooler thought it was the BEST launching the parachute up the wind tube and racing to see who could catch them as they fell down! Although most weren't my toddler's speed, the curation of artifacts from early Americans was absolutely beautiful. The amount of native beadwork and garb as well as pioneer regalia was really impressive and well displayed. The frequent nooks for kid activities were well thought out and very engaging. We spent nearly 2 and a half hours here and enjoyed every moment. The only point of potential improvement would be that the bathrooms while marked as handicap, are not fully handicap accessible. Although we are not ourselves handicapped, we do work closely with those that are and noticed some things weren't quite up to our hopeful expectations. The sinks, soap, and paper towel were all too high and while you could maneuver a mobility aid in, it could be challenging to close the door due to the inward swung hinges. Aside from the room for improvement in the bathrooms, this place was a 10 out of 10 for us and my preschooler has already asked when we'll be back. If you're in the area, this is a place worth checking out.
Such a great museum for families and kids! Each exhibit had interactive and relevant activities for kids as well as an immersive experience! The museum shared multiple viewpoint of SD history making this museum great for all ages! A perfect rainy day escape for any visitors