Reviews of North Dakota Heritage Center & State Museum (Museum)

Annie McIntosh

This is a fabulous place! The exhibits are free to see and covered a variety of topics. There are lots of interesting things to see, including fossils, 19th and 20th century artifacts, and Native American arts. Highly recommended!!

Sarge & Sadie L

A break from the road for some much needed culture. Beautiful modern facility with very warm and friendly staff. A great deal of educational and historical material allowing for a wonderful experience. Ample parking and easily accessible from the highway. Well worth the detour. Thank you and good use of your $.

t spethman

Very nice and clean museum. Lots to see

Brad Sellinger

Great museum in Bismarck. Admission is free, which was great, but this was top notch. One of the best museums I’ve been too. The dinosaur exhibit by itself made the trip worth it. Very informative displays throughout. Highly recommended.

Jared Gladback

Wonderful place to go learn about ND, and it's free

Beth Gasser

Incredible museum and facility. Lots to do and see. Perfect for families. Give yourself plenty of time to get thru all the different exhibits and rooms.

Jehovah Jireh

Lots of great exhibits. Many things to do with children. A great place to spend a few hours!

Touch Education

I was in town to teach at a conference being held at the ND Heritage Center. The museum was free. The exhibits are well done and we loved the Hubble exhibit. The staff were super friendly and helpful. I wouldn't hesitate to visit again. The conference space was well equipped and easy to find. Great experience all around.

Kate Taylor

This is a really great museum! Seriously bummed I didn't get to spend more time here. Beautiful building and facilities and FREE admission. Friendly staff. Such comprehensive exhibits on the history of North Dakota including a lot of coverage of Native American history and culture (not shying away from ugly truths) which balances the 'modern' aka 'European/white' history of the state. Modern controversial issues are covered as well such as conservation, immigration & fracking. A reason to stop in Bismarck for sure, if you want to learn about this part of the country this is a must.

Kevin Juergens

Kids love to visit

Ryan Rooney

A very cool educational experience that only cost a bit of your time. I recommend a small donation but it is not required.

Ben Buchmiller

Free admission to this awesome museum. Great for kids and adults, although my nephew seemed to have more fun with the automatic door buttons than the dinosaurs. Great place to learn about North Dakota's fine history and life style.

Mike Knapp

Really a cool museum a lot to learn here

Scott Fry

The Heritage Center is one of the best state museums I have seen. The building is amazing and the exhibits are great for adults and kids. There are many tactile portions of the exhibits providing kids the ability to include another sense in their investigation of North Dakota's history.

Blake Feil

Great layout. Good family experience. Glad to see Dakota the dino in Bismarck.

Steve Gasser

Great way to spend the afternoon with your family

Carl Wallin

This place is awesome! Full of things to explore and learn about. And it’s free!

Sarah Juergens

Great place to visit, kids love the dino section, history section is great. Glad it is in sections. Good play area for the kids too.

Jim Ellis

Loved my first visit to the Heritage Center. The volunteers were extremely helpful and friendly. The exhibits were wonderful. Love North Dakota!

Amelia Doll

Wonderful museum. The staff are friendly and the building is spectacular!

Gaagle Plas

We walked from the capitol building over here after the lady at the information desk suggested it. We were not disappointed! We came through what I guess was previously the main entrance but that move to the other side of the building now. We then walked to where the main entrance currently resides and visited each section working our way back to the "alternative" entrance. Both entrances has someone to meet you and give information. There are many displays, some are interactive. There was supposed to be a mummified dinosaur, but we somehow missed it.

Chantel D

Fantastic place to take the kids, grandkids, great grandkids... heck take the whole family!

Jake H

Very impressive museum. Really informative for kids and adults.

nicole howe

Such an awesome community funded space full of amazing history, science, and friendly people. Thoroughly enjoyed it!

steve pederson

The Custer house is a great tour.

Tia T.

I was stuck in a layover and noticed the airport had fossils. Normally airports have things from nearby museums to help show what the town has so my family and I decided to go here while we waited. We were all so happy with how CLEAN the place was and how KIND the staff was! It is a medium sized museum but it has A LOT TO OFFER! For my 4 hours in North Dakota, this museum made me want to see what else the state has!

Teresa Rose

Omg what an awesome place to visit! Plan on being there most of the day! Lol

Ashleigh Conway

Nice building.

Chris Hegel

Awesome place! Really cool to see all the new exhibits and the staff are some of the best in town. Always makes me feel welcome and It's also a great place for playing Pokemon GO!

SKYLER H

Such an amazing place, great for the hole family.

Anthony Gross

Just came here to say that North Dakota is LAME. L A M E say that twice and fast. I HATE NORTH DAKOTA. SOOOUUUTHHHH DAKOTAA!!!

Johnny X

lots of cool displays. if you like history, its worth a stop

Matthew Freshwater

Had a wonderful time, thank you for the hospitality. Looking forward to bringing my family to see this beautiful land

Quintavo

This little gem is an excellent way to kill some time with the kids and not break the bank! For the most part it is free! From time to time, other exhibits and activities are offered for a very small fee. A great activity for families and guests visiting from out of town.

Terry Johnson

Great taste of North Dakota history and interactive exhibits!

Matt

Great place to go spend time indoors and learn a lot about this beautiful state. Best of all it is free!

Jeanne Raymond

Great little spot for dino lovers!

Oblivion Guard

Very nice museum detailing the rich history of the area. It has many sections. These include a prehistoric section with skeletons of many extinct creatures. A section about the Amerindians and their way of life. A section on the history of North Dakota itself and how it came to be. It also includes important information on what it produces. The gift shop is a nice place to get postcards and other cool little souvenirs. If you are ever stopping through North Dakota, this is definitely a place to put on your list to see!

Kay John

Wide open space, friendly people, everything including entertainment very close. Beautiful.

Veronica Orozco

The Heritage center is divided up into a series of rooms to explore. This can be a whole day event. There is lots to look at, read, and interact with. Take your time and let your kids explore the room. They'll find more than you think and there are so many ways for them to learn. Once you're done with all of the rooms, head upstairs to watch a movie and play in the new kids play area. We had a blast here! My only gripe was that the little dining area was closed when we went.

Jay Lund

The prehistoric animal exhibit is definitely worth stopping to see.

Alycia Lewis

I recently had my wedding ceremony held at the North Dakota Heritage Center and it was absolutely beautiful! We worked with Toni Reinbold and she was incredibly accommodating. She helped us decide on a space that would work for our number of guests as well as making sure we had the decorations and supplies we needed to make our ceremony perfect. Highly recommend.

Dianna Sargent

We come here every Sunday and watch one of our favorite movie . It is so friendly and very clean . Love the comfortable chairs . Overall just love it.....

Stacie Cornett

The recent expansion has added a lot of cool exhibits.

Isaac Trottier

Plenty to see with good variety, and the building is well kept and clean.

Matt J

Always tons for the kid to see. Always a new exhibit.

Don Paulsrud

AWESOME! We brought our 4th grade students on a field trip and they loved it.

Tammi Argo

We love to visit this place. Every time we visit Bismarck,, our young children beg us to take them there to learn the history. How can we say no to have them learn about the past . Next your in Bismarck make sure you stop by this museum. It’s free and very educational

Christa Morehouse

I have gone to the heritage center 3-4 times and love it. Planning on taking my family that's here visiting from Oregon soon. I think they'll have a blast there. It's a fun place to visit and love visiting.

Katie Adams

This is a great museum, and it's free! We love the dinosaurs.

Tom Beckel

This is one of the best state museums I've been in. There is cultural history, native American history, and dinosaur history. It is also with in walking distance of the state Capitol. The view from the 18th floor is great.

Thomas McGannon

We like to bring the kids here. They have a lot fun. Plus, they may inadvertently learn something. The new Tree House play area is a great addition for little kids. Much cooler than the old jail house and wooden horses we played on when were young.

Aj

A very expansive museum that has tons of exhibits on topics all the way from prehistoric times to industry, cold war, and modern alternative energy. Plus its free, but they do accept donations.

Sarah Langer

Beautiful new building. Excellent auditorium.

Leland Williams

Unbelievably fantastic little museum. Great for an hour, if that's all you have. Better if you have three or four. Will definitely stop here again.

Denny Stubel

Great new museum in Bismarck Lots of enjoyment for people of all ages.

Grace Colelay

Great displays! Very informative- and convenient location in Bismarck

Tamara Stoebe

Well set up, lots of information about the creation and growth of North Dakota through many different eras. I appreciate the set up and the displays and definitely recommend this location. Cost is Free and open Monday through Sunday closed New Year's Day, Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Jeremy Zurek

Great free museum with lots of North Dakota history.

Kathryn Palmquist

So much to see! Very detailed exhibits! This is a great museum!

WJ Brown

We stopped here on our way to Fargo. It is a great place to take a break from the road. It is free. You could spend 30 minutes to a couple hours wandering through the exhibits. 3 major exhibits are dinosaurs (one of 5 in the world with it's skin still in tact), Native American and North Dakota heritage. The dinosaur exhibit is the best I have seen. There are many side exhibits which we did not see.

Jonathan Tennis

Such a cool place. Stopped in here on a recent roadtrip and meant to spend a few minutes stretching our legs. Ended up spending a few hours here. No regrets. It was amazing. Staff was helpful. It's free. Has some great displays. Lots of learning to be had.

Anne Volk

We love the Heritage Center. Great for kids and families! We bring all our friends and family here when they visit. The fact that this is free shows the great hospitality that ND is famous for. #PROUDTOBEBORNANDRAISED

Abby Braaten

Great heritage center and museum! Free for all, high quality exhibits, and incredibly friendly/knowledgeable staff and volunteers. Worth a stop!

Mike Miller

Nice, but not laid out well. Needs more kid friendly exhibits.

Benjamin Berry

Free museum with interesting exhibits.

Allen Braun

We visited on a Sunday morning, everyone we talked with was very friendly! Our kids loved the exhibits and spent almost 45 min playing in the treehouse. There are many new exhibits since I was a kid. I would suggest at least 3 hours to see all of the new stuff if you haven't been there in a while. The gift shop isn't cheap but it has many fun items in it.

Tyler Silva

For a free museum it is very nice. If you don't read too many displays you can easily see everything in an hour. Cool fossil replicas. The local bird exhibit is cool.

Shally Very

Wow what a beautiful building! Both the exterior, and interior... A very specious and organized museum, the dinosaur exhibit and the native American exhibit were but extensive, informative, and fun to go through... If you ever drive through Bismark... You know where to stop! and make sure to check out "Fireflour pizza" for the best pizza in ND...

Jeff Slocum

Such fun for a wide range of ages. Tree house play area is nice for ages three and up. Exhibits are well laid out with a good level of depth for the adults and plenty of fossils for the school age kids.

Chad Wachter

Beautiful place to display North Dakota history.

Tiffany Rupp

This number one Bismarck attraction is not to be missed. There is so much to learn and see. While some museums can be huge and overwhelming this one excels at providing you with tons of info without feeling smothered. And it's free! I'm still floored that it was free. There is something here for all ages to learn. Their staff are very kind. Don't be afraid to ask them a question or three. They are very informative. Also don't miss the gift shop. Lots of local products.

Roger Anderson

One of the best museum I've to

CoachNiki DotCom

The Native American history of the local Sioux Nations was intimate and educational. I enjoyed my visit immensely.

Our RV Adventures

Very nice museum with several different areas of interest from natural history to current history. enjoyed the exhibit on horses.

Swede Valparaiso

This should be a model for other states. We thoroughly enjoyed several hours of educational and historical displays. Thanks and well done. !!

Steve Schumacher

A very well done museum. If it's your first visit plan 4-6 hours.

Isaac Zimmerman

Very impressive exhibits and a stunning structure

Greta Burck

So much fun. So much to learn.

Matti E

Gift shop will break the bank but the place is pretty cool, full of great stuff

Jill Keto

Excellent destination for a fun, educational day with the grand kids and bringing visitors.

MaryBD

Friendly and well informed staff recommended several restaurants and points of interest that enhanced the trip tremendously.

Daryle Mindeman

Great museum and welcome center in the heart of Bismarck. In the process of remodeling, so it's getting better!

Cecily Gordon

Check this place out! A very cool way to learn more about North Dakota. It's a beautiful facility with great exhibits. AND it's FREE. If you're a local or just passing through, make sure to support a place that documents your community's history by stopping in and donating if you can.

paige walters

Interesting local history this place has to offer.

Ryan Reames

We came back for a birthday party and it was a great setting. It is a great museum worth checking out if you're in town!

Scott Johnson

Great way to spend time with the family!

Bridget Moore

It amazes me this is free! It's REALY a great center, I doors and out. Take a little time to see the outside portions, and 1st floor.

Jared Jensen

The best and pretty much only thing to do in the city of Bismarck. Very well done.

Meaghan Feddersen

Great new facility. You could spend all day here. Not ideal for under 2, unless they're sleeping

Chris Burns

Best place to spend time on a Sunday afternoon.

Amy Fagnant

Loved the varitiy of exhibits. Very kid friendly throughout and everyone enjoyed the Treehouse.

Shawna Zastoupil

Great place for all ages. Coffee shop, stop in for lunch. Always good special events. Can't go wrong when learning and fun go hand in hand!

Kari X

A great place to go if one loves history.

April Carlberg

I have taken my children to this museum several times and every time we go it seems we find something new to see and excitedly call each other over to see. Something we may have missed in the last trip or rediscovered anew all over again. Fantastic way to spend hours!!

Jason Mosser

The expansion is great. Tree house play area is good for kids.

Bryan.B

Friendly knowledgeable staff and great exhibits.

Mark Mankey

A great museum for all ages. Kid and adult friendly exhibits. There is a great gift shop and a cafe.

Eric Green

1 to 6 hours of awesome! You can whip through this museum and still get something out of it. Or get lost in large warehouse-like rooms filled with great exhibits that continually provided organization, flow, and detail for me to understand and digest. Artifacts everywhere and I was told only 4% of what they have is on display at any one time. I spent about 4 hours total here and was most impressed with their North Dakota and WW1 exhibit. So interesting to put it in perspective and see how it had affected the people of ND. Also had so many artifacts that soldiers had brought back from war. Dont miss the petrified wood and natural cannonballs in the garden area. And it is all free to see. Thank you North Dakota!

John Parrish

I really enjoyed my visits here. Nice exhibits.

Glenn Yri

The North Dakota Heritage Center is a very well-organized and put-together museum (and so much more). They have a rotating exhibit section as well as several established exhibit halls, including an archeology hall with several dinosaur fossil casts. The staff are very friendly and helpful! And best of all... it is free!

Liz Breuer

Large, modern facility with a variety of quality exhibits! Free to enter, with a small eatery and gift shop as well! Great place to visit!

Angela Fasold

Free admission! Well done exhibits. I'll need to come again to take it all in.

Be More Colorful

Great historical artifacts. Love the Mammoth and other ancient fossils!

Josh Rhoads

Lots of things to look at kids love it and also has a place for kids to run of energy! They change up an area on an occasion also to give more knowledge to the community

Kevin Unterreiner

Fascinating and very well done to show the history. Stop in if nearby.

kerr2123

Great place to take the kids.

Susan Brammell

Very interesting, enjoyable and you learn a lot. A nice cafe for a good cup of coffee and a light snack. Also has a beautiful gift shop.

Bryan P.

Great museum. You get to see the history of North Dakota through eras/epochs - from dinosaurs to the modern industrial age. Best of all, it's free! There is also a nice gift shop with a lot of North Dakota made products.

Mary Manker

It has alot to view from the past centeries

Robert Illg

Great exhibits and history, kids will enjoy as well.

Glenn Piper

I was impressed! I went there planning to kill an hour or two, and ended up being there for over 4 hours. There is a good variety of exhibits, and all are put together nicely. I highly recommend taking some time to check this place out.

Andrew Brown

So many interesting things to look at and learn about. There are so many interactive things that keeps kids attention for a few hours.

Derick Hildebrandt

Somewhat small for a history museum, but worth checking out if you're staying in Bismarck. When we went they had several exhibits; Horses, Early People, Underwater World, and a few others. The under water one was my favorite, they had a few really cool fossils of giant water dwelling animals that surprised me.

Rose and Mike Farmer

Well, there are excellent fossils of the state. And big ole room of the history of N Dakotans. Gift shop and kids play area too.

Jamie Thorness

Great museum. Nicely done with lots of information and exhibits.

Mohd Amin Ismail

I had to review this place because of Logan movie. Nice if I've to been there.

Eric theGreat

Great place to visit and they have a cafe and clean bathroom

jeff schmidt

This is a marvelous facility. Can only sum up with one word. WOW!!!! Just amazing

Jason Karlson

Love this place and so do my kids.

David Hehman

This is a great little museum. Self-directed, lots of cool exhibits representing a lot of history from Native American culture to North Dakota innovation.

Shari Schlosser

It is a wonderful place to visit and I learned a lot about North Dakota history which I did not know and was not taught in my North Dakota history class when growing up. Very interesting and Incredibly well done. I highly recommend a visit to this wonderful venue

Ken Arnold

Staff were fantastic. Very helpful, knowledgible and friendly. Clearly loved the work they were doing.

Vampy Kisses

Definitely worth stopping at, lots to see and do there. Also the staff is very friendly, and if you get hungry there is a cafe on site.

b. Michæl Sørenson

Pretty wonderful museum, glad we stopped through. Staff was very courteous, and knowledgeable, Thanks!

Ellie Haltom

I love this place especially the pool... Huge water slide... But safe for children...

Sherri Repnow

First of all it's Free! Great overview of our states history. Dinosaurs, Native Americans, US Army Forts and more.

Nick Lelm

Great place to spend a day inside when weather is bad outside!

Jonathan Wannemacher

Great exhibits as well as exuberant staff and volunteers with lots of knowledge to share. Very kid friendly and worth a visit

Josh Granly

Excellent, and it's free! But be careful bringing kids into the gift shop. Oh my, great stuff but like any gift shop the prices are scary!

Daniel Haveman

Great place for the kids to learn some local history!

Amelia Burgund

Great place to spend a Saturday.

Clio Mouse

I was impressed! Lots of artifacts and information, plenty of it kid-friendly but lots to learn for any age and from any background. The prehistoric portion reminded me a lot of the Museum of Natural History in New York, but more informative. Highly recommend!

Jared M

Amazing museum and you can't beat the price. The state of North Dakota did well on this one.

Jessica Musard

Wonderful self guided museum that shows the varied history of North Dakota. The staff was friendly and helpful.

Brett Seibert

I'd say this is one of the best museums in North Dakota. Free entry and exhibits are excellent. If your passing though Bismarck and looking for something to do stop in and take a look around.

Carolyn Huntrods

Had excellent exhibits. Had a tractor you could drive. Had many tribe exhibits!! The homestead exhibit was also excellent. Need to go for the day to have a chance to see most of the exhibits

Kimberly Long

Great paleontology displays.

Sam Ross

This place has it all. I was extremely impressed with the presentations and exhibits. They have fossils, Indian history, war history, things from North Dakota. And they have a free play area for kids with a tree house, plane and other stuff. And the cost is excellent and well worth it

luke gartner

Good winter activity!! Lots to learn and see and they even have a play area for kids!

ROGER GISINGER

Great place for everyone.

Robert Thomas

I've really enjoyed the various displays on North Dakota's history. It's a worthwhile and inexpensive visit while you're in Bismarck.

Jonathon Austin

This place is amazing. Soooo much syuff to look at and plenty of things to keep the kids focus.

Jennifer Anderson

Parking is easy to find. The heritage center is full of wonderful histories from the state of North Dakota dating back to the dinosaurs. It's a wonderful place to visit with the family to learn more about the state in which you live.

Ken and Alicia Lund

Good parking and a very large museum on attractive grounds.

Tyler Pommerville

Awesome, free place to learn and entertain the kids!

melissa Maurstad

This is such a wonderful place for everyone in the family! The people are very friendly and the facility is clean and very welcoming!! I'd recommend this as a family fun day or just to go anytime!!! Fantastic museum! We will be back anytime we are in bismark! !!

Jeremy Kopp

Amazing staff and world-class exhibits in a museum building that is unrivaled in the great plains. A must-visit if you live in ND or if you love museums... and it's FREE!

Yessica Hernandez

So many cool things kids loved it

Holly Quipp

Ok after posting my bad review I found someone who said it was open and apologized many times. They were not closed as I was told and my kids had a fantastic time! My 4 year old nearly lost his mind in the dinosaur exhibit! So much fun!!

Katie Cardinal

Whole family has fun when we go. We notice different things every time. The kids love the interactive pieces and the treehouse. Definitely a must see if you're going through Bismarck.

Mary Ellyn Hoeckle

This place is full of North Dakota history and it's FREE!! A completely interactive place for the kiddos to touch and explore our culture.

Alan Boss

It has lots of great history about North Dakota, and the best part is.... IT'S FREE!

Mandii Sturlaugson

Great place to visit

Beve Stannon

I love how money is spent in this state. Drive on horrible 3rd world country roads to see a show off building such as this.

Bryan Russell

A fascinating place, especially for learning history. You most likely will not be able to see the entire place in one day. I have been back 4 times already in the last 3 weeks and still haven't even covered a quarter of the facility. Extremely interesting. I really like the fallout shelter, missile silo command center, soda pop restaurant and settler's house. Yes, they are all the real thing, not replicas.

Dylan Frederick

Very nice place but wish the deadbeats should not build something not expecting to pay their contractor $1.4M in work and materials run by a horribly irresponsible group of people if thats the case and you should be ashamed

Natasha Sailor

I could if stayed all day, so interesting, so much to see.