Reviews of Akta Lakota Museum & Cultural Center (Tourist Attraction)

Ànnie Griffith

Very nice small museum. Well displayed. Interesting exhibits ! Pottery display was gorgeous. Very clean facility. Friendly knowledgeable staff.

Jesse Morrison

Loved it

Geo Mora

We enjoyed this museum. It is familiar and very educative place. We could learn more about of American Indian.

Tammy Papp

Really good art work. Friendly people. Wish there was more individual Native, locally made art for sale.

Linda Bakken

A wonderful place & museum! Cost is by donation. You will receive far more than you give.

Andrew Mass

So glad to learn about the Lakota. We need to help them more. Sad history.

Charles Bosse

Nice little museum, with a good look into Lakota culture and history in the region.

Jeanette Masloski

We stopped here to see the St. Joseph's school. Met father Andrew. Very kind. Students had just started back. The museum and medicine garden are great. Staff super friendly. Gave us a nice tour. The grounds are well kept. Buildings and bathrooms are handicap friendly. Worth the stop.

Buddy Wall

Great and humbling experience

Rien van der Wielen

Very interesting small museum about the Lakota culture. Worth visiting and helping

Mark Merrill

Must see. Very enlightening.

Jane Day

Great small museum. It was recommended to us and we both really enjoyed the history, the art and the photos.

Paul Sutfin

Dissapointed to find out about their charity scam

Crystal Walk

The outside looked very promising. We arrived 10 minutes before closing (didn't know what time it closed when we impromptu decided to go check it out while on a road trip) and the doors were already locked (because, really, 10 minutes wouldn't have been long enough to look at everything anyway). It is probably an awesome museum and I hope to go back someday ☺️

Peggy Hager

On our way to the Badlands/Black Hills we enjoyed stopping at Chamberlain to see the view of the Missouri River from the Visitor Center. Fortunately, we made time on our way back to stop at this lovely museum. The museum is a beautiful building right on the river in town. There is a friendly staff and the exhibits were very well done. For families this should be a must see on the way to other sites in South Dakota - especially for families who are trying to help their children understand the history of this area. While Mount Rushmore is a destination for many, this museum helps provide some balance. Thank you for investing your time and money in educating people about our past.

Melinda Mercer

It is a beautiful collection super friendly staff.

Drew Fountain

Nice site , very respectful to history, free to visit , and welcoming staff. Medicine wheel could use some more extensive explanation. Only reason not to be 5 stars : half of the museum is about the catholic school / mission .

Ben Newton

I've wanted to visit here for so long. i wasn't disappointed.

Ron Knier

very historic and interesting place

Maria James

Stunning museum. I cannot wait to go back.

Mearl Batchelder

Very nice place

Patti Johnson

Very cool place to learn more about the Lakota people.

Jeremy Rutledge

Friendly, educational and all free

Bryan Hiller

Beautiful exhibit...Well worth the Stop!!!

Katrina Anon

On the grounds of the Lakota Native American School. Well worth the visit.

Kass Woody

Pretty neat and very informative. It was a random stop during our road trip this past summer.

Lyle Runyan

Really educational museum

Jon Wendorff

Awesome place !!!

Gary Ashley

Very informative and educationally

Stanley Conrad

Wonderful representation of these great peoples past, present and future. The young ladies who hosted me first thing in the morning were so nice. Thank you to Amber for being so welcoming and informative. Well worth the short drive through town to a picturesque setting and location.

kinser madison

Amazing place. Preserves the history of the Lakota Native tribe and the history of of aggression they faced

Kirsten Maki

Small but fact- filled little museum. A bit out of the way, but worth the trip.

Sebastian Izquierdo

Beautiful little museum, very well worth the visit!!! I'm glad you guys put up notices along the highway or I would never have known. You have to drive through town a bit and keep going until you find it.

Rick Riedel

If you have ANY desire to learn about Native American history, you MUST go here. A complete history center and gift shop. The history of "Indian schools" is fascinating.

monzur murshed

Best place unlock past

Brenda Neil

Very educational, lots of amazing artifacts

Bob Turner

Super! Spent 4 days in Chamberlain, SD @ St Joseph's Indian School. Great ?Museum on the grounds.

Lucinda Hurst

So honored to be able to go to a unique place. Learning history that mainstream Education system didn't teach you in schools. The medicine wheel courtyard was so peaceful. So many beautiful works of art from former students of the school. So much to take in that one visit is not enough.

Irene Wells

Beautiful place to visit.

Ayesha Swinton

Interesting, well laid out and informative. I wish we had tried to schedule a tour guide to have a more comprehensive understanding of the Lakota culture... talking to the gift shop clerk was nice

Stephanie Mattick

I thoroughly enjoyed my time here! The people were the nicest people I have ever met and I learned so much about the Lakota from walking through the Museum & Cultural Center! The St. Joseph's school is undoubtedly doing a tremendous thing for the Lakota children, to keep their culture and traditions alive.

Wade Christiansen

I suggest that anyone who is interested in the Dakota, Lakota, Nakota people, need to visit this cultural center. The displays were great and well laid out. Make sure that you visit the medicine wheel garden. It is a very special place and touched me like I never expected.

Chuck Piotrowski

A must see for any western trip. A beautiful museum that allowed us to share with our kids the difficult story what the US did to the Native Americans. Sobering yet many stories of resiliance.

Bill Lang

Just stumbled across this gem of a museum. Holds its own against bigger museums.

Mary Ann Soll

What a wonderful museum. A must see

Joe Long

Great exhibits and friendly staff.

Michael Allshouse

Very well done. I wish there would have been more about the history of the people before 1850.

Julie Banerjee

Worth a stop! Represents the culture of Native groups in the region as well as the atrocities perpetuatrd against them in a honoring way.

Chris Ross

Paying Tribute to the way of life back then and shining a light on the dark events that these people endured and sometimes still endure today.

Sebastian Blanc

Really beautiful museum with a lot of Sioux history. I ended up learning a lot of things I never knew before

Kelly Moritz

Very well done museum. Two parts covering the school and Lakota heritage. Free - should be on your list to explore.

Darlene Hunter

Wonderful displays

Rich Wendling

Awesome museum!

Valerie L

Great little stop with a lot of information in a small walk through rotunda. I'm glad we made the stop though we left quite sad for Native Americans. Sitting Bull was an amazing individual.

Jason Adams

Nice school

Donna nr

A must visit! Very educational. Would highly recommend.

Pasavi

Highly recommended if you like history and culture. I love this place.

Ron Beierle

Learned a lot about the native Americans.

Annie Bachand

Their museum and the accuracy of the history on display is extraordinary - the gift shop is also wonderful

Mariajo Giron Bonilla De Gonzalez

Awesome place with lots of cultural facts.

Donnie Ashley

History, Culture, Beauty.

Danice Brault

This is a must-see the people that run the museum are very professional and very nice. I recommended everybody who's driving through take the time to stop.

Bill Ahearn

Genuine. The school is a Godsend to the area.

Marissa Hereford

A very beautiful museum with a lot of informative displays of the Alta Lakota culture. The museum is free with a visitors log and a donation box. We look forward to visiting again!

Frank Gaede

A must have for everyone who s interested in indians... By the way you give the new generation a Chance for a better life... Greets from germany

Lee Iron Cloud

Interesting & Educational

Jay Wicks

This place is part of our country and needs to be seen by everyone in this country

Geo Hidd

Excellent museum. It is well worth the visit. I would go again.

Erin Lewis

Beautiful and a great place to learn. Sells items made by Native American artists.

Brooke Bettencourt

Beautiful museum, very educational.

Corey Fulton

Very interesting and informative. Learned a lot about how the Native Americans lived using stone, wood, bone, horns, and other animal parts ( such as buffalo stomachs or bladders to hold water) to fabricate tools and utensils for use in their lives. Interesting aspects of the daily lives of men, women, and children are covered, including the division of labor, play, toys, etc. Displays and videos explain the culture, spirituality, respect for elders, and many other things of their society. There was a short movie (located after the displays I've mentioned) which shows the actual use of the tools, the erection of a T-Pi, hunting, etc.. Displays also cover the introduction of steel tools and other trade items from the American settlers, the taking of the the land and forced settlement on reservations, and battles between the Native Americans and. US soldiers ( including the massacre of Native Americans). Native American artwork is displayed from different eras. The museum is free (donations excepted). We spent two hours there and could have spent longer). The museum is located on the grounds of a large school for Indian children ( which has dormitories and other living facilities). There is a separate section of the museum which covers the history and development of the school in the early 1900s, the poverty and lack of opportunities the children had, etc. It was also interesting.

Chris Altemann

Nice museum telling the life of the Lakota's in this part of the country. Spend some time here if you can.

Ellen Long

Absolutely loved it here

mashekdl

We had a great time. Wonderful museum.

Myra Evans

Very detailed and interesting. Loved the very personal way it was grouped, including toys and what young people wore. A lot to look at, but not overwhelming. Worth the trip off the interstate, to get a feel for the history, the struggles and the complexity of the culture. Glad we made the time.

shola boye

Recommend this to visitors. Many forgotten histories.

Nancy Dickerson

Nice representation of Lakota.

Jerome Monsen

Informative, free, interactive, friendly staff, trailer friendly parking, full size tipi outside

David Kosewick

A heart touching reminder of how we decimated a civilized society.

Chuck Campbell

A very small but nice museum with gift shops. A little way off the beaten track but worth the side trip. There is no entry fee but they do accept donations.

Sara Blagg

Really nice museum. You learn a lot about the culture from then to now, and the injustices against them

Roger Cary

Fantastic chance to recognize the spirituality of those indigenous to our country.

Tootsie Carty

Very interesting place. Unique artifacts.

Keri Holmes Rojas

Warmly welcomed and asked if we had visited before. We said no, so she told us where all the various exhibits were, even telling us to go clockwise to go from oldest dates to newest. There were many interactive displays -- good for families. Several chances to sit and watch video presentations, too. Great when you need a break. The gift shop featured native artists, both local Lakota and Navajo from the SW. The church is worth the short walk to see "Our Lady of the Sioux" outside over the doors and also inside.

Richard Bamattre

There seems to be a disconnect between the museum and school exhibit. The museum demonstrates the American Imperialist conquest of the Lakotas, including how education was used as a way to estinguish native culture, language, and religion. However the school exhibit sugar coats this history, rather than coming to terms with it.

J. Christian Larsen

Very nice museum with friendly staff

Theresa Lafferty

Great place to get to know some SD history

Emily Richmond

Made to feel unwelcome because we had pets. Told that it was a pet free campus but the only sign about pets was a sign designating an area for pets to use the bathroom nothing about pets not being allowed any where else. Came to see the museum, left without doing so.

Joyce Schabacker Vesely

A great place to visit! Love the history!

Chris H

Very educational and eye opening. A wonderful place to visit and well worthwhile to take the time to go and visit.

Nancy Rowland

Very interesting and informative.

Gloria Maxwell

Very educational. Very nice facility.

David Wilson

Loved the layout...great little piece of local history. Wish I could be a teacher in a place like this...

Diana Fowler

Beautifully presented Lakota museum. I took my time and read about everything I saw.

Phillip Hoggan

We really enjoyed this museum. We were greeted with a smile and such a warm welcome. The exhibits were entertaining and educational. There was also a gift shop with Native american arts and crafts. So glad we visited.

Dylan Shah

Beautiful history and very interactive

Lance Taylor

What a great experience. Hands on activities for the kids but plenty for the adults to see and learn from too. The staff was friendly and helpful at answering questions too.

Andrea Weber

Beautifully done. Highly recommend this stop!

timothy baird

Go!

Joseph Ohl

Very nice museum well worth the drive the exhibits were nicely done and the history of the Lakota people was very educational will stop again on our next trip through South Dakota.

Vicky Panaccione

What a gem of a musuem & cultural center this! It is actually an outreach of the St Josephs Indian School on the same "campus". I would recommend this for families as well as history buffs. There are artifacts galore and displays of Indian life through the ages all presented in a very classy way.We saw their current "WHY" exhibit which moved me to tears. What a tribute this center is to the Lakota people.

Francis Byington Jr.

Was a nice look back at our history

Carla Hoover

Very educational

Karanne Trapp

Very informative

Glen Bailey

While driving across South Dakota today I saw a few billboards advertising the museum and I decided to stop along my way. I'm so glad that I did, the staff were real friendly and helpful and the museum itself is very educational. I spent about an hour and a half there and could have spent more time but I had to get back on the road. Edit : I also wanted to add that I was traveling with my pet cat, Callie, and they let me bring her inside ( in her carrier ) and sit by the front desk while I toured the museum. That really made me feel welcomed.

Kathleen Billington

Every South Dakota school child should be required to visit here; as well as every adult! I learned SO much. Very detailed exhibits and notations on early Native American Life, culture. Lots of authentic items, donated & identified. There is a very large bookstore, souvenir shop; with something or everyone. I spent 2 1/2 hrs here. Native staff who work here are a wonderful source of current & historical information on our native Americans.

Dennis Maloney

This was one of the best I've seen. It was awesome. So very sad how we tested the Indians.

Mark Hopkins

Really nice museum! I stopped on a whim, turns out it's free, had a great time looking at all their exhibits.

Judy Hebert

Absolutely awesome! A must see!

Kristy Kristy Ahearn

This is a must- see if you are in the Chamberlain area. Allow yourself at least an hour but probably 2. The gift shop has beautiful crafts that are reasonably priced. Will be going back for sure since I didn't have time to see all of the displays.

Marina Kunzweiler

A great museum full of Native American history. Gift shop has many unique items for the holidays or any special occasion.

Lisa Mann

The historical material there is impressive, and shows the depth of ingenuity of the Lakota people. However, the modern art display they are currently installing, expressing the horrors of the Wounded Knee massacre, leaves the deepest impression of all.

Carlo Emanuele Barbi

Nice museum with interesting backgrounds on the indian culture. Staff is very nice and friendly. It's not a must, but it is very informative.

Amy Hamilton

Absolutely the coolest place around. What an amazing feat. I first saw it in 1966, second time 1977, again in 1996, and last but surely not the last 2018. Each time we see it still amazes us.

Rocio Camarena

The displays were beautiful, well put together, and very informative. I would highly recommend going!!!

Jessika Rice

Love love love. So much history packed into a small place

Pattie Pogue

Amazing stop on our way west

Gary Hunt

Loved the place. Great displays. A lot of work went into it

Stephanie Logan

Very nice little museum, pretty campus worth your stop.

Steve Hoyt

Beautiful facilities full of the tragic history of the plains indians. Informative and highly educational displays include some poetry and quotes from some of the more well known indians of the time. Left here saddened by the losses suffered in the name of "manifest destiny"

Leanna Curry Larson

Very nice museum, I learned a lot. Sad that the land was taken and their tribal ways were lost just to survive. Amazed at the respect level for mother earth and full use of the buffalo.

Marysia Jorz

Amazing place full of history and information.

Sonya Ritter

Worth your time!

Curtis Vele

It was remarkable to see the artifacts and learn so much about the culture. I enjoyed how well some of the Lakota culture was explained, and how all of the interactive areas brought you in to experience the culture for yourself.

Bobbie Higgins

They should change their times on the site to match the hours posted on the door. I went to the museum at 4:45 and they were closed

Brittney Perez

You definitely get a great experience learning about the Lakota culture. The museum is family friendly and somewhat interactive. The museum also has a section dedicated to learning about St. Joseph's Indian School, which is where the museum is located. Best part is that it is FREE admittance and the gift shop has beautiful items to purchase A must see while traveling through South Dakota!

Rick Kies

This was a very informative and interesting and friendly place to be, a good educational experience

Jerry Sullivan

A magical place on the banks of the mighty Missouri River!! CHECK IT OUT!!!

Michael Dietz

A must see place.

Roger Olson

Only great things to say about this place.. Miigwitch.

Neelima Beri

Very nice museum about people of plains with nice display and a variety of information. Very nice gift shop too.

Ross Janes

Registered for the upcoming pow wow. Made a walk through of the center and was impressed with the displays. The staff was friendly and courteous. My companian and I plan a return visit to better view some of the displays. In comparrison to some of the other centers I have visited, this ranks as the best.

Stacy Williams

Informative and peaceful. Historical perspectives are honored here from the boarding school tragedies that occurred in the past.

Neil Palosaari

It was a wonderful experience and very informative.

Terry Houghtaling

This free museum was absolutely eye opening. I learned so much history from this Center. Fantastic!

Linda L .Brown

Incredible bead work displays and interesting souvenir selection all Indian made

Jodi bignell

Beautiful and educational history of the native american people.

Jeffrey VanderWilt

I REALLY enjoyed learning about the Lakota and about St. Joseph Indian School. Such a rich heritage and culture and it is so sad how our government (and other groups) so actively suppressed and oppressed these peoples. Here's to a much brighter future for these tribes and their nation.

Sheila Kenny

On campus of St. Joseph Indian School. Great exhibits, good variety of souveniers. We saw and heard a great presentation of the Wounded Knee massacre, with paintings, poems and songs, all by Native Americans. I had no idea of the details and experiences of the Native Americans involved.

Brian B

Amazing!

YVONNE LOUISE

Very interesting

David Ebinger

A moving presentation of the culture and history of the Lakota people.

G Davies

Excellent weaving of information into a story. Really well done.

Bavette Goes Mobile

Fantastic! So much history and education! Amazing artifacts and great gift shops!

Penny Wiersma

This is an amazing gem of a museum. Full of interactive exhibits and information kiosks. It is a place of pride and the wish to share a very special culture. Lakota Sioux Indian culture. Don't miss this.

Darwin Jones

Very informative, history I didn't know about

Bruce Montreuil

A great museum very factual very courtesy great people that work there

P Princess

Great place to learn Lakóta culture, it's very exciting for fans of Dancing with Wolves.