North Dakota Heritage Center & State Museum

Walk four galleries of North Dakota history, from dinosaur fossils and early peoples to the present day, on the State Capitol grounds.

612 East Boulevard Ave · Bismarck, ND

About North Dakota Heritage Center & State Museum

North Dakota's state museum sits on the Capitol grounds in Bismarck and is run by the State Historical Society. The Adaptation Gallery covers geologic time with dinosaur fossils, the Innovation Gallery shows more than 1,000 Native American artifacts, and the Inspiration Gallery follows the state's history through six themes. Kids get hands-on activities in the Treehouse. A cafe and museum store are on site, and a rare mummified Edmontosaurus is part of the paleontology collection.

#history museum
#dinosaur fossils
#native american artifacts
#state museum
#kids activities

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What's around here?

The closest stops to North Dakota Heritage Center & State Museum, ordered by straight-line distance.

Sightseeing
History Buff
North Dakota State Capitol
No admission fee
Tour the 21-story Art Deco capitol called the Skyscraper on the Prairie and ride up to the 18th-floor observation deck.
Transit: reachable by public transit
Steps awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing
Sightseeing
Local Gem
North Dakota Tourism Division
No admission fee
North Dakota's state tourism office in Bismarck, promoting travel and publishing the official state travel guide.
Transit: reachable by public transit
0.8 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing
Sightseeing
History Buff
Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park
Under $25
Walk a reconstructed Mandan earthlodge village and the rebuilt Custer House at a frontier fort site above the Missouri River.
4.8 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing
Sightseeing
Menoken Indian Village State Historic Site
No admission fee
Earth-covered village site with a fortification ditch, interpreted by walking-tour signs near Bismarck.
12 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing
Sports & Outdoors
Cross Ranch State Park
Check prices
A North Dakota state park on the west bank of the Missouri River, known for trails, bison-grazed prairie, and river views.
29 mi awaySwitch it up: Sports & Outdoors
Sightseeing
History Buff
Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site
No admission fee
Enter a reconstructed earthlodge and walk prairie trails past the lodge depressions of Hidatsa villages on the Knife River.
47 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing