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North Dakota Heritage Center & State Museum, Bismarck, ND

Photo: State Historical Society of North Dakota, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

MuseumsFreeHistory BuffRainy-Day Pick

North Dakota Heritage Center & State Museum

612 East Boulevard Ave · Bismarck, ND

Why you should go…

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

Good to know

General museums guidance

Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.

  • Check the special exhibition separately

    Touring shows usually carry their own ticket and their own opening hours, listed apart from general admission.

  • Look for the free window

    Many museums run community days, member evenings, or discounted late openings. It is worth a look before you pay full price.

  • Travel light through the door

    Large bags and backpacks often have to go to a coat check, and lines for it move slowly at opening.

  • Weekday mornings beat weekend afternoons

    School groups clear out by early afternoon midweek, while weekends stay busy from late morning on.

What's around here?

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

  • Sightseeing
    Free

    North Dakota State Capitol

    Free

    Tour the 21-story Art Deco capitol called the Skyscraper on the Prairie and ride up to the 18th-floor observation deck.

    Steps awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Sightseeing
    Local Gem

    North Dakota Tourism Division

    Free

    North Dakota's state tourism office in Bismarck, promoting travel and publishing the official state travel guide.

    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
    History Buff

    Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site

    Free

    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