History / Museums

A variety of museums showcase the Black Hills’ colorful past in everything from B-1 Bombers to Native American artifacts. Nearly every community in the Black Hills proudly boasts a museum or visitors center (or several), and collections portrayed are as varied as the Black Hills landscape itself. Geology, paleontology and archeology take center stage at Rapid City’s Museum of Geology and the Hot Springs Mammoth Site. Old west history is depicted at the High Plains Western Heritage Center in Spearfish and the Tristate Museum in Belle Fourche. Many other museums, monuments and attractions provide insight into how the area took shape, both naturally and politically.

	Black Hills Museum of Natural History DISCOUNT ADMISSION. One of the best collections of dinosaurs, marine fossils, minerals, meteorites and area paleontological historical displays anywhere. The museum features the world-renown Blac...[more]
	Adams Museum & House The Historic Adams House was built in 1892 by Deadwood pioneers Harris and Anna Franklin. Local contemporary press described the home as "the grandest house west of the Mississippi". The ele...[more]
	Black Hills Round House Living Map Theatre The Living Map Theater is a multimedia presentation covering the Black Hills Gold rush, with a 24 ft X 28 ft 3D map. The movie, with historical photos, actual film, and reenactments will tell the gold...[more]
	National Museum of Woodcarving DISCOUNTED ADMISSION. The National Museum of Woodcarving, located west of Custer on Hwy 16, offers a look at the world of woodcarving. The collections include carvings by an original animator of Dis...[more]
	Black Hills Mining Museum The Black Hills Mining Museum, located in Lead, offers guided tours through a simulated mine, gold panning and a wealth of exhibits on the Black Hills' rich mining heritage. Enjoy this unique, hands-o...[more]
	High Plains Western Heritage Center The High Plains Western Heritage Center Museum, located at exit 14 on I-90 near Spearfish, features western art, artifacts and Native American exhibits chronicling the heritage of 5 plains states. Out...[more]
	Journey Museum DISCOUNTED ADMISSION. The Journey Museum, located at 222 New York Street in Rapid City, takes you on an incredible trek through time, from the formation of the mystical Black Hills over 2.5 billi...[more]
	Sturgis Motorcycle Museum and Hall of Fame DISCOUNT ADMISSION. Sturgis Motorcycle Museum and Hall of Fame offers a variety of antique, classic and unique motorcycles as well as motorcycling memorabilia with special emphasis on the world f...[more]
	Mammoth Site DISCOUNTED ADMISSION. The world's largest mammoth research facility. The site is a working paleontological site/museum that contains the largest concentration of Columbian and Woolly mammoths ev...[more]
	Blacktail Horseback Tours Visit a historic stamp mill site, learning about original mining stories and the people that lived in the area from 1876 until 1900. Travel on horseback on a narrow gauge railroad bed, an original 188...[more]