The Journey Museum - Rapid City

Near downtown Rapid City, the exhibits of the Journey Museum helps tell the story of the people who first shaped the area's history and the scientists who study the region to tell the story of the Western Great Plains. There are four major collections of prehistoric and historic significance that bring visitors through the times of dinosaurs, the Lakota peoples, the pioneers, to today.

The Collections

Museum of Geology  See how the Black Hills has taken shape during the past 2.5 billion years. Touch a dinosaur bone, observe geologists at work, and view life-size dinosaur fossils and replicas in realistic settings.

Archaeological Research Center  Experience the cultures of historic and prehistoric peoples.  Visit an archaeological dig and view 10,000 years of artifacts from ancient hunters to the region's first miners. 

Sioux Indian Museum  Gain an understanding of the history and culture of the Lakota Nation.  Sit by a tipi and listen to the tales and traditions of the Lakota from a storyteller.  Learn how the tribe lived, worked, played, and hunted from Lakota elders and descendants. 

Minnilusa Pioneer Museum  Experience the arrival of the first European settlers in the Western Great Plains through artifacts from mountain men, military, and miners, and story walls that tell the tale of their arrival through the modern day reconciliation with Wounded Knee.  Meet the historic figures that played such an important role in the history of the area:  General Custer, Jim Bridger, Wild Bill Hickok, Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse and Red Cloud.

The Duhamel Collection of Native American Artifacts  An extensive collection of Sioux arts and crafts.

Hours and Details

• Admission Price includes a 14-minute film that overviews 2.5 billion years of history and admission to the museum collections.
• Free admission for children ten and under
• Summer Hours: (Memorial Day through Labor Day) 9:00 am - 5:00 pm (Monday through Sunday).   Winter Hours:  Monday through Saturday, 10:00 am - 5:00 pm, Sunday 1:00 - 5:00 p.m.
• The Museum allows you to tour at your own pace.  Plan on spending anywhere from two hours to all day.
• You can purchase arts, crafts, collectibles, literature and educational gifts at the Museum Gift Store.
• Handicapped accessible