address:
ND Capitol Grounds - East Boulevard
Bismarck, ND  58501

phone: (701) 328-2666 website: http://www.nd.gov/hist/

The North Dakota Heritage Center is the largest museum in the state. It features temporary and permanent exhibits that explore the story of life on the northern plains from prehistory to the present. In the main gallery, the "Corridor of Time" exhibit covers more than 100 million years of history in North Dakota and features fossils of dinosaurs , like Triceratops and dromaeosaurs, a close relative of the well-known Velociraptor of Jurassic Park fame, as well as many other ancient creatures. Other exhibits highlight native cultures from the time of the glaciers 10,000 years ago to the first contacts with Euro-Americans. Exhibits on the fur trade era, including the story of the Lewis and Clark expedition, tell of economic competition and military conflict over a vast prairie empire. More stories document the struggles and successes of the homesteaders and pioneers, the economic "boom" of the early twentieth century, and the disillusioning "bust" of the 1930s. Visitors can experience history through hundreds of objects, view images of the past through photographs and actual films made from 1916 to 1921, and participate in interactive exhibits such as cranking a model-T or even smelling a buffalo wallow. The Heritage Center also houses the State Archives and Historical Research Library which is open to the public and is particularly valuable to individuals doing genealogical research.





dates/hours of operation:
Exhibit galleries and Museum Store are open year-round, Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
For more information, call (701) 328-2666.

admission:
Admission is free.