If you are a history buff then this is your place. This museum is the starting point of the Pony Express, Saint Joseph to Sacramento. Still has the original well than was dug for it inside the building. Self guided tour with dioramas and mannequins. Many interesting displays. Across from a park with a steam engine and next door to the Fire Department museum. Two blocks east is the Patee Hotel museum and Jesse James museum in the house where he was killed, though not the original location of the house. read more

See all

Everything. The diaramas were well done. The item were excellent to portray the times. Community should be very proud of this excellent place in history. read more

Traveled 5 hours to see museum only to find out they were closed. Website and recording both said they were open. I even called but got no ansewer just recording saying they were open. read more

Very interesting museum. It was very well curated. My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It would be very good for children but still appealing to adults. Well worth the entrance fee. read more

Def worth a trip! Informative and interactive museum! If you haven't visited St. Joseph this is def worth the trip! read more

See all

If you're interested in The Pony Express or in Wild West history, I would definitely recommend this place. It was awesome!

Cute little museum filled with a lot of interesting facts, exhibits & artifacts providing an excellent overview of it's history. You will start out by watching a short 10-15 minute DVD in the Pony ExpressTheater followed by a walk through with many interactive exhibits thereafter. It was self guided, which I liked so you can go at your own pace. Cute little gift shop to explore when you are done with the museum! read more

See all

Very fun and informative museum for adults or kids! They tell you about the history of the short-lived Pony Express from various perspectives and have engaging activities. Our group (four adults in St Joseph for a wedding) enjoyed it. read more

The Pony Express started on April 3, 1860 with a lone rider on horseback leaving the Pikes Peak Stables, here in St. Joseph, Missouri. I knew the Pony Express riders carried saddlebags filled with mail, messages, and peoples hopes and dreams, but I was surprised to learn they rode all the way to Sacramento, California...2000 miles away...!!! This little museum today rests within these stables and is a tribute to the legend and legacy of the Pony Express. There are tours ($6.00), and they are quite educational conveying the need, creation, operation and termination of the Pony Express. There is also a souvenir store with all kinds of trinkets and momentos. read more

See all

This was a great stop with a lot of history. We were there for over an hour and did the self guided audio tour and read most of the placards. I could see spending more time there to read everything. We started the tour with a movie about how the pony express came to be. From there it's self guided. It's well laid out with zones (probably started with covid but good idea to keep) and the audio QR code tour helps walk you through it as well. This is worth the stop even if you have to go a little ways to get to St. Joseph. read more

We went to the Pony Express museum a couple of years back but as I recently created an account, I wanted to go back and leave a review with some pictures that I was able to take because the Museum was a wonderful visit. They had a movie room where we were able to learn of the history, then we were able to walk around and enjoy many of the fascinating exhibits they had within. I thought Kansas City was going to have near to nothing because my family kept on with how small a town it was and there was 'nothing' to do but I tell you this is surely something to see. We enjoyed the visit and I can't remember the exact price for ticket but I remember thinking it was well worth the visit. I even bought a little Squirrel ornament souvenir at the gift shop for my daughter and still cherish it dearly in remembrance of the trip! read more

See all

I took my family to visit on a rainy Saturday. This was a great educational experience for adults and kids. The price of admission was also a great value. You shouldn't skip this if you are in St. Joe with an hour or two to spare. read more

A look at the outside of the building will place you back into the pony express era. As you walk in, you are surrounded by objects of the western past. There are plenty of exhibits for people to learn about a heroic group of men and boys. It's fun and educational for all ages. read more

Fun and informative museum. The museum signage and displays are easy to read and provide interesting information. I am impressed with the quality of the exhibits. My kids loved the life-size covered wagon, horses, and people. They especially enjoyed the children's dress up and play area. If we lived in the area, we would come a lot just for the climate-controlled kids' play area. This was a great choice for a 100 degree day! read more

See all

Very nice museum for all things Pony Express. Nicely laid out and easy to walk thru. They even have a working well you can pump, interesting to show kids what people had to do to get water. There is a kids play area with pioneer items. In the gift shop we got a tshirt and some post cards. Friendly staff. read more

6 months ago, if you asked me, "Have you ever heard of the Pony Express?", I would've replied, "Of course!" But if you then asked me to describe it in detail, I'd have said, "It was where people delivered mail...to the west...on horses...and, uhh, collected mail to bring back." I now know the very curious story of this brief-lived business venture thanks to this charming, understated museum housed in the former stables themselves (and how cool is that?!). A brief video, which appears to be low budget but made with love, leads you into a collection that detailed how the idea came about to deliver mail from St Joseph to Sacramento via the central route through the territories in a mere 10 days. The highlight of the museum is a huge diorama, probably about 30 feet long, that showcases the varied terrain a rider would need to endure, complete with sensor-activated enhancements (thunderstorms, heating/cooling temperature changes, etc). A great way to tell the story. You can make it through here briskly in around an hour, and then you can step outside to enjoy the vintage Route 66-esque Pony Express Motel sign before driving up to see the monumental statue in downtown. St Joseph is home to a unique piece of Anericana, and I'm glad they do it right. read more

This is a lovely little museum! So well done and very ingesting. I knew nothing about the Pony Express and now I sure do. Must stop if you are close. Takes about an hour. Only $6 or get a coupon off the internet for two for one. read more

Took the kids 6 and 8 years old to the museum. They loved it! We spent almost two hours looking at the various exhibits, watching the documentary and playing in their old west cabin. Then we played "old school" Oregon trail. I am very impressed with this museum and highly recommend it. read more

Your one stop shop for ALL Pony Express, Jesse James, & St. Joe history & memorabilia! There's also a park right across the street with a HUGE train engine & authentic Native American TPee, complete with artifacts of everyday living! The whole site is REALLY cool, & the staff is AWESOME! Check it out! read more

I found this museum to be pretty interesting. They did a great job of explaining the history and of showing you what these men had to go through. read more

Great little museum packed with interesting information and artifacts. It's the original site of where the ponies would head out from St. Joseph, so that was really cool. There's a video to watch about the history and a great walk around museum. Well worth it! read more

Great museum, I don't know any bad museum here in this area! It has a nice tour through the history of the Pony Express and some other St. Joseph history. It's one of those "hidden gems" in America and definitely a must see! It's a shame some idiot stole some of the museum artifacts and probably sold them. But otherwise, great museum. It walks you through the times of the Pony Express and the Wild West you would probably dream about as a little kid! Having an orphan that's 11-13 years old ride to Sacramento, that would be a lot in today's standards. But they were brave. The museum also has other exhibits about Buffalo Bill, why St. Joseph was chosen as the starting point, and much much more. You need to see this! read more

It was a small museum with some interesting information. I'd never been to St. Joseph and I thought I'd check it out while in town. I hoped that there would be a lot of Buffalo Bill information since he rode for the pony express. There wasn't very much about him there though. You listen to a short video and then walk around. You can be in and out in an hour. read more