My husband and I had passed by the Old Courthouse Museum many times since moving to Sioux Falls,…read morebut for Mother's Day we decided to do something a little different and finally stop in for a visit. We both love old historical museums, and this turned out to be one of the nicest surprises we've had since making South Dakota our home. The courthouse itself is beautifully restored. The architecture alone is worth the visit. Walking through the building really gives you an appreciation for the craftsmanship of another era. One thing that especially fascinated me were the old architectural drawings on display. It honestly amazed me to think that all of those detailed designs were created entirely by hand without computers or modern drafting programs. The amount of patience and talent required must have been incredible. The museum gives a wonderful glimpse into the early history of Sioux Falls and how different life once was here. Looking through the exhibits, furnishings, photographs, and displays made me reflect on how much simpler life must have seemed back then, even though I know it certainly had its own hardships. As newer residents of Sioux Falls, it also helped us feel more connected to the city we now call home. Sometimes when you move somewhere new, you know the streets and stores first, but not the story underneath them. This museum helped fill in some of those gaps for us. We also wound up spending far too much time in the gift shop and left with quite a few souvenirs. Mostly though, I just enjoyed spending the afternoon strolling through the museum with my honey, learning a little more about the history of the community we've become a part of. It made for a very peaceful and memorable Mother's Day.

This museum is really cool and interesting with lots of information about the building and the…read moretown, as well as lots other items from history.

Definite not what we were expecting. The inside has been closed every time we're in town, so we…read morehaven't seen that. Overall not super impressed with just the outside.

It is easy to drive right by this museum as it looks like a regular park. In fact surrounding this…read moremuseum are fields for recreational purposes. Upon closer inspections, you'll see the outline of the USS South Dakota Battleship. A life sized outline that is. In the center is an information center that has lots of insightful information on this ship and it's relevance in WW 2. This particular battleship survived many of the great wars between the USA and Imperialist Japan including Midway, Iwo Jima, Okinawa and the surrender of Japan in Tokyo. One spectacular artifact is the Japanese flag from the lone surviving Japanese Battleship, the Nagato surrendered to the US. There are many amazing photos presumably taken by sailors on the Ship as well as letters to families of men who died on the Battleship. I was particularly moved by the tribute to Leonard "Vito" Coangelo who died in battle. Seemed like a man who was everyone's best friend. Set aside 45 minutes and do visit this place. Although it is free, it was impossible for me to leave without making a donation to this historical landmark.

Pretty good price especially for 2026 all the animals looked content, fed, happy, energetic, and…read morehealthy got 2-3 hours of walking around without kids so you can definitely get your moneys worth make sure to pay online It's cheaper! Besides that I would recommend and can't wait to stop in again!

My husband and I spent a total of 1 hour there. First off, my husband is in the Air Force and they…read moreoffered "military discount" on tickets. They gave us one dollar off. On only his ticket. Definitely was not worth the 40$ because the animals look so sad. It's a very small zoo and a bit run down in my opinion. They had a Pallas cat kept in the smallest in-closer I've ever seen. Felt so bad for it. Overall, would not recommend. Animals deserved better environments.

Saw my friends uncle here. Very popular place. Went for the Sal vulcano show. What a time. The…read morebathrooms are clean and very cool. Lots of lights in there you know how it is of course. Staff is helpful and one guy is 6'7". How awesome. Very inclusive. Lots of help for those that have disabilities and accommodations. Love u Sal and the pav

Great venue....saw Herb Alpert earlier this month, while visiting old friends…read more Acoustics....Excellent!!

This was an extremely interesting and educational experience. First, it's a free attraction…read more Second, you get to learn about the hospital's history. Third, you get to learn about history of medicine in general. Super cool experience for both the adults and children in my group! This was more of a self guided walk through museum. We didn't see any workers/volunteers, so if you have any questions you're more than likely on your own. There was a lot to learn and take in and just admire in general! We absolutely loved this place!

Visiting from Richmond VA and this museum is amazing ! Great for kids ! So many interactive…read moreactivities and such great energy. I loved the options of rooms to travel in and out of. The exhibits that change often (per my sister who lives here) were super fun for the kids. She said tickets range around $16.50 per person five or take the age and I feel like that's so worth it for an All day experience.

We've had a family pass for years. It's really upsetting to find out they've retroactively changed…read morethe terms of our family pass that makes us pay extra for things that we're previously included. In the least at least wait until we renew our passes. That's greedy, bad business.

This is fun for out of town guests to keep busy and interesting too. My family had a good…read moreexpereinece there and went out to lunch too. We found fun stuff to look at there.

The weather was terrible while visiting Sioux Falls... We were looking for a low cost activity to…read moreget us out of the house but also stay safe with COVID. House tours have always intrigued the nosy side of my personality :) A friend and I went here and really enjoyed it. There is a 25 min video they are offering that was informational (this is a recorded tour from when they weren't offering tours). We did get to enjoy the tour with a guide as well - it was very special getting to see the different rooms and hear the history of the home and the Pettigrews. There is also a museum addition that you go through at the end that is focused on the history of Sioux Falls and very informational. Overall I'd recommend this when you are in town. It was interesting.

Inconsistent event schedule information on the MOVM and google. There was free open play for kids…read morefor years. Arrived today kiddos in tow to be rudely ungreeted by an employee to say that they have not had open play since 2020. Posted hours are staffed only for wedding tours and payed art classes. Inaccessible and unaccommodating waste of space.

This place is kinda small, but that's really its only drawback (some of the paintings are also a…read morelittle...post-representational for my tastes, but I still enjoyed looking at them). Its a beautiful building, surrounded by a beautiful garden, in which there are an array of displays on various interesting topics, as well as numerous paintings for sale, and permanent artistic displays. The staff was very friendly and accomodating, and they permitted me to wander throughout the facilities (including some rear areas that I wasn't entirely certain were ordinarily open to the public), despite the fact that the place was all set up for a wedding reception (presumably taking place right about now). Its a very eclectic and downright cool place, with all sort of objects d'art & assorted knick-knacks either for sale, or just on display, atop shelves & shelves & shelves of books on all manner of artistic, scientific & cultural topics (I was especially pleased to come across a copy of Roy A. Gallant's "National Geographic Picture Atlas of Our Universe," which my grandfather gave me for Christmas way back in 1980, and which I hadn't seen for a good many years). Like I said, the place is small, so don't plan on making a day of it, but its definitely more than worth checking out. Its nice that there's no admission fee, but despite being unemployed, I still threw a dollar in their donation box...so if you have a full-time job, please see if you can't do just a little better than that.

Art. Parks. History. Nature. Trails…read more Sioux Falls, South Dakota's largest city, has something for everyone. With over seventy parks, there are lots of open outdoor green spaces and trails. Falls Park highlights the beautiful series of waterfalls along the Big Sioux River. Located just north of downtown, it is a great place to enjoy nature up close. Interested in art and local artists? The Sioux Falls SculptureWalk highlights both contemporary and traditional works. See something that you love? The pieces located throughout downtown are all for sale, for the right price. Surprised also to see a replica of Michelangelo's David near the riverfront. History lovers will find a trip to the USS South Dakota Battleship Memorial interesting. Although the museum is closed, you can still get an idea of her size and strength at the outdoor displays in Sherman Park. Admission is free.