557 - North Dakota Heritage Center and State Museum
Loved by visitors of all ages, the North Dakota Heritage Center and State Museum stands proudly on the North Dakota Capitol Grounds. The original building, which was opened in 1981, is operated by the State Historical Society of North Dakota and features permanent and temporary exhibits.
In 2009, the 61st Legislative Assembly authorized $51.7 million dollars for a building expansion. At nearly double the size of the original Heritage Center, the 97,000 square-foot expansion provided more public space and exhibit galleries, as well as a dedicated space for daily agency operations. The grand opening of the beautifully renovated Heritage Center and State Museum was celebrated on November 2, 2014, coinciding with the 125th anniversary of North Dakota statehood. This was the perfect time to showcase the extraordinary State Museum that beautifully reflects North Dakota’s rich heritage and history now and for generations to come.
The North Dakota Heritage Center and State Museum promotes curiosity and a strong connection to the history of North Dakota on a deeper level, regardless of your age, vocation, or background. Welcoming and entertaining visitors of all ages, the Heritage Center invites you into four galleries that tell the intriguing story of North Dakota through thousands of artifacts and specimens, high-tech displays, and interactive exhibits. From a life-size tyrannosaurus rex skeleton cast to a 1950s soda shop, you will find connections from your own life with your experience at the Heritage Center. Enjoy lunch, coffee, ice cream, and other treats in the James River Cafe. Visit the Treehouse with the littles in your life and allow them the opportunity to discover and explore North Dakota life, past and present, all in a fun, engaging manner for children. The Corridor of History guides you on a journey through time down the hallways, as you make your way from one gallery to another. Learn about Native Americans who have gone above and beyond in representing their tribe and culture in the Native American Hall of Honor. Drive your way through a field of corn in the farming simulator. Have your picture taken with the mastodon, which stands twelve feet high at the shoulder, an enormous sixteen feet from tusk to tail, and is an astonishing 13,000 years old. And those are just a few of many memorable stops inside the Heritage Center.
Perhaps the most recognizable portion of the exterior of the Heritage Center is the Northern Lights Atrium, a stunning combination of architecture and symbolism that is uniquely the only design of its kind in the nation. The symbols and structure of the atrium embrace key elements of our state, truly making the atrium a sight to see. The learning and history doesn’t end when you step outside. Instead, the Pembina River Plaza displays a circle of 17 cannonball concretions that are 56-million-years-old and the namesake for the Cannonball River. A 60-million-year-old petrified tree found on the shores of Lake Sakakawea is also on display.
With the goal of “history for everyone”, the North Dakota Heritage Center and State Museum continues to be, as the late Governor Art Link described it, “the people’s place” and is a fascinating and welcoming experience that honors, with pride, the history and peoples of North Dakota.