Discovering Dinos At The Museum @ Black Hills Institute

When we visited South Dakota last year one of the stops we planned was the The Museum @ Black Hills Institute mainly to see STAN the T-rex. Sadly, the facility was closed due to the pandemic. We are in South Dakota again and this time the museum was open so we got to visit.

Founded in 1992 in Hill City, South Dakota, the museum features an extensive collection of regional dinosaurs, ammonites, mammal and marine fossils. A number of world-wide fossils, mineral and meteorites are also on display. The museum exhibits include over 1,000 actual fossils as well as many replicas.

Stan the T-rex was/is the centerpiece of the museum. He is one of the most complete tyrannosaurus fossils ever discovered.

Chances are if you’ve visited a natural history museum and seen a T-rex skeleton is was a cast of STAN. The original skeleton spent years on display at The Museum @ Black Hills Institute, but unfortunately, it was sold in October of last year. A cast of STAN can still be seen at the museum today though.

When you first walk in you may be a bit discouraged considering the whole museum is showcased in one large room. Don’t let the size of that one room fool you though there is so much to see.

Unlike large natural history museums that spread out their specimens to showcase them, this museum seems to throw everything together and it’s kind of a visual overload.

You can easily get distracted trying to look at everything at once. I suggest taking the strategy of starting on the outside and concentrating on browsing those exhibits before moving on to the pieces in the center.

Or you can start with the massive collection of real and cast replica whole dinosaurs on exhibit in the center of the room. Either way, you can concentrate on one section at a time and not get overwhelmed and miss an exquisite piece.

The center display features mainly whole skeletons of dinosaurs. There is a mix of real and replicated pieces here. Though STAN may no longer be the original you will see many pieces that are.

For the life of me, I can’t remember now, but I’m pretty sure the Triceratops skull in the pic above was real. Triceratops is my second favorite dino. I know they had other real Triceratops fossils there including skin and a leg bone you could touch.

A number of large ammonites were also scattered around this area. I’m also a big fan of these extinct marine molluscs and they had some impressive specimens on display.

One of Jamey’s favorite pieces was the leg of a large sauropod. This specimen was real and quite impressive to see. In the pic above you can see Jamey standing beside the leg to see just how large it is. It’s incredible to think animals this massive once roamed the Earth.

When looking at the center display of skeletons remember to look high and low while exploring the exhibit. Specimens are really crammed in there together and there’s a lot on display to see.

Cases and cases of fossils line the walls of the museum.

During the Cretaceous Period, a seaway spanned central South Dakota and was teeming with unique sea creatures. Many of these incredible species can be seen at the museum. Having the opportunity to check out so many of these cool little sea creatures was a highlight of my trip.

When browsing through the cases make sure to look up as well. Many items can be found displayed atop the cases, on the walls, and hanging from the ceilings. If there was an open spot to place an exhibit it was used.

There is a small room located off the main exhibit hall that showcases minerals, rocks, and meteorites from around the world that is definitely worth checking out.

All in all, this is an excellent little dinosaur museum. If you are a fan of dinos and are in this neck of the woods of South Dakota I highly recommend stopping in and checking it out. There is so much to see and learn and you will not be disappointed.

There is an excellent gift shop on the premises as well that even sells some real fossils. Also, once you pay for admission it is good for the rest of the year so you can come back and explore as often as you want.