“Our South Dakota: Big Land / Big Ideas / Big Heart” is on exhibit in the Museum of the South Dakota State Historical Society located at the Cultural Heritage Center in Pierre.

It’s a great exhibit featuring the landscapes of South Dakota from past to present. You’re able to measure yourself up to a full-size replica of George Washington’s nose on Mount Rushmore – the nose is over 15-feet tall! Sit down, and gets hands on with an old-school typewriter and type out a memo to a friend, you could take it home and send it in the snail mail with a stamp!

You’ll also have the opportunity to get in touch with nature. There are fox skins, skunk skins all for you to touch, feel, explore and learn from inside this great exhibit. Oh, I can’t forget to mention the poop samplings that are lying around. Don’t be surprised if it looks like a previous visitor brought along a buffalo, coyote or prairie dog. Not to worry, the samplings are only rubber, but they sure look real!

Climb into a real combine cab and see what it is like to harvest a field. Or, see how South Dakota measures up in size to other states in our nation by grabbing a Velcro state of South Dakota and moving it along the country side to see how the size compares. We look tiny compared to Texas, but massive compared to many eastern states. It’s an interesting hands on exhibit that is great for adults and children of all ages. Get to know South Dakota a little bit better by visiting this exhibit at the Cultural Heritage Center in Pierre.

Plan your visit to see “Our South Dakota: Big Land / Big Ideas / Big Heart.”

The unique history and spirit of South Dakota is captured and accumulated in this Great Place. Visitors will find a new discovery around every corner. It’s the Museum of the South Dakota State Historical Society in the capital city, Pierre.

The museum is a place to learn about American Indian history, explorers, homesteaders, and politicians who established South Dakota. Visitors can get an understanding of the challenges that the people of South Dakota experienced in the 20^th century.

Highlights of the museum include the Sioux Horse Effigy Dancing Stick, the Verendrye Plate and a realistic model cow that visitors can try their hand at hand-milking. There are three permanent galleries displaying artifacts.

The newest exhibit at the museum is titled “Our South Dakota: Big Land, Big Ideas, Big Heart.” It showcases South Dakotain a new perspective. Visitors are able to look atSouth Dakota’s past and present and even size themselves up to George Washington’s nose from Mount Rushmore National Memorial.

The museum is located at the Cultural Heritage Center, the South Dakota State Historical Society headquarters. The museum shares the 63,000 square foot building with a number of offices within the Society. For a size comparison, that equals the length of two football fields.

The State Archives is also located inside the Cultural Heritage Center. It contains more than 12,000 cubic feet of records. This equates to more than 37,600,000 records, including books, maps, and photographs. With a few exceptions, all of these records are open to the public for research. There is also a gift shop, South Dakota Heritage Store, on site featuring Made in South Dakota products.

The Cultural Heritage Center is open during the winter months, Monday through Saturday 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m., and on Sundays and holidays from1-4:30 p.m. The museum has extended hours during the summer season, Memorial Day through Labor Day, of Monday through Saturday9 a.m.-6:30 p.m., and on Sundays and holidays from 1-4:30 p.m. The museum is closed on New Year’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas day.

Admission fees are $4.00 for adults, sixty and over $3.00, and children 17 and under are free.

The mission of this South Dakota museum is to “collect, preserve, and interpret the social, political, and cultural history of the State of South Dakota and Dakota Territory. The museum makes its collections available through exhibitions, loans to other museums, and publications.” The museum is a part of the South Dakota State Historical Society which is a component of the South Dakota Department of Tourism.