black hills institute - museum

You can't visit Hill City and not take advantage of visiting this gem! This is the real-deal and you will be amazed.

Took my 7 year old grandkids here. They were fascinated! Great display of dinosaurs! Take your time, there is a lot to see! Staff is very knowledgeable and friendly. A must see in Hill City!

My 10 year old is infatuated with dinosaurs. We stopped here each day of our one week vacation. It was so much fun for him and once you pay admission once its good for the whole year!

Small and compact. Lots of dinosaurs and lots of rocks. Very interesting even for one not all that interested in rocks. History of the museum was interesting. You are right there with the dinosaurs, not separated by lots of glass. Has very important skeletons.

I've been to lots of dinosaur museums and displays, and this is one of the best. The collection is very packed, but lots of individual animals are displayed and the walls are replete with partial skeletons. The proprietors were very knowledgeable about the collection, the tour price was very reasonable, the gift shop had a lot of variety.About the only downside is that the display space is quite limited and the mounted specimens overlap.If you're in the area to see the Badlands, Mt. Rushmore or Devil's Tower (and like dinosaurs), this is a very inexpensive and worthwhile addition to your trip.

The prize of a recent dinosaur-related vacation was a visit to the BHI. Jammed into a small space was a trove of paleontology and geology exhibits which includes one the few actual T-Rex skeletons in the world. If these exhibits were given the space provided in large museums, the collection would cover much of downtown Hill City.My favorite was the head of a Mastodon whose teeth had been so worn down that it could no longer feed itself sufficient food. With a T-Rex named Stan towering over the other exhibits to a spot where children can practice digging for fossils, this museum will generate great memories of a trip to the Black Hills.

Even though the museum is not huge by any means they have the inside jam packed with dinosaurs, fossils, and geological specimens. Being a rock hound myself I really enjoyed all the specimens on display. The clerk who worked there and sold me the ticket was really helpful in giving an overview of what the museum had to offer and background on some of the exhibits. He even directed me to a cabinet that had drawers of fossils for sale in it which I was interested in. Picked up a couple for souvenirs which I was super excited to be able to buy. Kids will love this place.

This is one of the best private museums I have ever been to. Completely fascinating and interesting. From fossils to stones, my favorite is the Fairburn agate display. Being a from South Dakota this is the place to begin any rock hounding adventure. Maps, books, display specimens, and if your lucky one -on-one local advice. Not to mention home of some of the most complete skeletons of Tyrannosaurus Rex. It also contains one of the most unique gift shops anywhere in the Black Hills.

My boys and I loved exploring the museum, and reading about all of the local digs and finds. We definitely recommend the museum.

This place is great. Lots of fossils from tyrannosaurs to trilobites and geological finds galore. Many items are available for purchase in the gift shop including mineral quality stones such as topaz, lapis, and tanzanite just to start. They have wonderful selections of geodes and jewelry as well. A word to those with children. The fossils are open to all not encased in glass. A wonderful perk but for those who have climbers may be a feat! Overall it was a great experience and worth the low admission cost. We had a great time.

Always loved fossils and rocks, and this was a great place to see amazing specimens of both! They had full skeletons (real and replicas) of many animals, and had the best aquatic animal/plant fossil collection I've ever seen. Also had a large gift shop with something for everyone. Would definitely go back.

WOW! I cannot believe how many things they have in this small area. Unbelievable. So much information. So many things to see. If you have kids into dinosaurs or rocks, this is the place to go!

Very cool place, May be small in size, but they pack more stuff into it than many of the larger size places and very educational

This is a small but impressive museum in downtown Hill City. It has dinosaur skeletons and lots of information on them. We enjoyed it and it is a must see if you are travelling with children.

Traveling with our 5 and 9 yr olds, it can be hard to find things that all of us enjoy...this place was one that we all did. The museum is packed with interesting things and when the 5 yr lost interest, there was a sand table he could play in. Very very friendly and helpful staff. Nice gift shop with items at all price ranges so kids found things to spend some of their souvenir money on. Highly recommend.