Want to learn more about this amazing state? Then plan your trip to take a tour of the exhibits at the Historical Building. Conveniently located near a free parking ramp and the State Capitol building (while you're at it, take a tour there too!). This building also hosts events. I have attended a roof top wedding reception and a day long symposium is the auditorium. read more

See all

There are an excellent array of exhibits here! Ranging from early Iowa settler history, to civil rights war, and everything in between until present day! It's free, and there's a good amount of info in short blurbs so it's all easy to read. There's interactive exhibits and it's all very clean. Definitely check this out to learn a lot about Iowa and US history in the context of Iowa. It's very kid friendly as well. read more

State Historical Museum - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

See all

Admission is free. I was impressed with the awesome mammoth exhibit, located just inside the main entrance to the museum building. The staff here were engaging and friendly. Due to my positive experience, I felt compelled to make a financial donation to their charitable arm. I plan on returning to this valuable community institution the next time that I happen to be in the Des Moines area. read more

See all

Fun museum to stop at when you've got some time and the weather isn't the best. Some of the exhibits were better than others. I was a little disappointed to see that there were several place cards saying that pieces of the exhibit were removed and some of the interactive aspects of the museum were not being utilized or missing. Overall, it was great to catch up on some of the history of Iowa and Des Moines. read more

See all

Free! Not sure why one wouldn't visit. It is right down from the capitol, you can see it from the stairs of the entrance. It is about a 7 minute walk, or you can drive and park on the street. I thought several of the exhibits were interesting and creative. Have I seen better state history museums? Sure. But it is free and interesting. read more

See all

We stopped to visit this history museum when we went to Des Moines for a swim clinic. If we weren't told to come visit here, we may never have found it! It is located right outside of the state capital so if you're going there to visit, you should at least make a stop here. When you walk inside, it is so quiet. It's almost like no one is there! The first floor where you check in, there's a mammoth fossil, which will get anyone's attention. It's huge! Also, when you look up to the ceiling, there's historical planes which are super cool! When you walk around the museum, you'll find things mainly from the Midwest, but for me, many of the things I was never aware of! For instance, there are many Disney artists that were from Iowa! If in the area and have free time, you should take a visit! You might learn something new! read more

I finally found time to make a return trip to the Iowa state hist museum after 30ish years. A few of the exhibits I remember from my childhood. Lots of historical information about our state and the things Iowa has to offer. You can easily spend a full day here if you have the patience to read all the info provided. Interactive exhibits are a little dated with some wear and tear. Some exhibits are "not available " or have very poor lighting. But for a no entry fee entertainment I was happy with the experience. read more

Pretty nice place, lot of Native American artifacts. Definitely recommend a visit, never crowded. The wording on the 2021 plaque about the George Floyd protests was a bit messed up. It's 2021, why are you calling black people "Blacks"? read more

See all

Very nice little free museum. I had been to it once many years ago chaperoning one of our kid's field trips but my husband, an Iowa native, had never been. It was exactly what we needed for an indoor, air conditioned option to get out of the house. It was especially helpful that it was free so we didn't feel bad if we couldn't make it through both floors due to my husband's fatigue from cancer. The museum is pretty open and spacious and has some great exhibits about Iowa's history. I was a little disappointed about the number of exhibits that seemed to be out of service, but since it's free I'm sure funding plays a huge role. Anyway, great place to visit especially on an inclement day. It takes about an hour/floor or more to go through depending on how many exhibits you read. We look forward to going back to finish our visit. My photos are only from the first floor. read more

See all

I got to say I have been to the State Historical Museum a few times now but this was my first time where I actually walked through the whole Museum and I was kinda blown away! Seriously! They have a fantastic hands on area for kids... (Seriously kids could be entertained in here for hours!) I love the Iowa in film section.. The Raigbrai section ruled too. And all the Civil War and historical stuff was fantastic as well! I don't know why it took me so long to actually got through this museum! It was a blast and oh wait for it.. Did I mention it was FREE! The staff of guys sitting there greeting folks was super cool and kind and offered us a map and gave us a few tips! I loved this.. So cool. I kinda wanna go back already! read more

See all

As I'm a hopeless museum nerd, all it took to make me set out to the State Historical Museum for a visit was reading a couple of its Yelp reviews. The fact that admission is free doesn't hurt, either ;-) Tip: There's complimentary parking in the garage across the street from the museum at the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and Grand Avenue. Very proximate metered street parking is also available; I actually scored a spot within spitting distance of the front door on my last visit. The museum is spacious and nicely laid out; there are two floors for exhibits and displays, with both floors having around the same number of things to see. On the third floor there's a café with a rooftop deck that offers views of downtown and the capital building. I found many of the exhibits quite interesting. They do a particularly good job informing visitors about the life of the original pioneers. You can also learn about the lives of some of the more famous Iowans. One of the more memorable exhibits for me was the one that dealt with RAGBRAI (Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa) - this is a famous, large-scale state-wide bicycle ride that involves hundreds of people and takes place every summer. Everything here is very well done, and I can easily see coming back for a repeat visit after a little time has elapsed - recommended! read more

See all

Free to your, but leaves much to be desired. We stopped in as we were looking for some free things to do around the downtown/capital area. I rated this as a 4 because it was free and honestly not that bad but it's nothing to be amazed by. I'm sure they could use some updates, but for what they have, it's not bad. read more

State Historical Museum - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

See all

Free museum that educates you on all things Iowa! Yes! So awesome! My kids love this museum. BONUS: They renovated the first floor to have a kids area called Hands-On museum. This visit we started at the top floor and ended at the first floor. (Best way to enjoy this museum because my kids could not handle how the first two floors were scary or boring.) We spent 30 minutes total on floor 2 & 3 and nearly an hour in the kids area. The Hands-On Museum had a tractor, extra large train table, lego table, the 801 Grand Building made of legos, play Kitchen, coloring, puzzle area, and reading nook. The rest of the floors kept most exhibits the same. Added some new things to old exhibits and updated the main floor exhibit but was not open yet. Street/meter parking is limited on the south side of the building (where the entrance is) so there is a free parking garage on the north side-- although it is a walk. The meter parking is best in my opinion especially if you have little ones. Paid $0.85 for 90 min of parking. Meters also take credit cards. I gave this museum four stars because it's free, has a newly added kids area, and educational. I would give five stars if parking was better and if they updated more in the upper level to be more engaging. Overall I recommend this museum to learn about Iowa history. read more

See all

Currently undergoing construction but still open. They have a massive mammoth skeleton as you enter the museum. The museum has a lot of Iowa history and is free so you can't complain. read more

I have drove past this place so many times in my 4 years living in Des Moines and would never have thought to stop in, So glad we did! It is truly a hidden gem and free! The kids zone is super cool, lots of fun hands on activities including a tractor you can climb up on. Everything seemed really clean and in nice shape-unlike some kid places, yikes. Lots to look at, could spend 5 mins to many hours in here. My favorite part was the film section, lots of neat film artifacts from Iowa. From stars to old movies, even a surfboard from the teen choice awards-Thanks Ashton! A must see for any history buff, or Ragbrai enthusiast. I would definitely go back and recommend people check it out, especially on a hot summer day when you are looking for something interesting to do! read more

See all

We had an amazing time visiting this museum last weekend! It is a brief 5 minute walk from the State Capitol Building, so we were able to visit this museum after visiting the State Capitol. Both of these things are a must-see for anyone visiting Iowa and would like to learn about the history/culture of Iowa. Just like the State Capitol building, this venue is free! It is unnecessary to have a guided tour of this place, everything is pretty linear and there are descriptions of all the exhibits to educate you on what you are viewing. The museum feels like an actual museum! There are actually a good amount of exhibits to see and to learn about. I've lived in Iowa for a few years and never took the time to come here, I'm glad I did because I feel like it's a must to understand the history of the state you reside in. The venue was not very crowded, there were a good amount of families and children here, but it never felt crowded with people. It is fairly quiet when walking through the museum, good atmosphere to take in the history of Iowa. read more

State Historical Museum - Interior - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

The more I learn about Iowa, the more I love the state! I'm not one to enjoy history, but Iowa just fascinates me! There's quite a bit of exhibits to look at and read. You can even watch little videos explaining some of them! read more

State Historical Museum - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

See all

What museum is closed on a Saturday? Isn't that when most people visit museums? We're in town for the weekend, as that is when we don't work and have the time to drive from Minneapolis to visit. We assumed it would be open today, but that's our bad...I guess? read more

I loved my memories and experience coming here as a kid, and am happy to still be able to enjoy reliving the experience of this museum as an adult. Keep your eyes open for craft events offeref from time to time. Come for the A/C or heat, stay to feed your brain! ADMISSION IS COMPLETELY FREE!!! read more

Great display on the Civil War and Iowans' involvement!! Give that a 5 star rating. The rest of the museum had good collections displayed nicely but the information about each display was very lacking. Some of it referred to "tablets" in various locations that did not closely address each display. It seems that "technology" was expected to replace good old fashioned placards under each display item. Consequently, the museum visitor was left to guess what each item is and its significance to Iowa history. I expect a high school intern or volunteer could eliminate the obsolete tablets and provide a massive improvement with placards during one summer. A major part of many of the displays are collections of guns,,,, expected in the Civil War display but not the rest of the museum. Signage pointing out parking for the museum was also lacking. The one noticeable sign points AT the museum building!? The good part is that the parking and the museum are free!! read more

I came for the Iowa Caucuses exhibit. I found it very interesting and helpful because none of it made sense. . .still doesn't to be honest. I did not realize the rich history associated with Iowa and caucuses, but the exhibit explained it in detail. . perhaps too much detail. I need "Iowa Caucuses for dummies" version. I also had the chance to visit other exhibits inside and the cafe here as well. Great afternoon. read more

I thought this museum was nicely done and very accessible. It felt very empty on our visit and we almost missed the upper level exhibits completely. As it has free admission, I can't complain about the lack of docents directing visitors. The lighting was very dim in many areas even making it difficult to read the signage, but after fully experiencing the museum and particularly the exhibit on preservation of historical items, I understand a bit more about light levels affecting preservation. It was still a bit of an issue even for my husband and me, and we're relatively young with good vision. So I think it's something to mention for older folks or those who may have vision issues. There is a wide variety of information so I'd say there is probably a little something for almost everyone here. Parking wasn't great at the time of our visit and we walked several blocks to visit the museum (just another thing that may affect other visitors, wasn't a problem for us). read more

See all

Good museum! We went on a Wednesday and there wasn't any crowd. You seem to learn quite a bit of Iowa. We stayed there for a good two hours.

This is an awesome museum with hours worth of interesting stuff to look at. I went recently and LOVED it. I hadn't been here in years and forgot about it. The recent Civil War exhibit was great. Go! Take your kids. A great museum. read more

Reception staff was TERRIBLE. There were two ladies working the front desk that were extremely rude and thought it was professional/ok to forcefully SCREAM at young children in the lobby. A child was injured while we were there and the reception staff ignored repeated requests for help. Museum itself was interesting, staff was awful, rude and VERY unprofessional. read more

totally free an absolutely awesome selection my favorite is the civil war flags find your ancestor's regiment & the black bear is one my great aunt remembered alive i only hope they do not downsize the display read more