If you want to be remembered or leave a legacy, support the work of this museum. They need more…read morespace for exhibitions, a proper store for merchandising, climate-controlled space, in an extraordinary building. Surely, those whose families have built and sustained this community can come forth and donate the resources to make this the kind of place residents can be proud of. Currently housed in the Ames Cultural District next to an historic landmark and across the street from the Octagon Center for the arts, this wonderful museum is packed with historical items waiting to be displayed, used for research and exhibits worthy of this fine city. They need more volunteers, donors, members, and storage in order to stage the kind of exhibits that do justice to those who grew up here, studied here, and conducted business here. New exhibits on the craft beer industry and education are currently in process. How do you want to be remembered?

A long time in the making, the Ames Historical society has worked hard to assemble the history of…read morethe city. The pictures and story are presented in a very compelling way. Stop in and enjoy!

My boyfriend, my brother & I all had fun here last weekend! I love the different selections of…read moreSioux City history they have here!

A beautifully maintained facility. The greeter at the desk warmly welcomed each visitor this…read moreThursday. The building is large enough to host a huge antique road builder but small enough to see everything in a morning. I'd guess you'll spend two hours looking at fossils and nostalgic Sioux City memories. There's a medium-sized native American; fair exhibit that didn't quite pop. But I'm nitpicking; this 5 star museum is beautifully put together. Then again, not everything can be a life-size tyranasaurous rex skull. That thing kind of steals the show in over in that part of the building. In fact, when I was looking at dino stuff, I wished I'd seen that skull last. I'll put a selfie of it; I look ugly but I need you to see this head. The rex's, not mine. Once you see that, most of the other fossils are forgettable. Except to the 13 year old children who are so knowledgeable about paleontology! Apparently, The Hard Rock Hotel donated some of the coolest pieces, including the t. rex, an unforgettable gift to the Sioux City community. Finally, speaking of community is what I think of as a Community Room. It's a behind the scenes facility, also beautifully maintained, where significant events can be shared. In fact, that was how I wound up at the Sioux City Museum. It was the location for the Juneteenth celebration in Sioux City. As a freedom loving American and a military veteran who believes in "justice for all," I've had an interest in this holiday for years. In most communities I've been to, Juneteenth either doesn't get seriously recognized, it gets a mention in the schools or, at best, it was celebrated in church with prayer, a program and, downstairs at Second Baptist Church of Ottumwa, a feast. In Sioux City, after a multi-year absence, the historic holiday of Juneteenth was celebrated in the museums community room. As a wild guess, at least a hundred people were there to listen and to eat soul food. The program explained how slavery ended in the US after the Civil War. But the landowners of Texas refused to let their slaves hear the news; those victims actually weren't slaves, they were free. The white "slave" holders of Texas kept the secret, working these free people for TWO YEARS, until a Federal military unit showed up to break the news: You're all free.

This was a fantastic museum! Small but mighty…read more The grounds are kept so well and I loved being able to walk the prairie landscape park by Jens Jensen. There was a lot of good information inside, of course with artwork, to artifacts and even some props brought over from Denmark. My favorite was the small photo album from the 1970's when they brought over the Danish windmill from Denmark and it shows the complete transformation. The staff was SO kind and helpful and just really eager for us to ask questions and have a great experience and visit. As someone who adores everything Danish I loved this exhibit! Their gift shop was so well done and I walked away with some local honey and Bjorn Wiinblad wall hanging to add to my collection. I would definitely recommend this place if you're visiting the area, and I so hope to be back one day!

Stop in here on a little road trip back home. I thought this place was really cool. It's in what…read moreI'm pretty sure is an actual Danish village. A lot of the people living near by are Danish I'm pretty sure. The museum building itself is beautiful then add in all the art and culture it's even more amazing. I brought my kids with me and I feel like they didn't appreciate it as much as I did but we were at the tail end of the trip and they wanted to be home. There were so many cool artifacts to look at that I wasn't able to see all of them because my kids were afraid being on the 3rd level . The woman working the front desk was so kind and lovely. I wish I would have gotten her name. It was peaceful and cool in here too. It was a fun stop in and learning experience!

This was a complete waste of time and not worth the drive out of the way. The 2-hour train ride…read morecrawls along at about 8 mph, and 97% of what you see out the dirty windows is just thick wooded vegetation. There are only two bridges with a decent view -- the rest is painfully dull. I paid extra for the climate-controlled car (thank goodness I did), because the open-air and standard cars had no airflow at all. It looked absolutely miserable -- especially for young kids, who would find it long, hot, and painfully boring. I'm so glad I snuck in snacks, water, and some activities for my kids, or the ride would've felt even longer. There was very little narration or history shared, and the onboard bathroom was disgusting -- honestly worse than an airplane restroom. No food or drinks are available on the train, and the small museum at the station isn't much to see either. The only positive was that the staff were friendly and welcoming. Also, there's no cell service in the area, so you can't use navigation or stay occupied during the ride or after. Overall, this was a huge disappointment. I would never do it again.

I was a here 30 years ago, so much has changed in that time. They have gotten better with age…read more We drove up from the St. Louis area for the Valentine's Day dinner train. It is a throwback to earlier times being able to have a nice meal on vintage railway equipment. My wife enjoyed the shrimp and linguine and I had beef with noodles. Both were very good. The ride itself winds its way along the river and over a couple of bridges. The stop and allow everyone to go to the observation car to enjoy the view from the High Bridge. Dinner is a leisurely affair so that you can enjoy each others company while the scenery slides by. Because it was February, the sun sets early and the ride home was in darkness, the have lights on the exterior of the cars that illuminate the right of way as you head back to the station. I am glad that my wife knows how much I enjoy riding the rails, and indulges me with great times like this.

I'm so glad that a close friend encouraged me to visit this excellent venue, as it led to a…read morefantastic afternoon on Iowa State's main campus. We came on an afternoon with basketball games sandwiched on either side of our arrival and experienced zero issues. Easy parking and the venue are free with a suggested $8 donation. Their extensive collection is varied and covers many types of art. I enjoyed the Will Wilson photography on display and appreciated their "Talking Tintypes," which used iPad or Smart Phone tech to highlight Wilson's pieces. I thoroughly loved Josh Simpson's "Imaginative Journeys in Space and Sea," a phenomenal collection of complex and unique glasswork. I appreciated the accompanying video that dove into how the works were created. His "MegaPlanet" was incredible. In addition, two other works in the central portion of the museum were memorable - Yoshida's "Sacred Bridge" and Koitsu's "Lake Yamanaka." They have monthly events that I look forward to attending, and Brunnier is open 10-4 daily during the week, and 1-4 on the weekend.

From the owner: University Museums is a distinctive organization that encompasses two art museums, a National…read moreHistoric Landmark historic home museum, a sculpture garden, and one of the largest campus public art collections in the nation. University Museums brings world-class exhibitions with educational programming to Iowa State University, actively acquires works of art to add to the more than 30,000 permanent collection objects, conserves and preserves collections, conducts and publishes curatorial scholarship, and fosters student engagement.

Want to learn more about this amazing state? Then plan your trip to take a tour of the exhibits at…read morethe 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.

There are an excellent array of exhibits here! Ranging from early Iowa settler history, to civil…read morerights 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.

Very cute boat, be prepared to read a lot and learn from the pictures and the cute little models!…read moreGood for The whole family and it's free! Just make sure there are not a lot of people there at the same time cause it's narrow. The staff is friendly and the few souvenirs are cheap.

Local museum open Saturday's 9-1, free admission, run by friendly volunteers. More then 4000…read moresquare feet of historical and local items with their own story. Items like an urn used in the reburial of Sargeant Charles Floyd in 1895 (member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition), also a local horse drawn hearse which is over a 120 years old. There is also a metal star with the letters GAR. What was this organization and who were they? Come explore and learn some local history.

Have you ever seen a steamboat made into a Welcome Center and Museum? Me neither. So I had to go…read moreinside to check it out. I was met with two of the nicest ladies (working on a Saturday) answering questions and giving directions. Inside the steamboat is a small place to buy souvenirs and snacks as well as a museum on multiple levels. The majority of the museum is accessed up two small staircases. Kids and adults will find this Welcome Center a perfect place to stop in. Restrooms were in a separate building and a playground was available for the kids to get out some energy. There was also a beautiful walking path by the water to walk your dog. Go in and tell the nice ladies Marie sent you!

The last time I was here was 7 years ago. I was here two weeks ago & I had fun with my friend who…read morealso was here with me! A lot of interesting things to see regarding Sioux City & Lewis & Clark voyage!