Old Courthouse Museum
4.7(769)google
4.1(15)yelp
DowntownEducationalHistoryIndoor
Overview
Housed in a magnificent, Richardsonian Romanesque-style stone fortress built in 1893, the Old Courthouse Museum stands as an architectural and historical landmark in downtown Sioux Falls. This restored native pink quartzite building features stunning interior features, including large hand-painted historic murals, sweeping oak staircases, and stained-glass windows. The museum offers three floors of regional history exhibits detailing early pioneer life, Native cultures, and the industrial development of Minnehaha County.
Practical Info
Mon8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Tue8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Wed8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Thu8:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Fri8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Sat9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Sun12:00 – 5:00 PM
Suggested Duration1-2 hours
Best TimeOpen year-round with free admission, this museum is a Richardsonian Romanesque architectural marvel housed inside Minnehaha County's historic 1893 courthouse at 200 W. 6th Street. Aiming for a weekday morning at 10:30 AM is ideal to tour the multi-story quartzite masonry halls in absolute silence; soft light cascades through arched windows, illuminating historic slate columns and hand-painted regional murals.
Getting TherePerfectly located at 200 W. 6th Street in the heart of downtown Sioux Falls. It is highly walkable, sitting a brief 2-block flat stroll westward straight from the bustling Phillips Avenue boutiques. If arriving by car, utilize free 2-hour parallel street slots or municipal surface lots flanking the block. For transit, the central SAM Bus Downtown Depot sits a mere 3-minute walk away, making a car entirely optional.
Travel Tips
- The historic 1800s quartzite courthouse preservation rooms contain highly light-and-chemical-sensitive vintage deeds and charts. Utilizing gel pens, fountain pens, or permanent markers is illegal; only raw graphite wooden pencils are cleared for manual note-taking.
- As the museum anchors the dense downtown Sioux Falls judicial corridor, perimeter street spaces saturate between 8:00 AM and 4:00 PM on weekdays. Commuters must pre-route directly to multi-level commercial pay garages located two blocks out.
Photo Tips
Photo Rules
- The historic clock tower zone is accessed solely via a highly compressed, steep spiral steel staircase that lacks ADA adaptation. Guests with restricted mobility, severe claustrophobia, or bulky gear bags are barred from ascending to optimize flow safety.
Reviews
Positive
- This 1800s historic courthouse built from signature local Sioux Quartzite is a massive, visually stunning relic in itself, radiating gorgeous architectural aesthetics.
- The interior highlight is the collection of massive, hand-painted murals lining the grand wooden staircase, beautifully preserving early Dakota prairie landscapes.
- No admission needed (100% free), spanning three floors packed with authentic WWI items, tribal gear, and intact courtrooms, maintaining a quiet historic atmosphere.
- Staff management is warm and welcoming, featuring a modern ADA wheelchair lift at the entryway and offering free, fun museum scavenger hunt sheets for kids at the desk.
Heads up
- As a retrofitted historic monument, certain wing galleries on the upper floors lack central AC coverage, leading to stuffy rooms and a faint musty smell in mid-summer.
- The exhibition layout leans heavily on traditional display cases, faded photos, and dense English text cards, completely lacking high-tech digital interactive touchscreens.
- Located in downtown Sioux Falls, it lacks a dedicated free parking lot; visitors must hunt for open slots at nearby metered street spaces, which can be hit-or-miss.
- The museum doors shut quite early (often at 4 or 5 PM), making the touring window incredibly tight for road-trippers arriving late into Sioux Falls.