The Mammoth Site

A must stop on vacation for young children.

I really didn't know what to expect and couldn't imagine how a dig site of bones would be interesting enough to spend more than a few minutes around. Well, I was wrong. There is a lot of valuable history, artifacts, and behind the scenes knowledge. Our 5 year old LOVED this part of the trip. It was a highlight for sure and we all learned a great deal. I also like that it's not a fussy museum where kids are restricted. Yes, they can't climb into the dig site, but there were many opportunities to climb and touch. There is a basically a museum part, and the dig site part. The dig site is a large open room, very large, but you can see across it. I love this setup. It encouraged my son to explore more on his own but I could still keep a watchful eye on him. How cool to learn about our country from so many years ago!

So worthy the entrance fee!!!
Seeing the actual dog site and being able to walk around and see the layers and to be able to envision the making of the fossils.
Museum is well set out with a variety of exhibits.
Very good explanations with the signage and there is an audio program you can download.

This is a must see if stopping by in Hot Springs, SD. You learn a whole lot and it's so interesting to see all the mammoth bones right where they were found. I recommend bringing your kids and it is handicap accessible

During the summer, you can see the folks working on the dig site and they have a snack bar

This "museum" is so cool! An active dig site, it's something I found on Google to explore since we were staying in Hot Springs. We chose to break up a work day by spending an hour or so going through the site... and it did not disappoint!

They also offer volunteer opportunities and active digs. If we spend more time in this area I'm definitely going to look into those programs. To get down in the pit with the bones would be so incredible. One of the most amazing parts was where they had a core sample drilled and said the fossils extended ANOTHER 65 FEET (!!!!!) down below what's been uncovered so far. That's crazy!

The gift shop, while small, does not disappoint... especially with their t-shirts. Very family friendly and a great outing for home schoolers!

If you have time and like seeing real mammoth bones then it's perfectly fine to spend an hour or so at this place. Otherwise not sure if it's worth the $14 entrance fee even though the whole program is informative and well put together. It seems to be mostly a good place to bring kids. The visit consists of seeing a 10 minute film, a self guided walk around the indoor dig site, an exhibit with various reconstructed skeletons of extinct animals not just the mammoth and the gift shop. There are picnic tables scattered on the grounds in front under tree shade to rest up before moving on.

Plenty of parking. We went inside and discovered it was a bit more than we wanted to pay, $12 for seniors. We opted to browse the gift shop and then left. The most interesting thing is the arrow display.

Nothing more to say that has not already been said. It's quite unique as all the bones are still in place. You will need about 30 mins to an hour depending on how much audio you listen to.
Do watch the movie ahead of the exhibit and peruse the gift shop afterwards.

The best museum I've been to in years: an endlessly fascinating indoor archeological mammoth dig. They were thrilled when I asked if I could FaceTime w my kids, so I walked around for an hour as they got to experience it all from afar.

I enjoyed Mt Rushmore but this is the real gem of the SD black hills

Had a great visit here. The informational video helped lay out the site, then the actual dig site was pretty cool. My kids loved all the bone replicas they could actually touch and the water exhibit.

We love The Mammoth Site! It has been 11 years since we last visited. It was just as exciting and with so much more to see and experience. We brought our 2 pugs in their stroller which was a lot of fun for us and them. They kept looking at the huge skeletons and bones. It is fun and educational for all ages. Highly recommend.