
Highest-rated specialty museums in North Dakota by visitors
Highest-rated specialty museums in North Dakota by visitors
In 1683, Elias Ashmole, an Oxford graduate and true polymath, founded the Ashmolean, the modern world's first public museum. Stocked with his private collection of artifacts, curios, and special scientific equipment, the goal of the museum was to create a center for practical research and the advancement of knowledge. This, Ashmole felt, was a goal "very necessary to humaine life, health [and] the conveniences thereof."
According to figures from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, there are more than 35,000 museums in the United States today. Their collections encompass everything from modern art, like at the MoMA in New York City, to mustard, like at the National Mustard Museum in Middleton, Wisconsin, and everything in between.
Museums are anchors of our communities. The American Alliance of Museums reports that museums support more than 725,000 jobs and contribute upwards of $50 billion to the U.S. economy each year. Three-quarters of Americans agree that museums are an important part of our civil society and have an important role in promoting knowledge and civic engagement.
Beyond their educational and economic significance, museums are just plain fun. Whether you have a developed interest in natural history or just want to learn a little bit more about funerary history (the National Museum of Funeral History in Houston), there's sure to be a museum that strikes your interest. There's simply nothing else quite like spending an afternoon learning about famous figures, arts and crafts, military history, or what else you fancy.
Here, Stacker compiled a list of the highest-rated specialty museums in North Dakota on Tripadvisor as of Aug. 13, 2025. Keep reading to see what unique museums are in your home state. Then, make sure to plan a visit. With many museums facing funding cuts due to the current administration's efforts to dismantle the Institute of Museum and Library Services, who's to say how much longer these treasure troves will be available to us?

#11. Billings County Court House Museum
- Rating: 4.3/5 (26 reviews)
- City: Medora North
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#10. Stutsman County Memorial Museum
- Rating: 4.7/5 (21 reviews)
- City: Jamestown North
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#9. Barnes County Historical Society
- Rating: 4.8/5 (25 reviews)
- City: Valley City North
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#8. Dakota Dinosaur Museum
- Rating: 4.1/5 (44 reviews)
- City: Dickinson North
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#7. Prairie Village Museum
- Rating: 4.8/5 (34 reviews)
- City: Rugby North
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#6. Dakota Territory Air Museum
- Rating: 4.6/5 (84 reviews)
- City: Minot North
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#5. Dickinson Museum Center
- Rating: 4.3/5 (78 reviews)
- City: Dickinson North
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#4. Roger Maris Museum
- Rating: 4.1/5 (177 reviews)
- City: Fargo North
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#3. North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame
- Rating: 4.3/5 (131 reviews)
- City: Medora North
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#2. Fargo Air Museum
- Rating: 4.2/5 (199 reviews)
- City: Fargo North
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#1. National Buffalo Museum
- Rating: 4.1/5 (293 reviews)
- City: Jamestown North
- Read more on Tripadvisor
This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou, writing by Madison Troyer, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 51 states.