Upcoming Events
Turtle Soup | Aaron Douglass - Nature’s Mating Game
Join Aaron for a discussion about the intricate and unique world of animal mating behaviors.
He’ll cover how South Dakota wildlife attract mates, what acts of mating can entail, unique anatomy, and what prairie voles can teach us about love. Prepare to laugh and learn a lot.
STEAM Saturdays - Signals & Infrastructure: Traffic Light Circuits
For this week’s activity, inspired by Garrett Morgan, explore how cities use circuits to manage safety at scale by building a traffic light circuit with red, yellow, and green LEDs!
Morning Session: 10:30am - 11:00am
Afternoon Session: 2:00pm-2:30pm
Turtle Soup | Marissa Marshall & Eric Veach - Starlit Badlands: Science, Culture & the International Dark Sky Journey
Marissa and Eric set off on an exploration of the natural wonder of the Badlands’ night sky.
Join them to learn why dark sky conservation matters and what the International Dark Sky designation means for South Dakota, our communities, and future generations.
STEAM Saturdays - Light & Art: Circuits That Changed Daily Life
For this week’s activity, inspired by Lewis Latimer, explore how electricity becomes light by creating your own light-up circuit art!
Morning Session: 10:30am - 11:00am
Afternoon Session: 2:00pm-2:30pm
Flyfishing Film Tour - 2026
Don’t miss this 20th anniversary special presentation of the Fly Fishing Film Tour (F3T) in the Journey Museum Theater.
F3T is sponsored by Dakota Angler and Outfitters.
Rapid City Founder's Day Celebration
Celebrate the 150th anniversary of Rapid City with FREE admission to the museum all day and the unveiling of a newly refreshed exhibit honoring the founders of Rapid City.
Turtle Soup | Dr. David Wolff- Rapid City: Becoming the Gateway to the Black Hills
Join David to learn how, despite its rocky start, Rapid City would come to be known as “the Gateway to the Black Hills.”
He will discuss Rapid City’s founding, early struggles, and a few of the activities that allowed Rapid City to grow and prosper.
STEAM Saturdays - Communication & Precision: Circuits That Connect the World
For this week’s activity, inspired by Shirley Ann Jackson, participants will build a send-and-receive circuit to explore how electrical signals communicate messages!
Morning Session: 10:30am - 11:00am
Afternoon Session: 2:00pm-2:30pm
Turtle Soup | Marty Two Bulls Jr. - The Art of Marty Two Bulls Jr.
Join the talented Marty as he discusses his career and life as an interdisciplinary artist.
Additionally, view the exhibit he recently curated, Lakota Contemporary, currently on display in the Stanford Adelstein Gallery.
Turtle Soup | Dean Simmons - Prisoners on the Prairie--WWII Axis POWS in MN and SD
Following a viewing of the PBS Documentary, Held in Minnesota: Untold WWII POW Stories, Dean Simmons will speak about the camps in Minnesota and South Dakota during World War Two.
Violin and Guitar: Latin Fire - Black Hills Chamber Music Society
Welcome Maya Anjali Buchanan and John Marcel Williams for the Black Hills Chamber Music Society 2026 Concert Series.
Violin and Guitar: Latin Fire - Black Hills Chamber Music Society - Matinee
Welcome Maya Anjali Buchanan and John Marcel Williams for the Black Hills Chamber Music Society 2026 Concert Series.
Turtle Soup | Tamie Hopp - Points in Time: 150 Years of American Disability Policy from Indigenous Wisdom to Civil Rights
Tamie examines 150 years of American disability policy through two hypothetical figures that will help illustrate (and humanize) critical junctures in disability history.
Turtle Soup | Corey Christianson - A South Dakotan in the Great War: Alfred Dahlin
Join Corey for the story of Alfred Dahlin, a soldier in WW1. After serving his country, he returned to Sisseton, South Dakota.
His story is told through photographs, letters, and research.
April Cliff Effect Escape Room
Cliff Effect Escape Room – An Eye-Opening Experience
Will a raise move your family forward—or push you further behind?
Violin Duo In Concert - Black Hills Chamber Music Society
Featuring Sarah Grimes from the Minnesota Orchestra and Kayla Moffett from the Kennedy Center Opera.
Turtle Soup | Justin Horn - Black Hills or Bust: Lt. G.K. Warren's Three Western Expeditions
Justin’s presentation will venture across the American West, detailing the life of Lieutenant G.K. Warren, who was given the unofficial title of “The Explorer of Nebraska Territory.”
Justin will discuss Warren’s adventures, hardships, and explorations.
Turtle Soup | Gina Gibson - Geek Speak: Gravitational Waves, Particle Colliders, Dark Matter and More: A Sabbatical Story
Gina will discuss the many adventures that accompany her life as an artist, from her time at the deepest underground lab in the United States to Zürich, Switzerland.
Turtle Soup | Paul L. Hedren - Sitting Bull’s War
In this deeply moving account, viewers are immersed in the struggles of the Lakotas and Northern Cheyennes in the 1870s to retain a lifeway on the buffalo prairie.
June Poverty Escape Room
The Poverty 101 Session explores the dynamics and myths of poverty for attendees from all sectors and fosters a shared understanding of poverty.
June Poverty 101
Poverty 101 Session explores the dynamics and myths of poverty for attendees from all sectors and fosters a shared understanding of poverty.
August Cliff Effect Escape Room
Cliff Effect Escape Room – An Eye-Opening Experience
Will a raise move your family forward—or push you further behind?
August Poverty 101
Poverty 101 Session explores the dynamics and myths of poverty for attendees from all sectors and fosters a shared understanding of poverty.
October Poverty Escape Room
The Poverty 101 Session explores the dynamics and myths of poverty for attendees from all sectors and fosters a shared understanding of poverty.
October Poverty 101
Poverty 101 Session explores the dynamics and myths of poverty for attendees from all sectors and fosters a shared understanding of poverty.
December Cliff Effect Escape Room
Cliff Effect Escape Room – An Eye-Opening Experience
Will a raise move your family forward—or push you further behind?
December Poverty 101
Poverty 101 Session explores the dynamics and myths of poverty for attendees from all sectors and fosters a shared understanding of poverty.
STEAM Saturdays - Safety Systems: Circuits That Protect
For this week’s activity, inspired by Marie Van Brittan Brown, participants will build a simple alarm circuit that activates when a “door” opens!
Morning Session: 10:30am - 11:00am
Afternoon Session: 2:00pm-2:30pm
Turtle Soup | Shelly Rose from the Coeur Wharf Team - A Golden Journey
Shelly sifts through the rich history of gold mining in the Black Hills and digs into how Coeur Wharf maintains its shining legacy.
February Poverty 101
Poverty 101 Session explores the dynamics and myths of poverty for attendees from all sectors and fosters a shared understanding of poverty.
February Poverty Escape Room
The Poverty 101 Session explores the dynamics and myths of poverty for attendees from all sectors and fosters a shared understanding of poverty.
STEAM Saturdays - Yogurt Making with SDSMT
SDSMT scientists Laura and Alex lead a live demonstration on how good bacteria helps to create yogurt!
Morning Session: 10:30am - 11:00am
Afternoon Session: 2:00pm-2:30pm
Turtle Soup | Kibbie Brown - The Colorado Exodus -1878: The Resettlement of Native American Families
Speaker Kibbe Brown takes you on her family’s journey on the Western Frontier, 1858-1878. Three generations reside, intermarry, are born, and die in the present-day Colorado front range.
STEAM Saturdays - Shake It ’Til You Make It: Butter Engineering & Emulsions
Discover the science behind one of the oldest food-making techniques!
Morning Session: 10:30am - 11:00am
Afternoon Session: 2:00pm-2:30pm
Turtle Soup | Dr. Matt Simmons - History of Medicine: Stories from Western South Dakota
Dr. Matt Simmons, an academic and medical professional, will discuss the colorful history of medicine in Western South Dakota.
STEAM Saturdays - The Great Bean Cooking Experiment
Discover how heat and chemistry transform food in a fast, sensory-rich investigation into food chemistry and cooking science!
Morning Session: 10:30am - 11:00am
Afternoon Session: 2:00pm-2:30pm
Turtle Soup | Craig Howe & Lukas Rieppel - In and Out of Place
Join Craig and Lukus for a detailed discussion surrounding the extraction, and needed repatriation, of fossils from Lakotan treaty lands.
In their presentation, they will make a case for why prehistoric fossils taken from Lakotan treaty lands should be returned.
Nostalgia Night Film Series
Nostalgia Night Film Series is back for its 31st season to benefit the Friends of the Devereaux Library.
STEAM Saturdays - Sugar to Crystal: Fast Crystallization Lab
Learn how crystals grow by making your own sugar crystal starter!
STEAM Saturday - Bread in a Bottle: Yeast & Gas Production
Explore how yeast makes bread rise in a quick and memorable introduction to chemical reactions!
STEAM Saturdays - Light Maze Lab
Use mirrors, angles, and flashlights to guide a beam of light through a custom-built maze!
STEAM Saturdays - Lantern Makerspace
Design and build a glowing winter lantern- a perfect blend of art, engineering, and seasonal magic!
Turtle Soup | Paul Horsted - South Dakota Yesterday & Today: A Preview
Join Paul for a preview from the forthcoming book scheduled for release in the summer of 2026.
Get an inside look into Paul’s process, inspiration, and what he has discovered about South Dakota on his photographic journey.
Wóiwahoye Gluótkuŋzapi Lakota Language Education Conference
We’re excited to announce that the 2025 Wóiwahoye Gluótkuŋzapi Lakota Language Education Conference will return to the Journey Museum on December 18-20, 2025.
Lakota Contemporary Artist Forum
Join the Artists of the phenomenal show, Lakota Contemporary (curated by Marty Two Bulls Jr.), for an insightful community conversation about their art, inspiration, and methods featured in this show.
STEAM Saturdays - Water Stained Glass Suncatchers
Create your own colorful “stained glass” masterpiece and experiment with how light shines through different colors and shapes!
Turtle Soup | Tom Durkin - James Webb Space Telescope: Overcoming 344 Ways to Fail
Join Tom Durkin to explore NASA’s amazing James Webb Space Telescope and how it had to overcome 344 single points of failure, any one of which would have ended the mission.
The Velvet Room Speakeasy - A Prohibition Era Inspired Event
Escape the daily drab and join us for an evening of elegance and intrigue at The Velvet Room Speakeasy, a celebration inspired by the glamour and mystery of the Prohibition era.
Enjoy a lively evening filled with entertainment, food, gaming and more all while supporting The Journey Museum.
Turtle Soup | Alec Anton - Driving a Herd of Bison to their Death
The Archaeology Laboratory, Augustana University, with the support of the South Dakota State Historical Society and South Dakota Archaeological Society volunteers, recently conducted archaeological research associated with a National Register of Historic Places nomination of a bison kill site in central South Dakota.
December Poverty 101
Poverty 101 Session explores the dynamics and myths of poverty for attendees from all sectors and fosters a shared understanding of poverty.
December Poverty Escape Room
The Poverty 101 Session explores the dynamics and myths of poverty for attendees from all sectors and fosters a shared understanding of poverty.
Hazel Miner - Film Screening
When an unexpected blizzard hits Center, North Dakota in 1920, a heroic 16 year old girl struggles to keep her two young siblings alive through twenty-five hours of subzero temperatures.
STEAM Saturdays - Design Like a Scientist!
Join us on Saturday, November 22 to become a problem solver by designing water solutions!
Turtle Soup | Matthew Davis - Book Talk: A Biography of a Mountain
Join author Matthew Davis for a thought-provoking presentation on his new book, A Biography of a Mountain: The Making and Meaning of Mount Rushmore.
This session promises an engaging dialogue about how we remember, commemorate, and interpret American history through monuments.
November Cliff Effect Escape Room
Cliff Effect Escape Room – An Eye-Opening Experience
Will a raise move your family forward—or push you further behind?
STEAM Saturdays - Mapping Our Water
Join us on Saturday, November 15th to learn how scientists track water pollution and map it to see patterns!
Turtle Soup | Amy Sazue - Remembering the Children
The Remembering the Children Memorial is a community-led initiative in Rapid City, South Dakota, dedicated to honoring the children who were taken from their families and placed at the Rapid City Indian Boarding School between 1898 and 1933.
The Memorial represents a historic act of acknowledgment, healing, and justice, situated on land directly tied to the dispossession of Indigenous children and families.