10 Museums in Sioux City That You Shouldn't Miss

LaunchPAD Children’s Museum is Iowa’s newest play and discovery zone! Featuring unique, interactive, hands-on exhibits and programs, children and the entire family are sure to have fun while learning along the way.

The Sioux City Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center and the Betty Strong Encounter Center comprise an almost 20,000-square-foot, private, non-profit cultural complex, built and sustained by Missouri River Historical Development, Inc. (MRHD). The Interpretive Center opened in 2002 to commemorate the Lewis & Clark Bicentennial. It expanded in late 2007 with the opening of the adjoining Betty Strong Encounter Center to fulfill a permanent mission of "commemorating a history of encounters before, during and after the expedition. Joined by the symbolic Crossroads, these two parts create a Missouri Riverfront home for exhibits, programs and activities that explore how we live together as diverse people and how we care for our land, our great river, and other natural resources. Admission and programs are free.

Located in the heart of downtown Sioux City, the Sioux City Public Museum features large, colorful exhibits, interactive displays, and much more. Visitors will discover the "Spirit of Sioux City" through a lively 12-minute orientation film in the ornate "corn palace theatre." A variety of hands-on experiences are available including the award-winning "Innovation I-Wall" and "The Big Dig," which replicates an active fossil dig site. Highlights of the permanent gallery are rare Native American artifacts from the area; Sioux City's first "horseless buggy," a 1901 Oldsmobile; a 1930 Kari-Keen airplane manufactured in Sioux City; and a 1918 Mack fire truck similar to ones used by the Sioux City Fire Department. The two-story Disaster and Recovery Wall features multi-media presentations of three major Sioux City catastrophes: the 1904 Pelletier Department Store fire, the 1953 Floyd River Flood, and the 1989 crash of United Airlines Flight 232. Temporary exhibits feature topics of local and regional interest.

Take a step back into history and encounter unique artifacts and exhibits that help tell the exciting story of aviation and transportation in our lives. Explore a wide variety of displays and exhibits of full size aircraft and surface transportation from bicycles to vintage automobiles, a fire engine, and even a Boeing 727-200! The Mid America Museum of Aviation and Transportation preserves and celebrates the rich aviation and transportation history of the Sioux City area. Spend an hour…spend a whole day… the entire family will find something fascinating, entertaining, unique or educational at the Mid America Museum of Aviation and Transportation!

Originally known as the Milwaukee Railroad Shops, the Railroad Museum is located along Highway 12 in Sioux City, Iowa. This historical treasure, nestled in between the scenic Loess Hills and the Big Sioux River, was built in 1917. At one time this site was a large industrial complex that serviced and repaired locomotives and railcars for 65 years. Today this 30-acre complex is home to the Sioux City Railroad Museum. Only a handful these places still exist in the United States. Today, after several years of preserving and restoring what remained, the museum is able to showcase rare artifacts and architecture that represent an important and influential time in our nation’s history. The Railroad Museum and its historical atmosphere create a unique environment for friends and families to learn and enjoy. We are building tracks for the future!

JOLLY TIME Koated Kernels is a locally owned family business which sells specialty popcorn. The shoppe has over 20 flavors of homemade delicious popcorn that made fresh daily from quality ingredients. Koated Kernels is also the home of the JOLLY TIME Museum, which showcases 100 years of Jolly Time history with memorabilia and relics.