Old Courthouse Museum is what happens when a city decides its history deserves a serious building. The Romanesque stone exterior alone stops people mid-sidewalk in downtown Sioux Falls — and that's before they step inside.
Inside, the museum preserves and interprets the regional history of the Sioux Falls area through rotating exhibits, permanent collections, and curated displays that span Indigenous history, settlement, and civic life. It also hosts private events and banquets within its historic halls, giving gatherings a backdrop that no hotel ballroom can manufacture.
Locals pick this one because it earns the visit twice — once for the architecture, once for what's inside. The building doesn't apologize for being imposing, and the exhibits don't talk down to you. It's the kind of place that makes a field trip feel like an actual experience, and a wedding reception feel like something worth remembering.