Free & Cheap Things to Do in Bismarck

History & Culture

One of the finest free state museums in America, with four sweeping galleries covering 600 million years of North Dakota history — from prehistoric seas and dinosaur fossils to Native American cultures, homesteader life, and modern energy development. The museum underwent a major $52 million expansion and is genuinely world-class, with high-tech interactive exhibits, a stunning atrium, and tens of thousands of artifacts.

Address: 612 E Boulevard Ave, Bismarck, ND 58505

Tip: Open Monday–Saturday 8am–5pm, Sunday 11am–5pm. Plan at least 2 hours — the dinosaur hall alone is worth the drive. Located on the State Capitol grounds; combine with a free Capitol tour on the same visit.

History & Culture

Known as the 'Skyscraper on the Prairie,' the North Dakota State Capitol is unlike any other in America — a sleek 19-story Art Deco tower rising from the flat plains horizon. Free guided tours take you through the elegant legislative chambers, the Memorial Hall lined with murals, and rotating art galleries. The observation deck offers sweeping 360-degree views of the Bismarck skyline and surrounding prairie.

Address: 600 E Boulevard Ave, Bismarck, ND 58505

Tip: Free guided tours run Monday–Friday at 9am, 10am, 11am, 1pm, 2pm, and 3pm (June–August also Saturdays at 10am and 11am). No reservation needed. The building is open year-round; the grounds are beautiful in summer.

History & Culture

A beautifully restored 1884 Victorian home that served as the official residence for 20 North Dakota governors from 1893 to 1960. Free to tour, the mansion is filled with period furnishings and personal artifacts tracing a century of state leadership and prairie life. A quiet, fascinating glimpse into North Dakota's political and social history that most visitors completely overlook.

Address: 320 E Avenue B, Bismarck, ND 58501

Tip: Open for free tours mid-May through mid-September, Tuesday–Saturday 1–5pm. Donations are welcome. Located just a few blocks from the Capitol — easy to combine both sites in one walkable afternoon.

History & Culture

A free downtown Bismarck historic site preserving an 1872 U.S. Army cantonment built to protect the Northern Pacific Railroad survey crews. The original log headquarters building (1872) and the relocated 1908 Bread of Life Lutheran Church are on the grounds, with outdoor interpretive signs covering the post's role in protecting the railroad, the brief Custer expedition presence, and Bismarck's founding. A quiet five-minute walk from the Capitol.

Address: 101 E Main Ave, Bismarck, ND 58501

Tip: Site grounds with outdoor interpretive signs are open year-round. The original log Headquarters Building interior is open during seasonal hours (Wed–Fri 1–5pm Memorial Day through Labor Day; check before visiting). Free on-street parking on Main and 1st Streets. Five-minute walk from the Burlington Northern depot.

History & Culture

Just across the Missouri River from Bismarck in Mandan, Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park reconstructs both the 17th-century On-A-Slant Mandan Indian Village (six rebuilt earthlodges including the great Council Lodge) and the 1873 Custer-era cavalry post — including a faithful reconstruction of the Custer home. Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer rode out from this fort to the Little Bighorn in 1876.

Address: 4480 Fort Lincoln Rd, Mandan, ND 58554

Tip: Tour pass is required to enter the Custer Home and On-A-Slant Indian Village (Memorial Day–Labor Day). The park grounds, blockhouses, visitor center, and CCC Worker Statue are accessible whenever the park is open. The Commissary's coffee shop has free WiFi and fair-trade ND-roasted coffee. About 15 minutes south of downtown Bismarck.

Parks & Nature

A 90-acre family-run zoo on the Missouri River in Bismarck's Sertoma Park, home to 600+ animals across 125 species — including grizzly and Kodiak bears, Siberian tigers, Bactrian camels, North American bison, lynx, mountain lion, and a popular farmyard with goats kids can feed. One of the best small-city zoos in the upper Midwest and an excellent budget family stop.

Address: 602 Riverside Park Rd, Bismarck, ND 58504

Tip: Open daily 10am–6pm in summer (Memorial Day to Labor Day) and 10am–4pm shoulder seasons; closed in winter (typically November through April). Free on-site parking. The bears are most active in mornings before noon. The petting farm is the kid favorite. Sertoma Park around the zoo is free to walk.

Markets & Food

Bismarck's longest-running farmers market is a nonprofit Saturday-morning gathering at Kiwanis Park on Sweet Avenue, offering exclusively 100% North Dakota grown or made products — fresh produce, pasture-raised meats, honey, baked goods, native-plant nursery stock, and local crafts. The market draws thousands each Saturday in summer and features live local musicians and food vendors most weeks.

Address: 250 W Sweet Ave (Kiwanis Park), Bismarck, ND 58501

Tip: Saturdays 10am–1pm, June through October. Free on-site parking at Kiwanis Park. Pay-as-you-shop — bring small bills and SNAP/EBT is accepted at participating vendors. Arrive early for the best baked goods and meat selection. Check the website for live music and special events.

Parks & Nature

A 352-acre regional park along a three-mile stretch of the Missouri River in southwest Bismarck — with four-plus miles of paved riverfront trails, the 0.82-mile interpretive Bill Mills Nature Trail, multiple sandy shore-fishing spots, sand bars, picnic shelters, and several playgrounds. The Dakota Zoo sits inside the park, and the riverside Sertoma Park Loop is one of the city's most popular running and biking routes.

Address: 600 Riverside Park Rd, Bismarck, ND 58504

Tip: Free to enter year-round, dawn to dusk. Free parking at multiple lots. The 3-mile paved Sertoma Park Loop is the headline trail — paved and stroller-friendly. The Bill Mills Nature Trail is the better choice for birding. Combine with Dakota Zoo for a full day or take just the trails for a free outing.

Museums & Galleries

North Dakota's hands-on science center, with about 90 interactive exhibits on energy, water, physics, and the human body across a bright space on the Bismarck State College area. A go-to indoor stop for curious kids, with live demonstrations and a busy slate of camps and programs.

Address: 1947 Schafer St, Bismarck, ND 58501

Tip: Groups of 10+ pay $9 a person and homeschool families qualify with a letter of intent; teachers free.