Learn all about Theodore Roosevelt, from his wilderness adventures to his many years in political life, at this interactive 28-room museum, which opened to much acclaim in 2026.
Before you enter the galleries, you'll receive a wrist bracelet and will then log in and get your photo snapped at one of the screens. This will allow you to access interactive components and collect mementos from the day's explorations – including black-and-white images of you transposed into Roosevelt's era. Among the activities to look out for: practicing your aim in a shooting gallery, designing your own cattle brand, and building your presidential platform.
Top Tips
Tickets
Admission is a timed entry ticket, purchased online. Plan on spending two to three hours in the museum, plus another 30 minutes to walk the grounds.
Where to Eat
Grab a bite at the excellent Salt+Scoria restaurant. From the counter, order venison and beef chili, wild rice and smoked salmon, fresh pastries and grab-and-go sandwiches.
Guided Tours
On summer weekends, the museum offers guided highlights tours. Book a landscape tour to learn more about the restoration of native plants on the 93-acre property.
Getting There
If you prefer not to drive, the Museum runs free shuttle transport to and from hotels in Medora.
How to Explore the Library
Early Days
The journey begins in the Call to Adventure gallery, where you'll enter the recreated Manhattan parlor where Roosevelt grew up, see photos of young Teedie (as he was called by his family), and discover the influences of his father ("the best man I ever knew," as Roosevelt recalled) and mother ("beloved by everybody"). Roosevelt's early love for nature is apparent in his animal sketches, naturalist notes and taxidermy specimens he created as a boy.
From Grief to Heroics
Take a simulated train ride as Roosevelt rushes home to be with his ailing wife and his stricken mother. Both would die within hours of one another. Roosevelt went west to the Badlands to grieve. There, he embraced "the strenuous life" as he called it. The dramatically lit Storytelling Campfire relates one of true-life adventure where he brought lawbreakers to justice. Returning from the Dakotas, he's on to public office, interrupted by his volunteering during the Spanish-American War. See an animated film of him leading the charge up Kettle Hill, which brings him fame and catapults him into the New York governor's mansion, and three years later to the White House, first as vice-president and then as president, following the assassination of President McKinley.
The Presidency
Exhibits showcase Roosevelt's many accomplishments during his presidency – from building the Panama Canal to preserving more than 230 million acres of public land – while not shying away from his shortcomings when it came to Civil Rights. Watch videos of historians weighing in on his presidency, and then tour through recreated White House rooms – including a room where kids can have fun clambering over obstacles and through a chimney. They'll be following in the footsteps of Roosevelt's own mischief-making children – the so-called White House Gang. In the Talk with TR gallery, you can ask questions of the presidency. Through AI, Roosevelt will answer in compelling Rooseveltian fashion.
Twilight Years
After his time in office, Roosevelt continued further adventures, beginning with an epic trip to East Africa for scientific research and big-game hunting. He collected thousands of specimens, and you can see original wildlife he gathered – labeled in Roosevelt's own handwriting – that he took to the Smithsonian. A makeshift camp shows what life was like for the travelers. Even more thrilling and dangerous – Roosevelt nearly perished – was his Amazon journey. Don't miss the immersive film that takes you along for the ride. Later, you'll visit his home in Sagamore, NY, where he spent his final years. The experience ends with a moving tribute to the man and the reading of his most inspiring calls to action. It's read by an array of different speakers – American presidents, entertainers and filmmakers.
The Building & Grounds
The sustainably designed building blends into the natural scenery. Indeed, you can take a stroll over the green roof, covered in native plants and sloped to mimic the buttes of the surrounding Badlands. Leave time to stroll the roughly one-mile circular path that takes you along boardwalks, sunken walkways and elevated viewpoints overlooking grasslands, bluffs and the rugged horizon beyond.