tatanka: story of the bison

Nice small museum where you can watch a video there's also a cafe and gift shop. Purchase a ticket and go out the back door and follow the trail. You will come to the sculptures which are amazing. They are life sized and very dramatic and detailed. Excellent work by the sculptor. Keep following the path and you will come to a few teepees. It is a very short and easy walk. I highly recommend coming here. The people that work there are so nice and informative

We were in Deadwood for a Convention in late October and they were closed for the season, but opened Tatanka just for us. Got a wonderful and very interesting tour of the museum and outdoors exhibits. A great and very special memory. Thank you again !!

The displays were awesome, the video was good and told a story that everyone should see. The woman in the gift shop was very informative. We totally enjoyed our time there.

Didn´t know if it was a tourist trap, but it definitely is not! The Lakota Sioux guide was super and made the story come true. Costner has outdone himself here!

This is a Great place...Make sure you go outside and see the Buffalo Jump statures. It closes at 5:30 we got there @ 5:00 and told not to rush...Skip the film with Kevin Costner...it is 20 minutes of whining that he couldn't get backers for a hotel...but glad he didn't because this is a really nice place and very informative...the people that work there were VERY nice...the lady told us that we could stay as long as we would like...(we didn't want to make them stay late...) when we were leaving she said to come and they would not charge us again..because we have much time...especially having to watch the film...but were did get to see the Buffalo jump !!which was the best part of Tatanka!!

Good to hear opinion of Lakota Sioux guide, very interesting historian who held everyone's attention but visit underwhelming somehow, we felt as though there were greater plans for the site but these are now by the wayside. Fingers crossed it can be developed further as we didn't feel excited about the exhibits or an urgency to return.

Tatanka is a place worth seeing. Native American guides walk you through the property, telling how the Native Americans lived prior to the white men coming. I learned alot! Centrally located is a beautiful sculpture depicting NA capturing bison. Nice gift store too, with Dances with Wolves memorabilia in cases. I believe Tatanka is Kevin Costner's tribute to the native peoples.

A local Lakota Sioux gives a very good presentation and takes questions at the end. I learned many things from him. It is a quiet and leisurely place to visit early in the day. The buffalo sculptures are awesome. They make you feel like you're running with the herd! The gift shop has many reasonably priced items. I thought it was well worth the admission.

Enjoyed the museum and the interesting story behind it as well as looking in some depth at Indian life

This attraction needs to be advertised more than it is. About a mile north of Deadwood, this museum and its grounds sit on a beautiful site where you can also enjoy the scenery in the distance. For some reason, there was no tour guide the day we visited, or we weren't aware that there was one. I've been reading about the Lakotas and their struggles, but would have loved to hear the story from a guide. So be sure to ask for a tour guide. The exhibits are very well done inside the museum. You really get a feel for the life and struggles of the Lakotas. The many uses the Native Americans found for just about every part of the buffalo is impressive. Outside, the bronze structures of the Native Americans driving the buffalo to the edge of a cliff where the animals would fall to their death, is very impressive. There is a small display of tepees out on the grounds also. We enjoyed sitting outside taking in the sight of the structures with the surrounding beauty all around us. It's beautiful countryside out there and fun to imagine you've gone back in time. Nicely done, glad we didn't miss that.

On first blush this was impressive. The building, the area, etc. Kevin Costner bought 3,000 acres of land, mostly a trash dump, and has turned the area into an impressive site. The movie was Costner's (boring) speech given upon the opening of the center; his disappointment of not being able to attract investors to help him building a hotel on the property.The sculptures are very impressive. Certainly a MUST SEE if you're in Deadwood. However, the admission isn't cheap, the "museum" leaves lots to be desired, and don't forget to tip your guide. The tour of the sculptures takes maybe 10 minutes (there is also a limited exhibit of tepees).

If you want a real view of the Story of the Buffalo and their relation to the Indians, this is the place to go. Lakota Indian (nick)was very informative, thanks nick.

It was really interesting to hear the story behind Tatanka - the Indian guide filled in all the details of what was happening and how the Indians used to hunt. Well worth a visit.

It was well worth the visit to see this. We watched a video with Kevin Costner as he was the one that had this built and paid for the statues. He did a great job and now it is run by the state park. Not very large but worth the trip. The personnel are very informative. Make sure to buy some wine in the store, very good.

Since this exhibit was related somehow to Kevin Costner, I figured that it would be an expensive tourist trap and overly commercialized. I could not have been more wrong. My family visited in Mid July and surprisingly we were the only ones there. The price was very reasonable. We were told we would view a movie and than get a personal tour of the exhibit. The movie was amateur, but it did convey to me the sincerity that Costner truly cared about the history of the Lakota Souix and desperately wanted to share the plight endured by native Americans in the West from the American government and Western European expansion. For me, it was very moving. The buffalo sculpture in the exhibit were actually created for a hotel that he wanted to have near Deadwood, but he couldn't get anyone to help him fund it. People did not want to fund a hotel that would be a reminder of past transgressions of conquering a native culture. So, instead of letting the sculptures go to waste, he created Tatanka. After the movie we had a personal tour because we were the only ones there. I think it made a great impression on my young son and husband. For me, it was almost spiritual as I can relate to a family that has a history of shame and unknowns due to assimilation. Billy was a great guide!If you are going near this exhibit and want to know more about the real history of the West and Lakota Souix do not miss this.