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Wow! What a surprise! We had spent the previous night camping at nearby Stone State Park as the kick-off of our great Black Mesa Expedition of 2005. The next day, we had to skirt Sioux City slightly on our way out and quite unexpectedly came across the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center. It's only a couple years old, so I guess my travel materials were too dated to have mentioned it, or else I simply wasn't paying attention when it opened. Serendipity saved the day for us, but I can tell you after our visit that this museum is definitely worthy of a special trip. It'd make a great day for anyone interested in the Corps of Discovery.

Right on the River

This wonderful museum was built by the private, non-profit outfit, Missouri River Historical Development. Entrance is free, but of course there's a box in which you can deposit donations. The quality and excitement throughout make it well worth a substantial contribution I think.

After parking our minivan, a stroll along a beautiful plaza lead us to the Center. I noticed picnickers taking lunch near the Welcome Center adjacent.

The Grounds Abound

Upon reaching the grounds, we were greeted by a wonderful bronze statue of William Clark, Meriwether Lewis and Seaman, the latter's dog which accompanied them on the journey.

At fourteen feet high, it's the centerpiece of the landscaping and commanded our attention. And as art, it really was quite evocative and made me think back yet again to what an amazing expedition they undertook. Just in general, the plaza is a marvel of landscaping, and we ended up spending quite a bit of time outside before even entering the Center. Apart from the airy openness (and the great feeling of being on vacation again!), there were all sorts of things to catch our attention. We dawdled...what a way to unwind.

It was a Saturday, but we pretty much had the grounds to ourselves. A couple elderly ladies were inspecting the gardens but other than that, most people headed straight inside.

Garden of Discovery

Being a big fan of plants, the gardens really caught my attention. We later chatted with one of the people inside and found out the wildflower gardens are only three years old, and yet they were magnificent. Everything really looked well-established.

Anyway, there were actually three gardens here. The photo to the right shows the first, the Garden of Discovery. This features native plants only, many of which Lewis & Clark would have seen for the first time on their expedition. There were a good 180 species represented here, making this a superior resource should you be interested in wildflowers and grasses. Stepping stones guide you among the plants, and everything is neatly labeled. Incidentally, you can get a free map to the Garden inside which lists all of the species.

Another garden focused on what Thomas Jefferson would have grown at his beloved Monticello. And a third featured plants the American Indians used for food.

What's Inside?

Well, it was finally time to head inside. Let me tell you, this was a real eye-opener! We were struck immediately by the grandeur of the interior design. Gigantic murals surrounded the walls and were superbly executed. A rich natural wood was featured in the trim. And tons of exhibits rounded everything out. Photography isn't all that easy under these circumstances (and no flashbulbs are permitted), so I don't have anything to show you. But you'll find pictures in the Center's Web site should you be interested; see the link below. Better yet, just go visit and take it in live!

Upon entering, we were met by a greeter who gave us each an Official Visitor's Journal and explained how to navigate through the interactive exhibits. The idea is that you take on a role of one of the members of the Expedition and then visit the various displays filling in some of the clues to describe your duties and the like. A clever mechanism appears at the various exhibits and you use this to stamp your Official Visitor's Journal appropriately. And thus you get a personal memento out of the deal as well.

Perhaps most impressive is the life-size animatronics display of Lewis & Clark discussing who will take over the recently deceased Sgt. Floyd's duties. This was incredibly lifelike and fooled the heck out of me when I entered the room. In particular, as I stepped in, Clark turned and looked me in the eyes as he spoke. Very spooky...

Plan Your Visit

As I've mentioned, the Sioux City Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center is a real jewel and very much worth visiting. It's open Tuesday through Sunday most days of the year. See its official Web site (link below) for details. And don't forget to take in some of the other Lewis & Clark stops around Sioux City.

• Federal
  • Missouri National Recreational River
  
  
• State
  • Iowa State Parks
  • Iowa Welcome Centers
  • Stone State Park
  
  
• Municipal
  • Sioux City Tourism Bureau
  
  
• Other Interesting Sites
  • Jefferson's Monticello
  • Missouri River Historical Development, Inc.
  • Sergeant Floyd Riverboat