Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center

Address:110 Pequot Trail
Mashantucket, Connecticut
Tel: (800) 411-9671

The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation comes alive as you enter the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center, an innovative state-of-the-art tribally owned and operated complex. With 308,000 square feet, the Museum features rich resources on the cultural history of the Tribe, the histories and cultures of other nearby tribes and the region's national history.

Based on years of discussion with Tribal members and scholarly research, with a project cost of $193.4 million, the Museum presents beautiful dioramas and exhibits of eastern woodland and Mashantucket Pequot life. Visitors will be entertained and educated with films, videos, interactive programs, ethnographical and archaeological collections, and commissioned works of art by Native artisans.

The Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center embraces the tree line nestled into the landscape with five levels, two of which are underground. A 185 foot stone and glass tower offers visitors magnificent views of the swamp and local region. There are over 250 sites including a 9,000 year old hunting camp and a Pequot fort from 1675.

The Museum's permanent collection features toys, prayer books, cooking items, mats, blankets, as well as Native original works and spans over four centuries from the 16th to the 20th century. Visitors to the Museum will enter a simulated glacial crevasse to experience life in a world of ice and will learn about the Pequot village and the daily life of tribal members. The "Arrival of the Europeans" exhibit displays how the early European settlers affected the lives of the natives and this is followed by a fascinating exhibit on the life of the Pequot people today.

The Museum restaurant and gift shop are a real treat. Featuring Native American selections, you can enjoy a snack or lunch overlooking a forest setting. And you are sure to find special items in the Trading Post gift shop.

Take route 95 to exit 92 and follow route 2 west, for eight miles. Head left onto route 214 and turn right onto Pequot Trail. You will see the Public Safety building on the left. Continue driving until you see the parking lot.

The world's largest and most comprehensive Native American museum and research center offers an array of engaging experiences for young and old, from life-size walk-through dioramas that transport visitors into the past, to changing exhibits and live performances of contemporary arts and cultures. Four full acres of permanents exhibits depict 18,000 years of Native and natural history in thoroughly researched detail, while two libraries, including one for children, offer a diverse selection of materials on the histories and cultures of all Native peoples of the United States and Canada.