We went here thinking it would just be something neat to quickly see. Little did we know what a pleasant surprise was waiting for us. The hatchery was so fun and informative! We could have easily spent 3+ hours here! I’d say plan on spending at least 1.5 hours. It is free, but you can purchase fish food. My son loved to feed the fish. We enjoyed the history. The entire site was well labeled with information and also very well kept. The volunteers were also friendly. I definitely recommend if you’re ever in the area!

What a fun family friendly place to visit! It was beautiful and clean, my 2yo and 4yo loved feeding the fish. We also did the little museum and house tours, I really enjoyed the Booth house and the train car. All the staff was friendly and knowledgeable. Tons of little paths for walking, take your time and just enjoy the whole property.

This place is amazing!! Lots of history to learn, we took the tours of the Booth house and the train car. I think this is fun for all ages, while some like the history, some will enjoy feeding the fish and the trout. Please make sure to donate if you can to keep it going.

One of the highlights of our trip to South Dakota. What an amazing place to spend some time with your family. The entire area is picturesque and our daughter loved feeding the fish. There is a lot to do here so plan for at least several hours and perhaps even half a day.

I am the person who loves going to the fish hatcheries. This time, I went to the 2nd oldest hatchery in the nation. Wildlife conservation is important, and if it wasn't for our hatcheries, we wouldn't have most of the fish we eat today. Fascinating stuff. What a great experience, beautiful, well-kept, and excellent tours. I recommend buying the $5 bag of fish food. Feeding them is so exciting. A very educational experience.

The fish hatchery is worth a quick stop if you have some time to kill in Spearfish. The museum gave a good overview of the fish hatchery business in the US, something I knew very little about. The museum is pretty dated, but it looks as though they are fundraising to make some improvements. The underwater fish viewing glass was pretty dirty. My biggest complaint about the museum is that I wish it would have established early on in the museum the why of the existence of the fish hatchery industry, before delving into the history. The grounds are beautiful and train car #3 was a beautiful replica of these unique cars. The volunteers were friendly and informative.

Big bag of fish food, best five dollars I ever spent. Historical and working, educational displays and a museum, and so many fish. Such beautiful fish. My first visit to a fish hatchery; I dropped fifty years in age on the visit.

Just love going through this place. You can learn a lot in one visit, and make sure you buy fish food for the kids and kids at heart!