The Lower Sioux Agency, founded in 1853, served as the administrative center of the Dakota reservation. The site presents Dakota life and culture prior to European contact, during the 1862 U.S.-Dakota War, and during the reservation period. Gardens and farming plots offer comparison of traditional and reservation farming techniques.

The site offers exhibits, a film, period gardens, period crops, children's programs, guided tours, trails, and interpretive signs. Reservations are required for field trips.