The Ramkhamhaeng National Museum sits a few metres inside the eastern gate of the central zone and is the best place to start a visit to the park. Opened in 1964 and named for the great Sukhothai king, it collects the finest individual sculptures recovered from the surrounding monuments — including bronze walking Buddhas, terracotta architectural ornament, glazed celadon from the Si Satchanalai kilns, and a copy of the famous Ramkhamhaeng stele (the original is in the Bangkok National Museum).
The displays are well-labelled in English and trace the development of the distinctive Sukhothai style — the flame finial on the head, the half-smile, the gentle rounded shoulders, the long fingers of equal length. An hour spent here before walking the ruins makes the temples much easier to read. Open 09:00 to 16:00 daily.