The Surin National Museum covers the archaeology and ethnology of the Surin region with better-than-average regional collections. The ground floor focuses on the Khmer period — there are original lintels and inscriptions from temples in the province, some too fragile or remote to view in situ. Upstairs, the ethnographic galleries document Suay elephant-keeping culture and the silk-weaving traditions of the local communities.
The textile section is particularly worth time. Surin province is one of Thailand's centres for mat-mee silk — an ikat technique where threads are tie-dyed before weaving to create intricate geometric patterns. The museum has examples spanning a century of production, and the explanatory panels are adequate in both Thai and English.