The Kherson Local History Museum, founded in 1890, covers the natural history and human settlement of the lower Dnipro region from prehistoric times to the modern era. The archaeology galleries document the Scythian and Greek cultures that flourished in the Black Sea steppe, while later galleries cover the Cossack period and the city's founding under Catherine the Great.
The museum also holds collections relating to Kherson's role as a centre of Russian Black Sea expansion in the 18th century — it was here that the first Russian Black Sea warships were built. The collections document the engineering feat of building a major naval base in difficult conditions on the open steppe. Current access may be limited; check before visiting.