[1] A series of interactive exhibits and life-size three-dimensional dioramas depicts the lifeways and history of the Mashantucket Pequot and their ancestors from the last glacial period through modern times.

[3][4] The village is populated by 51 life-size figures of Pequot individuals engaged in activities such as building wigwams, sharpening arrows, and weaving mats.

[1] A reviewer for Connecticut Magazine described the museum as "rival[ing] anything in the nation" and commented that the Pequot village reconstruction and other dioramas "almost put EPCOT to shame".

[5] The glass and steel building complex that houses the museum and research center was designed by New York City architects Polshek and Partners.

Elements of the design are based on the plan of the Pequot fort at Mystic, Connecticut, that played an important role in the tribe's history.