Kostanay Regional Museum of Local History is one of the oldest in the Republic of Kazakhstan, founded in 1915. The museum is located in the city center, in a building that is an architectural monument of the early twentieth century. It has a representative office in the city of Zhitikara with a sector in the village of Tokhtarovo, Zhitikarinsky district. The museum also includes the Department of Fine Arts. Since the foundation of the museum, special attention has been paid to research work.

One of the first museums in Kazakhstan, the regional museum organized large – scale ethnocultural expeditions in 2001-2009, studying the history of settlement and the current socio-economic state of 134 villages in all districts of the region. The scientific staff of the museum participated in the excavations of unique archaeological sites – the Bestamak burial ground and the Halvai burial mound group.