The museum occupies two historical buildings. In one of them, the former "People's House", there are permanent exhibitions of the nature department, including over a hundred taxidermied birds, animals, and fish from our region. Materials on the history of the Civil War and the Great Patriotic War are also presented, along with the history of the Upper Ural prison and thematic exhibitions that are updated every two months.

The historical exhibition of the second museum is located in a two-story building from the early 20th century, which was previously a shop owned by merchant Ustinov and is now an architectural monument. The first hall features materials about the ancient past of the Upper Ural region, including fossilized bones of extinct animals, information about the life of ancient humans, and items of national culture from indigenous peoples such as Bashkirs and Kazakhs.

On the first floor, there is also an exhibition hall where solo exhibitions of artists and photo exhibitions take place. In May 2003, there was an exhibition of the world-renowned sculptor Ernst Neizvestny. The museum currently holds his bronze sculpture "Falling Man". In the early 20th century, Ernst Neizvestny's grandfather's family lived in Upper Ural, and the children studied at the real school. The house that housed Mikhail Neizvestny's printing house and the building of the real school still adorn the streets of the city.

On the second floor of the museum, there are two halls. One is dedicated to the history of the Verkhoyaitsk fortress and the Orenburg Cossack army. The other hall tells about the history of Upper Ural, its trade and industry, merchants and craftsmen, the formation of the architectural appearance of the city, the daily life of its citizens, as well as the development of education and culture.