Mount Rushmore National Memorial
Black Hills
Visitors can't help but be impressed by the sheer scale and massive physical effort of the team behind Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota…
Must-see attractions in South Dakota
South Dakota
The Corn Palace is the king of roadside attractions, enticing more than half a million people to pull off I-90 each year. Close to 300,000 ears of corn…
South Dakota
Wall Drug is a surprisingly enjoyable tourist attraction of the old school. It really does have 5¢ coffee, free ice water, good donuts and enough…
Black Hills
From a shifty-eyed Nixon in repose to a triumphant Harry Truman, lifelike statues dot corners throughout the center of Rapid City. Collect all 42. Maps…
South Dakota
Stroll along the grass-lined paths to Sioux Falls' star attraction – its rambling namesake waterfall – at this picturesque park. Popular with amorous…
South Dakota
Pinnacled rock formations with vivid color bands, sharp-edged cliffs with tiptoeing bighorn sheep, and sprawling colonies of feverish prairie dogs are…
Black Hills
Mt Rushmore may lure travelers to the Black Hills, but it's nearby Custer State Park that often creates the most lasting memories. Not only does it boast…
South Dakota
Badlands National Park's North Unit gets the most visitors; this stunning road is easily reached from I-90 (exits 110 and 131) and you can drive it in an…
Black Hills
The best water you'll drink in the Black Hills flows freely from this spring right in the center of town. It's not cold, but it's also not so hot you'll…
Akta Lakota Museum & Cultural Center
South Dakota
This engaging museum and cultural center at St Joseph's Indian School has Lakota cultural displays and contemporary art from numerous tribes. Check the…
Black Hills
Calamity Jane (born Martha Jane Burke; 1852–1903) and Wild Bill Hickok (1837–76) rest side by side up on Boot Hill at this very steep cemetery. Pick up…
South Dakota
The portion of the Badlands west of Hwy 240 along this gravel road is much less visited than the sights of the Badlands Loop Rd. There are scenic…
Custer City
The world's largest monument is this 563ft-tall work-in-progress (with a lot of work to go). When finished it will depict the Sioux leader astride his…
Minuteman Missile National Historic Site
South Dakota
In the 1960s and '70s, a thousand Minutemen II intercontinental ballistic missiles, always at the ready in underground silos spread across the Plains,…
Black Hills
This park, protecting 44 sq miles of grassland and forest, sits just south of Custer State Park. The central draw is, of course, the cave, which contains…
South Dakota
The massacre site, 16 miles northeast of Pine Ridge town, is marked by a faded sign. It helps to read up on the events before you arrive. The mass grave…
Sanford Lab Homestake Visitor Center
Black Hills
Gape at the 1250ft-deep Homestake Gold Mine to see what open-pit mining can do to a mountain. Nearby are the mine's shafts, which plunge more than 1.5…
South Dakota
This Cold War–era missile silo, located down a dirt road in a desolate area 5 miles southeast of Wall, gives you a glimpse into the enormous network of…
Black Hills
If you visit only one Black Hills cave, this would be a good choice. It's 13 miles west of Custer and is so named because calcite crystals line much of…
South Dakota
This well-curated art museum has traditional and contemporary works and a craft shop with locally made artisan goods. Haunting photos taken after the…
Journey Museum & Learning Center
Black Hills
This impressive downtown facility is four museums in one, looking at the history of the region from prehistoric times until today. Collections come from…
Laura Ingalls Wilder Memorial Society
South Dakota
Right in town, the fussy and frilly complex that's home to the society paying homage to the Little House on the Prairie author runs tours. They include…
Black Hills
Tells the story of the Days of '76 celebration, an annual tradition honoring the town's inception in 1876. There's Native American artifacts, gun displays…
South Dakota Cultural Heritage Center
South Dakota
Exhibits at this ecologically groundbreaking museum (it's completely underground) include a bloody Ghost Dance shirt from Wounded Knee. Exhibits trace the…
South Dakota
This huge and restored pink quartzite 1890s courthouse has three floors of changing exhibits on the region. It's part of the Siouxland Heritage Museums,…
Black Hills
Right near the center, this is the country's largest left-as-found mammoth fossil display. Hundreds of animals perished in a sinkhole here about 26,000…
Lewis & Clark Information Center
South Dakota
Get out of your car – instead of your canoe – at this hilltop rest stop, south of town, for exhibits on the intrepid duo and their voyages past here on…
South Dakota
This important small museum tells the story of the Wounded Knee massacre from the Lakota perspective using photos and narratives. It's more insightful…
Black Hills
All that drama underground has produced some spectacular rocks. See these plus dinosaur bones and some stellar fossils here at the South Dakota School of…
Black Hills
Recently revitalized, this museum does an excellent job of capturing the town's colorful past. There's also a small store with books on the region.
Buffalo Gap National Grassland
South Dakota
This nature reserve surrounds the Badlands and together they protect the country's largest prairie grasslands, several species of Great Plains mammal …
South Dakota
Just outside De Smet and down a dirt road, the actual Ingalls Homestead has been much gussied up and includes all manner of attractions like covered wagon…
South Dakota
At a bend on the Missouri River, Framboise Island has several hiking trails and plentiful wildlife. It's across from where the Lewis and Clark expedition…
Trial of Jack McCall Reenactment
Black Hills
The trial of Jack McCall, shooter of Wild Bill Hickok, is reenacted with audience participation at 8pm. In this trial he's found innocent, though he later…
South Dakota
Small-town Victorian homes overlook the imposing 1910 State Capitol with its black copper dome. Be sure to check out the floor mosaics and marbled columns…
Black Hills
Actors reenact famous shootouts on Main St, including the 1877 saloon fight between Tom Smith and David Lunt (who lived for 67 days relatively unbothered…
Black Hills
Oodles of bears big and small in this drive-through park live off the land and hope you'll do something forbidden like offering them a Big Mac, or your…
Black Hills
Part of the Black Hills National Forest, this beloved swimming hole, 11 miles south of Hot Springs, is great for a picnic or afternoon dip. Beware of the…
Black Hills
This small hall-of-fame-style museum packs in a surprising number of bikes, including vintage and rare models. Its Hall of Fame honors luminaries in the…
South Dakota
This 1930s collection of geologic oddities covers an entire city block in the center of little Lemmon, way off in the northwest corner of the state.
