Things to Do in South Dakota

Mammoth Site is a museum and an ongoing paleontological dig outside Hot Springs. In the Pleistocene Era, commonly known as the Ice Age, some 26,000 years ago, woolly and Columbian mammoths stopped to drink at the spring-fed waters here, and fell into a sinkhole. Not until 1974 were their remains found by an eagle-eyed construction worker.

Also found at the site were remains of American camels, llamas, coyotes, birds, wolves, and shrub oxen, and more fossils are discovered regularly. The museum has an impressive collection of mammoth fossils and is both fun and educational. This is a fascinating place to bring children, and there are knowledgeable docents and a gift shop.

Address: Mammoth Site, 1800 U.S. Highway Bypass, Hot Springs, SD 57747, Phone: 605-745-6017

Crazy Horse Memorial was established in 1948 by Korczak Ziolkowski as a 501 c3 non profit foundation to honor the Indians of North America. Crazy Horse (c. 1842-1877) was a war leader of the Oglala Lakota people who is perhaps best known for his role in the Battle of Little Bighorn in June of 1876. The mountain monument in the Black Hills of South Dakota is immense and has been under construction since the 1940s; visitors can watch as the work continues.

The site includes the monument on Thunderhead Mountain, a museum that tells the story of the Native American tribes, the Indian University of North America, and a gift shop. Bus tours to the sculpture face are available for visitors.

Address: Crazy Horse Memorial, 12151 Avenue of the Chiefs, Crazy Horse, SD 57730, Phone: 605-673-4681

Storybook Island is an admission-free children’s theme park with a mission to inspire imagination and provide fun and education for children and families. All through the park there are sets, statues, playhouses, and rides based on beloved characters from fables, nursery rhymes, and fairy tales. It is an ideal place to bring children and young teens; even the under-five set can play in the area dedicated to the very young.

There is a lovely carousel, a beautifully maintained miniature railroad to ride on, and benches and shade for weary park-goers. Storybook Island has a small snack bar, although picnickers are welcome, and there is also a gift shop selling souvenirs. The park is open from Memorial Day weekend until Labor Day, and there are daily shows in its theater.

Address: Storybook Island, 1301 Sheridan Lake Road, Rapid City, SD 57702, Phone: 605-342-6357

Bear Country USA is a family-owned and operated animal park in the Black Hills of South Dakota. From the safety of their car, visitors may drive along a 3-mile trail set among towering pine trees and rolling meadows that brings them face-to-face with many of North America’s mammals, including buffalo, black bear, lynx, bobcats, mountain goats, cougars, reindeer, arctic wolves, bighorn sheep, elk, and pronghorns.

There is a walk-through area of the park where visitors can watch the delightful antics of bear cubs. The park has a café, a grill, a picnic area, a large gift shop, and offers free stroller rentals.

Address: Bear Country USA, 13820 S. Highway 16, Rapid City, SD 57702, Phone: 605-343-2290

McCrory Gardens is on the campus of South Dakota State University in Brookings; the gardens are run and tended by the horticultural department of the university. There are 25 acres of formal gardens, including gardens dedicated to irises, lilies, peonies, perennials, herbs, and pharmaceutical plants.

The arboretum covers 45 acres and has a wide variety of shrubs, trees, and ornamental grasses. Much of what is planted is adapted to the harsh plains winters, but staff scientists also use the gardens to test new plant cultivars for hardiness. The gardens place a focus on public education and offer lectures and workshops.

631 22nd Avenue, Brookings, SD 57007, Phone: 605-688-6707

The Ingalls Homestead was the family home of author Laura Ingalls Wilder, author of the Little House on the Prairie books, which are American classics and inspired a television show of the same name. The Ingalls moved to the De Smet area in 1879, lured by the promise of free land, and built a home on a 157-acre plot in 1880. Laura herself lived here until her marriage in 1885.

The Ingalls Homestead is a wonderful place to learn about pioneer life and is geared towards educating children, who can participate in a variety of activities. Children and adults can drive a covered wagon or pony cart, wash clothes on a washboard, twist hay into sticks for fuel, and make a jump rope and a corn cob doll to take home. There is also a one-room schoolhouse where everybody can join in a typical 19th-century pioneer classroom in period clothing.

Address: Ingalls Homestead, 20812 Homestead Road, De Smet, SD 57231, Phone: 800-776-3594

The Prairie Homestead Historic Site is a house built by homesteader Ed Brown and his wife in 1909. It is made of sod bricks and has a grass roof; many pioneers lived this way, but the majority of such houses have since sunk into the earth, and this is one of the few remaining.

Self-guided tours take visitors through the sod house and to the outbuildings, which include a barn, an outhouse, a cave, and a chicken coop. Barnyard animals are on hand, as are countless prairie dogs. The site has a small museum with a video presentation and early farm implements, and there is a very nice gift shop. Visitors may opt to dress in pioneer clothing while they tour the property.

Address: Prairie Homestead Historic Site, 21070 SD Highway 240, Philip, SD 57567, Phone: 605-433-5400

The Reptile Gardens in Rapid City, South Dakota, is the world’s largest reptile zoo. Founded in 1937, the Reptile Gardens are brimming with animals – crocodiles, alligators, lizards, snakes, prairie dogs, tropical birds, and giant tortoises. The gardens promise enjoyment and environmental education and take excellent care of their animals.

They also have an indoor jungle containing tropical plants, including orchids, and a replica of the largest tortoise fossil ever found. Every day there are snake shows, bird shows, and the opportunity to watch the keepers feed the crocodiles and alligators. Everyone can pet a giant tortoise. Family-friendly, the Reptile Gardens are an excellent place to bring children.

Address: Reptile Gardens, 8955 S. Highway 16, Rapid City, SD 57702, Phone: 605-342-5873

The South Dakota Air and Space Museum is a free attraction just outside the gates of the Ellsworth Air Force Base near Rapid City, South Dakota. Both educational and entertaining, there are over 30 planes kept both outdoors and inside hangars, dating from World War II to the present, including a B-52 Bomber and a B-1B Lancer.

The museum is full of interactive displays and presents a history of aviation in the United States. There are exhibits on the Cold War, on aerospace technology, on aviation pioneers, and another focusing on the history of Ellsworth AFB. The exhibits include a flight simulator and an interactive aircraft cockpit. Museumgoers may also take a short bus tour around the air force base, which includes a stop at a Minuteman missile training facility. The museum has a small gift shop.

Address: South Dakota Air and Space Museum, 2890 Davis Drive, Rapid City, SD 57706, Phone: 605-385-5189

1880 Town is a family-owned and operated heritage village that allows visitors to step back in time and learn about what life was like for South Dakota pioneers. The town has more than 30 original buildings from the years 1880-1920, including a farm, a blacksmith shop, a saloon, a one-room schoolhouse, a church, a jail, a post office, and a bank. There is a museum about Casey Tibbs, an area man who was World Champion Rodeo Cowboy nine times.

In the main building are dozens of props from the Academy Award winning film, Dances with Wolves, which was shot in the town and the surrounding countryside. Hungry visitors will appreciate the 1950s railway dining car, a former Santa Fe train turned into a diner serving breakfast, lunch, and dessert, and decorated with 1950s memorabilia.

Address: 1880 Town, Interstate 90, Exit 170, Murdo, SD 57559, Phone: 605-344-2236