6 Best Things to Do in Spearfish, SD

© Brian/stock.adobe.com

Spearfish Canyon is a deep and narrow gorge in Lawrence County, South Dakota, carved by Spearfish Creek for millennia. It is located just south of Spearfish, in Black Hills, on the northern end of the Black Hills National Forest. The Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway transects the Canyon, connecting Spearfish and Cheyenne Crossing. . Black Hills are home to the incredible diversity of plant species. Of the 1,585 plant species in South Dakota, 1,260 species thrive in the Black Hills. Many of them can be found in Spearfish Canyon. Canyon is home turkeys, bluejays, cliff swallows, chickadees, woodpeckers and golden or bald eagles. There are also white-tail and mule deer, porcupines, raccoons, squirrels, chipmunks, bobcat and yellow-bellied marmot. The canyon is great spot for wildlife watching, but also rock climbing, biking, hiking, and fishing.

Spearfish, South Dakota

© D.C. Booth Historic National Fish Hatchery

Established in 1896 on four acres near Spearfish, South Dakota, the D.C. Booth Historic National Fish Hatchery and Archives is one of 70 fish hatcheries that were opened by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as part of the National Fish Hatchery System. The hatchery was established in order to introduce and establish a steady trout population in the Black Hills. It is one of the oldest fish hatcheries in the country. The hatchery spawns and releases between 20,000 and 30,000 rainbow trout every year. The hatchery serves as a fisheries archive, preserving records and historical artifacts. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Von Bayer Museum of Fish Culture is located inside the original hatchery building.

423 Hatchery Cir, Spearfish, SD 57783, Phone: 605-642-7730

© High Plains Western Heritage Center

High Plains Western Heritage Center, opened in 1989 in Spearfish, South Dakota, is the heritage museum devoted to Western expansion. The 20,000 square foot center includes a five-State Regional Museum that honors the Old West Pioneers and American Indians of North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming and Montana. The museum features a stage coach, chuck wagon and a homestead cabin as well as an extensive collection of everyday objects and archives. The establishment of the museum was initiated by ranchers Harry Blair and Edgar (Slim) Gardner, who founded the High Plains Heritage Society and a High Plains Western Heritage Center. The Center has a spacious theatre with state-of-the-art sound system, the Transportation Room with a Concord Stagecoach, Chuckwagon, “Tally Ho” Wagon, Buggies, and Sleighs and more.

825 Heritage Dr, Spearfish, SD 57783, Phone: 605-642-9378

© Termespheres Gallery

Located off a small gravel road outside Spearfish, South Dakota, is one of the most unusual art galleries in the world, located in a geodesic dome covered with magical colorful globes. The globes, which their creator, the artist Dick Termes, calls Termespheres are artist’s art medium, three-dimensional paintings on spheres, created with a technique artist calls six-point perspective. Each Termesphere is a revolving three-dimensional space/time painting of an entire closed universe. Currently, the artist’s complex consists of four domes: the Termesphere Gallery dome with a cupola dome on the top, two house domes, and a studio dome. Dick Termes artwork has been recognized all over the world and his spherical paintings have been published in many art books.

1920 Christensen Dr, Spearfish, SD 57783, Phone: 888-642-4805

© Matthews Opera House and Arts Center

The Matthews Opera House & Arts Center is a non-profit organization located on the Main Street in Spearfish, South Dakota. Built in 1906, the opera house has gone through many incarnations. Today, on its ground level is a fine arts gallery that represents 48 regional artists. Upstairs, the community theater provides community plays, live music concerts and national performance acts. The gallery is covered, wall to wall and even ceiling, with innovative, bold and diverse artwork in every medium created by Black Hill artists. The gallery also offers fun kids’ activities. The gallery hosts many art openings and community art projects and events such as the Community Art Show. The Matthews Opera House and Arts Center annual Festival in the Park is one of the largest outdoor arts and music summer festivals in the upper Midwest.

612 N Main St, Spearfish, SD 57783, Phone: 605-642-7973

© The Millstone Family Restaurant

Established in 1981, the Millstone Family Restaurants are locally owned and operated unassuming American eateries with three locations in Black Hills. They offer homestyle popular eats, a soup, a salad bar and a large breakfast menu served the whole day. There is a daily special worth checking out, with homey delights such as meatloaf and spare ribs. Their Spearfish location is a spacious, pleasant restaurant with cozy private booths and large windows bringing plenty of light. It is as popular with breakfast crowds as it is with families coming for dinner. The Millstone does not serve alcohol.

620 E Jackson Blvd, Spearfish, SD 57783, Phone: 605-642-4200