Top Things to do in South Dakota
Top Hotels in South Dakota
- 1. Best Western Plus Rapid City Rushmore
- 2. Bavarian Inn, Black Hills
- 3. K Bar S Lodge
- 4. Hampton Inn & Suites Southwest/Sioux Falls
- 5. La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham Sioux Falls
- 6. Deadwood Gulch Resort, Trademark Collection by Wyndham
- 7. Best Western Golden Spike Inn & Suites
- 8. Comfort Suites Conference Center Rapid City
- 9. La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham Rapid City
- 10. Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, Rapid City, SD
What to do and see in South Dakota, United States: The Best Things to do Good for a Rainy Day
South Dakota has good golf courses, skiing, snowmobiling, horseback riding, hiking, and biking among rolling prairies, pine forests, and granite mountain peaks like Mount Rushmore. Glacial lakes and Missouri River reservoir lakes provide great fishing, boating, canoeing, water skiing, and windsurfing. The whole family will enjoy this prairie land where grain growing begat roadside attractions like the Corn Palace in Mitchell. Everything made from corn, even the popcorn, tastes better here. Where buffalo roam, roadside diners serve up buffalo and luscious homemade fruit pies. Shop for good deals on cowboy boots on the same Black Hills and Badland Main Streets where cowboys and cowgirls outfit themselves. Be near the eroded buttes, spires, and prairie grasslands of Badlands National Park in Lead, Deadwood, Rapid City, Spearfish, Sturgis, Hill City, Custer, and other nearby towns. The whole family will enjoy watching for big game like bison, bighorn sheep, antelope, eagles, and hawks. Drive the one-hour Hwy 240 loop road, with a side-trip to Robert's Prairie Dog Town. Learn about the Oglala Sioux Tribe at the White River Visitor Center, which is near Wounded Knee. Tour the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site's Cold War nuclear silos, just outside the Park's boundaries. About 90 minutes west of Badlands National Park is Mount Rushmore. Lead, Deadwood, Rapid City, Spearfish, Sturgis, Hill City, Whitetail Springs, and Custer are also very near Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Custer State Park, Wind Cave National Park, and Jewel Cave National Monument. View Mount Rushmore from the aerial tramway in Keystone, which also houses the Borglum Historical Center celebrating the artist behind the sculpting of Rushmore. Take the kids to the Dinosaur Park in Rapid City. Attend Custer State Park’s Annual Buffalo Roundup and Arts Festival. Bedazzle the whole family with sparkling calcite crystals in 151-mile long Jewel Cave. Bison, pronghorn, and elk graze the grasslands of Wind Cave National Park. Central South Dakota has the state capitol, Pierre, in addition to numerous lakes along the Missouri River. Go fishing and boating in the rivers and lakes. Take the kids to the South Dakota Discovery Center and Aquarium in Pierre to see the state’s native fish. Drop by the Dacotah Prairie Museum along the James River in Aberdeen in the northeast to learn prairie history and natural history. Swing by Sioux Falls to see the USS South Dakota Battleship Memorial and special exhibits at the Old Courthouse Museum. Choose from among 10 golf courses in Sioux Falls.
Restaurants in South Dakota
1. Cultural Heritage Center
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 112 reviews
Not your typical museum structure, this one is built into the side of hill, and much of it is underground. A contemporary version of a traditional Native American dwelling, this beautiful building features Native American (mostly the Sioux tribes) and pioneer exhibits, with many rare artifacts tracing the history of South Dakota.
Reviewed By breebunny96 - Aberdeen, United States
This center is one of a kind. From the moment you walk through those doors, you are transported back in time to the history of pioneers, Native Americans, and even to the cold war, where you learn about SD's role and missile silos. If you love history, this is definitely worth your time.
2. Redlin Art Center
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 198 reviews
The Redlin Art Center is a gift from artist Terry Redlin to his hometown of Watertown, South Dakota. Filled with over 160 of Redlin's original oil paintings, the Art Center is self guided and admission is free of charge. Guests are also invited to shop 3 gift shops, enjoy complimentary video presentations about the artist and stroll the 30-acre conservation park.
Reviewed By A2043XIdebrab
This is a beautiful place to see. We have driven by many times and made a point to stop this time. Beautiful property and building. We took a short tour, but could spend lots more time inside and outside waling the grounds. Great place to have a picnic. So relaxing. The staff were very knowledgeable and helpful with information on the museum and other attractions in the state. Very impressed.
3. Akta Lakota Museum
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 392 reviews
Visit the Akta Lakota Museum to experience a living lesson on the Native American way of life, past and present. Each year we receive thousands of visitors from all over the globe that want to deepen their appreciation of Lakota culture. As an outreach program of St. Joseph's Indian School we pride ourselves on not just providing that experience but creating an atmosphere conducive to learning and healing into the hearts of our students as well as our visitors. What makes our museum such a wonderful experience is our focus. We have an outstanding collection of cultural, historical and artistic works that relate specifically to the Northern Plains Indian Tribes, the ancestry of the students served at St. Joseph's. Our historical collection honors the past while our contemporary collection represents the creative spirit of today's world. We work closely with Indian artist and artisans to present contemporary artwork that builds on cultural traditions while expressing itself in new ways. What you take away from your visit is the understanding that Lakota culture is not just a thing of the past. It's alive and thriving today.
Reviewed By ricardorA521SG
We stopped on a fluke. Learned so much about the boarding school and about the Sioux peoples. It’s a beautiful facility and it’s free. BUT please make a donation!
4. St. Joseph Cathedral
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 337 reviews
Reviewed By csarchibald - San Marcos, United States
If you love beautiful Catholic Cathedrals, this is a must if you are in Sioux Falls. The interior is every bit as beautiful as many of the great cathedrals of Europe we have visited. We were fortunately to get there as noon mass was beginning. Congregation members were very friendly.
5. Jewel Cave National Monument
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,367 reviews
Jewel Cave National Monument is home to one of the longest caves in the world. Offering an assortment of cave formations and recreational opportunities, many visitors are truly amazed by this underground wilderness. Most impressive is the fact that exploration and discovery continue to take place at this significant natural resource. Please be advised that during the off-season (2020-2021), the visitor center, Park Store, surface trails, and picnic areas are open Thursdays through Sundays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. MDT. However, cave tours are suspended, due to an elevator construction project. For those visiting the monument, a one-way flow path is set up inside the visitor center, with directional signage for visitor awareness. Park rangers are on-site to answer questions and to assist with the ever-popular Junior Ranger and Pee Wee Ranger Programs. For specific questions and/or assistance, do not hesitate to contact the monument by phone or email in advance.
Reviewed By northernneckinn - Tappahannock, United States
You can’t beat the setting! Absolutely unique! Travel down 300 ft in an elevator and spend 80 minutes hiking the underground trail through these caves - very safe but lots of steps - about 723 to be precise. Great tour leader National Parks ranger Kim made about six stops and explained the process of discovery, prepping the caves for visitors, and the precautions taken to preserve the delicate ecosystems in the cavern. We experienced less than one mile through the caves.... the full extent mapped so far exceeds 180 miles!
6. Mammoth Site of Hot Springs
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,668 reviews
America's International Treasure. This National Natural Landmark is an internationally renowned indoor working paleontological site/museum. More than 60 mammoths have been unearthed, as well as over 85 other species of associated Ice Age fauna. Hands-on activities for children, an educational experience for the entire family. One of the top fossil interpretive sites in North America. Open year-round. Located in the Black Hills of South Dakota.
Reviewed By MNnola - Canby, United States
This museum came about by accident when a developer discovered a mammoth bone with his bulldozer! Thank goodness he recognized the treasure he had unearthed! This is the only accredited museum in the state and still a dig in progress with scientists on site. There is a guided tour that starts with a movie and then moves into an amazing space filled with bones. Our guide was very informative and encouraged questions. There was lots of time for photos and after the guided tour, visitors could roam stay to look more closely at the incredible bones and partial skeletons of the animals that perished in a sinkhole in the distant past. This was a very interesting and informative tour of a place I hope to visit again!
7. State Capitol
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 226 reviews
This stunning Greek Revival building completed in 1910 was at first modernized and later, in 1989, restored to its original magnificence, making it the most fully restored capitol building in the U.S. Self-guided and free guided tours are available.
Reviewed By mimudbrazil - Sugar Land, United States
Went on a Sunday to see the capitol after reading reviews about it. The price of admission is Free, but it was worth the time spent there. The gentleman who checked us in was very informative and extremely pleasant to us. We only saw one other visitor while there, so the visit was pleasant. Very pretty building, with a lot of interesting history, so for those who like facts, it was well worth the visit. If you are in Pierre and have the time, I highly recommend visiting Governor Noem's "office".
8. Broken Boot Gold Mine
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 375 reviews
Pan for gold in this historic gold mining area.
Reviewed By sschmit696 - Naples, United States
This is a great experience for all ages. They give you a bag of rocks (with gold in it) and show you how to pan just like the old times gold miners did. You don't have to go into a river or creek, there is a trough with water and they show you how to squirt your pan to get to the GOLD!! It's something fun to do and is quite inexpensive. We didn't do the mine because it was rainy and cold. You can choose to do one or the other or both.
9. The Journey Museum and Learning Center
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 379 reviews
Open all year long! Your Black Hills Journey starts here. The Journey Museum and Learning Center brings together four major prehistoric and historic collections to tell the complete story of the Western Great Plains - from the perspective of the Lakotas and the pioneers who shaped its past to the scientists who now study it. Providing special programs and interactive learning experiences for all ages is our mission.
Reviewed By CarolA247 - Amarillo, United States
This is an amazing museum in the downtown area. It is hardly advertised or signed toward. It is so worth spending an hour in even at $12 per person. The museum is very clean, social distanced and masks required. It was not crowded even on a Saturday and the restrooms were good. You make your way from gallery to gallery through South Dakota history. They have some very good Lakota, Sioux and other local tribal displays that we really enjoyed including a beautiful hide painting and calendar paintings. They have many, many period artifacts, furnishing, clothing, etc. in each area and the tepees were amazing to me. They looked like the real thing. The signage is just enough and not overwhelming.
10. Museum of Geology
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 351 reviews
We are a natural history museum featuring an excellent displays of South Dakota fossils, minerals from around the world and South Dakota Minerals.
Reviewed By jimmydoe
free to public, parking is difficult... has excellent display of minerals, gems and gold, also fossils from western south dakota....is very disproportionately large for a small museum in a small state. a replica of Sue, the T.rex fossil that was found in the area is on display, as are other dinosaur bones... a place for both kids and adults
