10 Best Things to Do in South Dakota

Mount Rushmore is an iconic National Memorial with 60-foot-high granite faces of U.S. presidents Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Thomas Jefferson, and George Washington. It's a national wonder that pays tribute to some of the great figures in United States history, but it's far more than just a mountainside carving. The site also features a museum that discusses the history of the park, the memorial and its creation, and the 4 men whose faces are emblazoned on the cliffside, including the role that each played that led to their inclusion at Rushmore.

Custer State Park serves as a wildlife reserve nestled within the famed Black Hills and features rolling plains, towering granite peaks, clear mountain waters, and wide-open ranges. Named for Lt. Colonel George Armstrong Custer, it was South Dakota's first state park. The park encompasses 71,000 acres of land and offers opportunities for camping, hiking, biking, fishing, swimming, or just getting away from it all for some relaxation. Four historic lodges are found on-site and offer restaurants, guided wildlife safaris, and much more.

The Crazy Horse Memorial is currently under construction in the Black Hills, with plans for it to rival Mount Rushmore in scale and feature a similar granite sculpture. It will memorialize the historic and famed Oglala Lakota warrior and leader astride his horse, pointing toward his tribal lands. It has been called the Eighth Wonder of the World in progress. Also on-site is a welcome center and museum tracing the history of the Sioux people who roamed these lands and detailing the role Crazy Horse played in their legacy.

Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota's southwestern region is famed for the vast underground cave surrounded by pine forest and prairie. Wildlife enthusiasts will thrill to the opportunity to see bison, elk, and many other species of native wildlife wandering the rolling grasslands and forested areas. The cave is named for the barometric winds present at the entrance, but it also features a maze of passages that are home to a unique honeycomb calcite rock formation known as boxwork. The cave features chambers with quirky names like the Post Office and Elks Room.

The Mammoth Site is both a paleontological dig site and a museum dedicated to the ongoing excavation in this area and its importance in the geological history of the region. The site is named for the fact that it boasts one of the largest concentrations of Columbian wooly mammoths ever discovered, and digs are still ongoing, so there are still more to find. A visit to the museum here offers fossils dated to the Ice Age as well as the opportunity to see real paleontologists at work uncovering, cleaning, and cataloging even more artifacts and fossils.

Deadwood is an iconic city in South Dakota that played a major role in the gold rush and is perhaps most famous for its association with Wild Bill Hickock. Once a lawless frontier town, Deadwood has hosted such famed figures as Wild Bill, Calamity Jane, Seth Bullock, and others, and was the site of Wild Bill's famed death during a card game, spawning the legend of the "Dead Man's Hand" of poker cards. Here, you can witness Wild West-themed entertainment, ride an 1880 steam train, visit a mining museum, and, of course, enjoy adult entertainment and gaming at the local casino just like in the days of old.

Spearfish Canyon is located in Lawrence County, South Dakota, and offers a range of outdoor adventures, from hiking trails to waterfalls and much more. You can witness limestone palisades that pre-date the Grand Canyon and surround a gorge carved out by a rushing creek. The walls tower 1,000 feet into the air and offer wildlife viewing of deer, mountain goats, bobcats, porcupines, and more. It's a haven for outdoor adventurers looking to engage in rock climbing, hiking, biking, fishing, and many other activities.

The National Music Museum bills itself as "America's Shrine to Music" and serves as a study of the history of music and musical instruments all over the world. From accordions and harmonicas to bowed string instruments, brass instruments, guitars, pianos, and more, the museum features nearly 15,000 different instruments from all over the world, representing hundreds of cultures and historical periods. It's one of the most inclusive collections to be found and is a must-visit for music lovers. You can find the museum on the campus of the University of South Dakota.

The Skeleton Man Walking Skeleton Dinosaur is located along Interstate 90 and is a life-size sculpture of a man taking his pet dinosaur for a walk. It's an iconic roadside attraction and a wonderful example of Americana and quirky modern art. The metal beings appear to be headed to a nearby town that's filled with buildings that date from the 1880s through the 1920s and are jam-packed with photographs, documents, and relics from the pioneer days of the state. In the town, you can even rent pioneer costumes and take a step back in time.

The Good Earth State Park at Blood Run is an important historic and cultural site and is among the oldest sites in the US to be inhabited by humans. Here, you can travel along a rushing river, view tons of local wildlife, explore flood plains, and learn all about the role this location played as a trading center for tribal indigenous peoples from the 14th century through the 18th century. Like all of the state's parks, it's also a haven for bird-watching, hiking, and general wilderness exploration.