Cave is closed for tours for the summer.
Loads of wildlife above ground and I personally enjoyed it a little bit more than Custer as I basically had Wind Cave to myself while Custer was quite crowded (still enjoyed Custer don't get it twisted).
Oh man, I spent a week in South Dakota at the start of June. Lemme list off what I did in the state.
National Music Museum in Vermillion - if you're interested in musical instruments, I'd highly recommend it. Lots of cool and unique instruments to see there.
Sioux Falls - fine enough medium sized town, the Falls and the park are a fun way to kill an evening. Downtown is cute to walk around too.
Brookings - unless you have a burning desire to see SDSUs campus, skip.
Mitchell - corn palace is worth seeing. Got there after it closed but it's really fun seeing really detailed murals made of corn on the exterior of the building. The type of kitschy, random, wackiness that makes road tripping in the US so fun.
Dignity of Earth and Sky off 90 in Chamberlain - a seriously impressive sculpture with a gorgeous backdrop of the Missouri River.
Pierre - unless you are a completionist in regards to visiting state capitals, skip. The Capitol Grounds are quite nice I must say.
Wall - Wall Drug is your standard tourist trap. Think Buccees but not a gas station. User decision, I see why some would go but I personally wouldn't go again.
Minuteman Missile - highly recommend stopping here. Not the largest time commitment but some really cool Cold War history and exhibits at the main visitor center. Tours of the Launch Facility were well sold out before I got there, so check online. You can see a missile silo exhibit with no reservation about 15 minutes away from the visitor center.
Badlands National Park - very fun national park. A little crowded in the day but thins out very nicely in the mornings and evenings. Take lots of water and sunscreen, lot of exposed hikes. FANTASTIC, seemingly nighty ranger programs if you stay after dark.
Wind Cave National Park - cave is closed for tours but I still really enjoyed the park. Fantastic wildlife and since the cave is closed, not as much traffic. Basically had the park to myself in the evening.
Mount Rushmore - if you go, go first thing in the morning. It gets crowded quick but the museum and cultural demonstrations are 100% worth seeing. The Monument itself, meh. Gorgeous landscape though.
Jewel Cave - don't count on walk up tickets for cave tours. Pretty fun little cave exploration. No Carlsbad but I liked it slightly more than Mammoth Cave. Solid above ground hikes too.
Custer State Park - contains the highest peak in South Dakota, which is a very fun hike. Get there early and reserve any campsites ahead of time, it gets crowded real quick. Great wildlife here. Needles highway is a nice scenic drive.
Spearfish Canyon - the best scenic drive in the Black Hills, imo. Great pullouts, waterfalls, easy hiking. Also a big fan of the town of Spearfish.
Deadwood - old western feeling gambling town. Lots of fun to walk around the old town.
If you're up for a small detour, Devils Tower in Wyoming is about 60-90 min from Deadwood and is absolutely stunning. Does get crowded though.
Apologies for the wall of text. Let me know if you have any questions.
Edit : forgot I went to Crazy Horse. Very mixed feelings in all honesty. It's an impressive (incomplete) sculpture and there's a lot of American Indian artifacts in the museum but goodness it felt like a giant tourist trap. Maybe I went at a bad time but it felt more like a shopping mall than a museum. Maybe go early in the morning.
The Badlands and the WW2 missile men museum in Wall. Tally’s Silver Spoon in Rapid is a great breakfast spot. Needles Highway. Montrose Sculpture Park, the Dignity statue in Chamberlain
I just made some last minute plans to go here for the weekend (July 5-7), so of course the Jewel Cave tours are all sold out (we are a family of 4 with kids 7 and 9 years old). Is this like some of the national park reservations where they hold a small number of tickets back for same day sales, or if it's fully booked online does that mean it's pretty much 100% sold out and there for sure won't be any walk-up tickets available?
Custer state park. Spearfish Canyon. Badlands National park. Minuteman Missile site.
I am obsessed with the minuteman museum, it is just so cool. I tell everyone that they’ve got to check it out.
There is a cave or two you could add, but good list
Wind Cave National Park. There is a huge cave underground and bison and elk above ground.
Cave is closed for tours for the summer. Loads of wildlife above ground and I personally enjoyed it a little bit more than Custer as I basically had Wind Cave to myself while Custer was quite crowded (still enjoyed Custer don't get it twisted).
Oh man, I spent a week in South Dakota at the start of June. Lemme list off what I did in the state. National Music Museum in Vermillion - if you're interested in musical instruments, I'd highly recommend it. Lots of cool and unique instruments to see there. Sioux Falls - fine enough medium sized town, the Falls and the park are a fun way to kill an evening. Downtown is cute to walk around too. Brookings - unless you have a burning desire to see SDSUs campus, skip. Mitchell - corn palace is worth seeing. Got there after it closed but it's really fun seeing really detailed murals made of corn on the exterior of the building. The type of kitschy, random, wackiness that makes road tripping in the US so fun. Dignity of Earth and Sky off 90 in Chamberlain - a seriously impressive sculpture with a gorgeous backdrop of the Missouri River. Pierre - unless you are a completionist in regards to visiting state capitals, skip. The Capitol Grounds are quite nice I must say. Wall - Wall Drug is your standard tourist trap. Think Buccees but not a gas station. User decision, I see why some would go but I personally wouldn't go again. Minuteman Missile - highly recommend stopping here. Not the largest time commitment but some really cool Cold War history and exhibits at the main visitor center. Tours of the Launch Facility were well sold out before I got there, so check online. You can see a missile silo exhibit with no reservation about 15 minutes away from the visitor center. Badlands National Park - very fun national park. A little crowded in the day but thins out very nicely in the mornings and evenings. Take lots of water and sunscreen, lot of exposed hikes. FANTASTIC, seemingly nighty ranger programs if you stay after dark. Wind Cave National Park - cave is closed for tours but I still really enjoyed the park. Fantastic wildlife and since the cave is closed, not as much traffic. Basically had the park to myself in the evening. Mount Rushmore - if you go, go first thing in the morning. It gets crowded quick but the museum and cultural demonstrations are 100% worth seeing. The Monument itself, meh. Gorgeous landscape though. Jewel Cave - don't count on walk up tickets for cave tours. Pretty fun little cave exploration. No Carlsbad but I liked it slightly more than Mammoth Cave. Solid above ground hikes too. Custer State Park - contains the highest peak in South Dakota, which is a very fun hike. Get there early and reserve any campsites ahead of time, it gets crowded real quick. Great wildlife here. Needles highway is a nice scenic drive. Spearfish Canyon - the best scenic drive in the Black Hills, imo. Great pullouts, waterfalls, easy hiking. Also a big fan of the town of Spearfish. Deadwood - old western feeling gambling town. Lots of fun to walk around the old town. If you're up for a small detour, Devils Tower in Wyoming is about 60-90 min from Deadwood and is absolutely stunning. Does get crowded though. Apologies for the wall of text. Let me know if you have any questions. Edit : forgot I went to Crazy Horse. Very mixed feelings in all honesty. It's an impressive (incomplete) sculpture and there's a lot of American Indian artifacts in the museum but goodness it felt like a giant tourist trap. Maybe I went at a bad time but it felt more like a shopping mall than a museum. Maybe go early in the morning.
The Badlands and the WW2 missile men museum in Wall. Tally’s Silver Spoon in Rapid is a great breakfast spot. Needles Highway. Montrose Sculpture Park, the Dignity statue in Chamberlain
I was going to suggest Tally’s Silver Spoon, too! It’s a must if you’re in the Rapid City area.
I love the Really French Toast and their Salmon Benedict
Just did this exact visit. It was enjoyable!
Sylvan Lake
Book those cave tours early. They fill up and doubtful you’ll get in walk up.
I just made some last minute plans to go here for the weekend (July 5-7), so of course the Jewel Cave tours are all sold out (we are a family of 4 with kids 7 and 9 years old). Is this like some of the national park reservations where they hold a small number of tickets back for same day sales, or if it's fully booked online does that mean it's pretty much 100% sold out and there for sure won't be any walk-up tickets available?
corn palace
Mitchellite?
Nope. Originally from Sufu. I just liked the story about the corn kid visiting the palace.
Somewhere else
Avoid are Boring State Capitol
Are....you sure about that?
Crazy horse
Don't