Laura Ingalls Wilder Pageant

So Much South Dakota So Little Time

Shadows start to soften in the varied spires and buttes, cracks and crevices of Badlands National Park in morning light.

Life May Be Short, But the Itinerary Doesn’t Have to Be

So, are you ready for 365 days of pure adventure? Ready for an itinerary that goes off the beaten path? No matter the season, new experiences await you in South Dakota.

With 77,000 square miles of natural beauty, South Dakota’s wilderness is a year-round playground. The serene forests and mountains of the Black Hills offer endless room for hiking, biking, camping, and climbing. There’s also prime fishing, boating, and water recreation within the Missouri River, while the scenic overlooks and rushing waters of Palisades State Park provide an escape for every kind of outdoor adventurer.

South Dakota’s Great 8 landmarks also invite you to experience something unforgettable any time of the year, from the iconic Mount Rushmore to the brilliant colors and crystals of the Jewel Cave National Monument. And with a thriving dining culture in Sioux Falls & Rapid City plus tons of diverse options for arts & culture and lodging, your itinerary will never run short of things to do.

So, what are you waiting for? Get more travel resources like a Free Vacation Guide and sign up for our eNewsletter. Or, download a free mobile-exclusive passport that invites you to win prizes while exploring unforgettable locations.

Discover Year-Round Adventure

Slightly transparent photo showing sunrise on the rocks and trail at Sylvan Lake with the Black Hills behind and fading into the horizon.

Featured Events

Sometimes we need an excuse. Like if you have a place with such a concentrated collection of scenic drives connecting historic places and so many hidden gems, who wouldn't want to invite hundreds of thousands of friends and have an event like the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally and Races? Or, if you need to round up and check on the health of your bison herd—and fall in Custer State Park is so lovely anyway—you invite anyone who wants to see 1,300+ buffalo thundering across the open prairie. Have a beautiful historic old fort out on the Coteau des Prairies? Why not have a few festivals, from the historic to the haunted at Fort Sisseton, with a Frontier Christmas in between?

In South Dakota, so many iconic events celebrate the state's diverse landscape, culture and history. You'll surely find that perfect excuse to start planning your trip.

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So Much South Dakota So Little Time

So, are you ready for 365 days of pure adventure? Ready for an itinerary that...

Episode 9: South Dakota on a Plate

Overhead shot of a plate of nachos on a table with a dark blue tablecloth at BiBiSol restaurant in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Episode 9:

South Dakota on a Plate

With a culinary scene shaped by Indigenous people, immigrants, farmers, hunters and more, South Dakota serves up a smorgasbord of local specialties — some with names as exotic as the dishes themselves! Get ready for a mouthwatering journey through the state as we explore its distinctive flavors and one-of-a-kind dining spots.

This episode of Travel South Dakota Stories is a four-course road trip, and you’re invited! Our appetizer is the state’s “official nosh,” chislic, followed by a James Beard-recognized restaurant in a town of 1,800 people. For dessert, host Brian Thacker heads to Wall Drug Store to sample their world-famous (and addictive) donuts. Our meal isn’t complete without a digestif from Black Hills Contraband Distillery, although the one we try is downright dangerous.

You’ll hear from:

Joy Ann Smith and Andrea Bear from the South Dakota Chislic Festival
Joseph Raney from Skogen Kitchen
Sarah Hustead from Wall Drug Store
Jerry Sailer from Black Hills Contraband Distillery
Cowboy Keith from the Blue Bell Lodge Chuckwagon Dinner

available on Spotify, Apple and Amazon

It’s kind of a joke within the state that you can’t go from east to west river and be OK if you haven’t stopped to get donuts.

Sarah Hustead, Vice President, Wall Drug Store

Check out the trailer now!

South Dakota Chislic Festival

Find your way to Freeman in southeastern South Dakota for this annual celebration of the official state nosh. Chislic consists of seasoned cubes of lamb or mutton, skewered and fried to tender, juicy perfection. Vendors from around the state bring their best, and it’s up to festivalgoers to decide which chislic rules them all.

#HiFromSD

See how others explored South Dakota's culinary scene and use the hashtag #HiFromSD to share your dining discoveries.

More Trip Ideas

South Dakota's Must-Visit Food Festivals

Close up of two containers of chislic, a South Dakota culinary specialty consisting of chunks of meat on skewers. South Dakota Chislic Festival, Freeman, SD.

A Taste of South Dakota's Favorite Foods

Foodie Road Trip From Watertown to Sioux Falls

START PLANNING YOUR NEXT TRIP TO SOUTH DAKOTA

Episode 9: South Dakota on a Plate

This episode of Travel South Dakota Stories is a four-course road trip, and you’re invited...

Episode 8: Where Bad is Good

A man wearing a cowboy hat rides on horseback in the foreground while look out at the South Dakota Badlands in the distance. Badlands National Park, South Dakota.

Episode 8:

Where Bad is Good

The Lakota people call it Mako Sica — “bad lands.” With its sharply eroded buttes, pinnacles and spires, it’s easy to see why. But just how "bad" is Badlands National Park? Join us as we venture into this legendary land of stone and light to unearth its many wonders, past and present.

With a name like “Badlands,” you might think that Badlands National Park is a desolate and forbidding landscape. But as we discover in this episode, the Badlands are as ecologically and geologically rich as they are eerily beautiful. Join host Brian Thacker as he hikes through a colorful tapestry in search of the park's prehistoric past. Along the way, he becomes an unwelcome visitor in a prairie-dog town and goes horseback riding under the shadows of rocky buttes straight out of a Western movie.

You’ll hear from:

Ed Welsh and Paul Roghair from Badlands National Park
Casie Donald from Hurley Butte Horseback

available on Spotify, Apple and Amazon

The first fossil was described here in 1846, the giant jawbone of an animal called a brontothere. To put that into context, [the word] 'dinosaur' was invented in 1842 ... So we can point to this area and say, this is where paleontology begins in the American West.

Ed Welsh, Education Specialist, Badlands National Park

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Badlands Astronomy Festival

Stars and Milky Way Badlands National Park South Dakota

This summer event gathers amateur astronomers, scientists and park visitors under the pitch-black skies of Badlands National Park. Enjoy nightly telescope viewings, evening presentations by special guests and a range of family-friendly activities. You truly haven't seen the Badlands until you've seen them at night!