A unique combination of historic pioneer cabins, Native American burial mounds and forested glacial waters make Oakwood Lakes State Park a year-round destination for history and nature lovers. The park is located in eastern South Dakota, 25 minutes northeast of Brookings, between Highway 81 and Interstate 29 near Bruce. Camping, hiking, fishing, disc golf, bird watching, horseback riding and swimming are all popular activities at this park. Samuel “Old Spot” Mortimer built a cabin here in 1862 and it still stands in the midst of the eight connected lakes that make up the park.
South Dakota’s wide-open daytime skies of brilliant blue give way to breathtaking pastel-painted vistas most evenings. Jagged buttes in Badlands National Park offer spectacular silhouettes at several spots along the Badlands Loop Road. The Lewis & Clark Welcome Center and the epic Native American statue Dignity, located along Interstate 90 at Chamberlain, have views that look out over the mighty Missouri River. Farms and fields take on sleepy qualities as evenings fade into darkness in the central and eastern parts of the state.
From ice-fishing to snowmobiling to cross-country skiing – there’s no shortage of fun to be had when the weather turns frosty. But of all the snow-centric sports South Dakota has to offer, few are as beloved as ice skating and hockey.
You like surprises, right?
If you’re one of the millions of people going to Mount Rushmore National Memorial this year, you’ll also be heading into the Black Hills National Forest. Grand as it is, Mount Rushmore is only a small piece of the 1.25-million-acre forest and all there is to see and explore. And there is a lot to see.
Artist Mary Ann Strandell finds inspiration in South Dakota's wide-open spaces.
Article courtesy of Matador Network.
Great places go best with special faces. Let romance flourish in these magical parts of South Dakota.
When the term “wine country” comes to mind, most people picture the sprawling vineyards on the West Coast. But what more and more people across the country are discovering is that South Dakota has a burgeoning wine country of its own.
From baby bison in Custer State Park to the whitetail fawns of the central plains, take a spring trek to see some of South Dakota’s cuddliest wildlife.
