20 Quirky Roadside Attractions in South Dakota

The sight of an enormous bull’s head rising out of the prairie beside Interstate 90 demands you pull off the road and check out Porter Sculpture Park. Just 32 miles west of Sioux Falls, you’ll find quirky and fanciful metal creations from South Dakota sculptor Wayne Porter scattered along a grassy walking path. Explore the park from late May through early September.

For more than 120 years, this corn-themed monument has beckoned curious travelers to downtown Mitchell. Admire the colorful corn-by-numbers scenes constructed with real ears of corn, grains and grasses adorning the building’s exterior. Almost every year, these murals are reimagined by different artists, with new creations to discover on every visit. This free attraction is open year-round. 

Your eyes don’t deceive you. That’s a colossal bison statue marking your crossing into western South Dakota and the west bank of the Missouri River at Al’s Oasis in Oacoma. Pull over for mouthwatering buffalo burgers, homemade pie and five-cent coffee, not to mention kitschy gifts and souvenirs that round out the offerings at this restaurant/motel/shopping plaza that has been charming road-trippers since 1919.

You'll feel transported straight into a classic Western movie as you wander 1880 Town’s Main Street. Assembled from actual historical buildings hauled in from across the region, this Old West village includes a saloon, church, school, stables and train depot. Props and souvenirs from the South Dakota-filmed movie "Dances With Wolves" are displayed in the town’s unique round barn. Don’t miss the skeletal man walking his dinosaur statue in the field just east of town. 1880 Town is open May through October.

Just south of I-90 on the Badlands Loop Road (SD-240), the World’s Largest Prairie Dog stands guard outside the Badlands Ranch Store — a six-ton concrete rodent that’s impossible to miss once you pull in. Step outside, pose for a photo and you might just spot a real prairie dog nearby. While you're in the area, Prairie Homestead is just 1.5 miles south — an original sod house and working farm open late May through mid-September — and the rest of the Badlands Loop Road stretches ahead with more scenic stops inside Badlands National Park.

Climb on a triceratops or brontosaurus and take in sweeping views of Rapid City from Dinosaur Park, a ridgetop WPA-era park that has been delighting kids of all ages since 1938. This prehistoric-themed attraction delivers quirk, free of charge, from May through October.

Wonder no more — Sasquatch is real and you'll find him in Keystone. Seated right in the middle of town at Dahl’s Chainsaw Art, artist Jarrett Dahl and his crew carved this 23-foot-tall wooden sculpture from ponderosa pine, cedar and cottonwood. Affectionately named “Billie”, this mythical giant holds the Guinness World Record for the World’s Largest Wooden Bigfoot Sculpture. Be sure to explore the rest of the property’s one-of-a-kind wood-carved creations. 

Bigfoot is far from the only attraction you'll see in Keystone. Nestled in a valley at the foot of Mount Rushmore, Keystone packs a remarkable number of quirky and historical stops into one small town. Don’t miss the Big Thunder Gold Mine, the National Presidential Wax Museum and the Rushmore Borglum Historical Center for a full day of classic South Dakota roadside attractions. 

Stand at the center of it all — or close enough — at the Geographic Center of the Nation Monument, around an hour northwest of Rapid City. The 21-foot compass rose, constructed of gleaming South Dakota granite and ringed by all 50 state flags, makes for a quintessential road trip photo op. While the actual geographic center lies on private land about 20 miles north, you can visit the monument and the nearby Tri-State Museum and its exhibits on rodeo history, Indigenous culture and pioneer life for free year-round.

If you’re searching for a quirky pit stop, look no further than “Heavy Metal Sue” in the tiny town of Faith. Crafted from found scrap metal by renowned sculptor John Lopez, this massive T.rex pays tribute to Sue, the world’s most complete T.rex skeleton ever discovered — unearthed near Faith in 1990. Stretch your legs and snap a selfie with this South Dakota icon.

A mighty 40 feet long and weighing over 20 tons, The World's Largest Pheasant presides over Huron along Highway 14. Wooden viewing platforms have been built specifically to help you get the best photo of your traveling companions with the towering bird — a must for any road-trip photo album. While in Huron, stroll downtown to take in the Murals on the Town, an outdoor public art project that turns the city’s building facades into a colorful gallery of local history and culture.

Not to be confused with Storybook Island in Rapid City, Aberdeen’s Storybook Land is a whimsical walk-through theme park featuring nursery rhyme character statues, charming storybook houses and an entire Land of Oz section with characters and settings from "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz." Climb aboard the park’s train or head to the castle at the park’s center for special events. The park is open mid-April through mid-October, with full services available late May through early September. Nearby, Wylie Park adds camping, swimming, bumper boats, mini-golf and go-karts to the mix.

Built in 1884 by English settler Henry Holland and fully reconstructed in 2009, the Milbank Grist Mill transports visitors from the northeast South Dakota plains straight to the Netherlands. Standing an impressive 44 feet tall with four sails stretching 30 feet long, it served as the town’s original flour mill. The surrounding Grist Mill Park has a veterans’ memorial, walking paths and shaded green spaces. The park is easy to reach off US-12 and free to visit.