Foodie Road Trip From Watertown to Sioux Falls

Pull in for local grub and brews and enjoy the best Midwest food and wine vacation — starting from the small eastern city of Watertown and driving directly south to South Dakota's largest city, Sioux Falls. Here, you’ll discover why South Dakota stands out as one of the best Midwestern states for a foodie road trip. Traveling foodies, this one's for you.

Servicing Airlines: United, Key Lime Air
On-site Car Rental: Budget 
Recommended Road Trip Time: 3 days
Route Distance: 104 miles (one way), 208 miles (round trip)

It's a small airport, but don’t let that deter you from flying into Watertown Regional Airport (ATY), which has some of the lowest average one-way fares compared to other South Dakota airports. Plus, you’ll get to explore the unassuming and underrated locale of Watertown. After stopping by Budget for your rental car, fuel up for a foodie travel adventure that will have you wondering why more people don’t venture to this corner of the Great Plains.

First Stop: Watertown

Less than 10 minutes from the airport, settle into Watertown before spending the evening enjoying local restaurants, craft beer and cultural attractions. Check into your accommodation of choice — perhaps Ramkota Hotel, Watertown's only full-service hotel, which features Minervas Restaurant and Bar on-site. The Minervas family of restaurants can be found in a few other cities across the state, and they've been defining quality food and great service in South Dakota since 1977.

Small-Town Brews & Charcuterie

Once settled into your room, explore the quaint downtown area and head to one of the best stops on the list: Watertown Brewing Company, where they grow their own hops, brew their own beer and even make crackers out of the spent grain from their mashing process. Kick off your trip with a charcuterie plate here, which consists of a healthy mix of European and Midwestern samplings — including Parisian-inspired cheeses and meats, house pickles and bread made from the same wheat as their beer.

Work Up an Appetite in Watertown

To make room for your next meal, consider hitting the water for boating or fishing at Sandy Shore Lake Recreation Area on Lake Kampeska or Pelican Lake Recreation Area on Pelican Lake. If you’re more of an arts and culture fiend, work up an appetite exploring more than 160 oil paintings by wildlife artist Terry Redlin at the Redlin Art Center. Have kids in tow for this foodie adventure? Before they get hangry for their next meal, grab admission to Bramble Park Zoo, the second-largest zoo in South Dakota and home to more than 800 animals.

Classic Eateries Along Your Midwest Road Trip Route

When you’re ready for your next meal, grab the best pizza this side of Highway 80 and, believe it or not, a true contender throughout the entire country. As South Dakota’s only certified pizzaiola, Sean Dempsey is top-rated on Tripadvisor and Yelp. His pizza at Dempsey's Brewery, Pub & Restaurant won first place in its region at the International Pizza Expo, finishing No. 10 in the nation for traditional pies. For any traveling foodie, this is a must-stop, and proof that small towns in the Midwest can have surprisingly world-class food. As for Dempsey's non-pizza options, other favorites include the Wiener schnitzel and burgers.

Get Local & Eat Regional

Spend the afternoon strolling downtown Watertown, popping in and out of the local shops and enjoying its small-town charm with big-city ideas. For dinner with a sunset view, head to The Prop, a local lake hangout with a friendly pub atmosphere overlooking beautiful Lake Kampeska. Kick back here for a game of pool or watch a big game on the TV over the “Famous Garlic Burger” and some local South Dakota beers.

Sweetest Stop in Watertown

For dessert, be ready to jump back in the car. Make your own wine and indulge in old-fashioned chocolates and sea salt caramels — all hand-made and hand-dipped to make every piece delectably different — at Watertown Confectionery. Downstairs in the cellar, you'll find the Ghost Town Winery. With the magic words quoted, visitors of the confectionery can have a hand at becoming vintners. Provided with a wine kit and bottles, you’ll be able to design your own wine label. For anyone who thinks food and wine vacations are only for Napa, South Dakota's got a surprise for you.

Watertown to Brookings

In the morning, grab breakfast at Gather in downtown Watertown for some fresh-baked goods before beginning the 50-mile drive to Brookings. Halfway to Sioux Falls, Brookings sits just off I-29, and this foodie trip wouldn't be complete without a detour there. Home to South Dakota State University, Brookings has the youthful energy (and the appetite) to support a surprisingly stacked lineup of local eateries, brewpubs and one of the most iconic roadside eats in the entire Midwest.

The Most Iconic Midwestern Eatery

Got the kids in tow? Your first stop: the Children’s Museum of South Dakota to work up an appetite for Nick's Hamburger Shop, a Brookings institution since 1929 and a must on any foodie road trip through South Dakota. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Nick's has been grilling up two-ounce sliders on the same stretch of Main Avenue for nearly a century.

Great Plains Gardens & a Greasy Slice

After you've had your Nick's fix, walk off a few sliders along downtown Brookings' Main Avenue, which is lined with locally owned shops, murals and laid-back small-town charm. If gardens are more your thing, stretch your legs at McCrory Gardens, one of the top display gardens in the Great Plains. Before getting back on the highway, swing by Wooden Legs Brewing Company for a slice of cracker-crust pizza for the final stretch south.

Brookings to Sioux Falls

From Brookings, it's just 57 miles to South Dakota's biggest city. Sioux Falls is packed with more than 700 awesome restaurants to check out and “find your full.” With a variety of cuisine, specialties and themed eateries, it might be tough to pick — especially with many of them having put Sioux Falls on the foodie map by appearing on Guy Fieri’s "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives."

Check in & Dine in Sioux Falls

Consider staying in the heart of downtown at the historically significant Hotel On Phillips, originally built as the Sioux Falls National Bank in 1918. One hundred years later, Hotel On Phillips began its restoration and transformation into an upscale, chic boutique hotel that also boasts its own equally chic cocktail lounge, The Treasury. Enjoy a pre-dinner craft cocktail or glass of wine with some elevated bar bites and small plates from Executive Chef Matthew Regnier before hitting the town for dinner.

Explore Sioux Falls Favorite Views, Brews & Chews

Plan to spend the next day or two exploring Sioux Falls and its dining scene. Grab a coffee at one of the locally owned specialty coffee roasters, such as Coffea Roasterie & Espresso Bar or The Source Coffee Roastery + Taproom, to start the day on a high note with some small-batch South Dakota joe. Coffee in hand, drive or walk the “Phillips to the Falls” route, which starts from Phillips Avenue and leads to Falls Park and its cascading waterfalls, scenic views, open-air markets, cozy cafe and cultural experiences that all await your exploration.

This also puts you close to the Washington Pavilion, the region’s home for arts, entertainment and science. During the day, it’s a perfect place for visitors of all ages to check out the rotating visual arts displays. At night, the Pavilion features a rotation of Hollywood blockbusters and educational documentaries projected onto a 60-foot-wide, four-story screen at the Wells Fargo CineDome.

With a multitude of restaurants to choose from, you’re likely to find a delicious option for any mood or craving. Grab deli creations at Bread & Circus Sandwich Kitchen. Sit down for all-American food piled high in a retro dining atmosphere at Phillips Avenue Diner, or head to the open garage doors and patio (weather permitting) and Dadaist art-inspired dining room of DaDa Gastropub.

Sweet Stops Worth Saving Room For

Treat yourself to sweet culinary delights and liquid libations in between downtown shopping and exploration. Indulge in the playful and colorful French macarons of CH Patisserie — named one of the top two French bakeries in America — or grab one of the many artisan ice cream flavors at Parlour Ice Cream House.

South Dakota's Brewing Scene

And certainly don't leave without tasting why South Dakota’s brewing scene is exploding. This stretch of I-29 is one of the best culinary routes in the Great Plains. You and your co-pilots will have your flight's worth at WoodGrain Brewing Co., Monks Alehouse, Remedy Brewing Company, Severance Brewing Co., Covert Artisan Ales, Fernson Brewing Co. and many more!

Best Seasonal Food Events in the Midwest

Time your visit right and you can catch one of Sioux Falls' seasonal food events, too. Every January, the Downtown Burger Battle turns the city into a monthlong, citywide competition where more than 50 restaurants craft limited-edition burgers. Tens of thousands of diners vote for a winner, and the whole thing generates millions in economic impact. In September, Downtown Riverfest brings a fleet of food trucks and local restaurants to the banks of the Big Sioux River alongside live music, while the Sidewalk Arts Festival fills the streets around the Washington Pavilion with 230-plus vendors selling Dakota cuisine, craft goods and cold ones in the beer garden. It's one of the best seasonal food festival lineups in the Midwest, and another reason to plan more than one foodie trip to South Dakota.

Come Back Soon!

With the trip coming to an end, plan to either turn back around for your flight back out of Watertown or, depending on your airline, the option may also be there for you to drop off your rental car at a nearby Budget in Sioux Falls and fly right out of Sioux Falls Airport (FSD). Either way, you’re likely to leave having eaten and imbibed way too much ... which is the perfect amount. All you've got to do now is savor it all till the next foodie vacation in the underrated foodie travel destination that is South Dakota.