The Homeland, South Dakota
The chilly winter weather and snow this week has reminded me of my childhood growing up in South Dakota. Granted, the temps this week in Virginia “only” went as low as single digits, whereas in SD, the temps (with windchill) reached the -50s (AS IN 50 degrees BELOW ZERO!)….It left me with a little reminder of the cold winters of my childhood. Lest you think South Dakota is always cold, rest assured. It can get up to 120 degrees in the summer! Midwest living is not for the faint of heart! Despite the wild weather at times (or perhaps because of it), the scenery is beautiful. South Dakota has wide open prairies, rivers, and mountains. The majority of the state is sparsely populated so it has kept much of it’s natural beauty. The sky is usually clear so that means most days are sunny (which is helpful when it’s -50 degrees below zero!) and the night sky is wide open and typically unencumbered by pesky lights, buildings, and trees!
Mount Rushmore during a family trip to South Dakota, June 2022
I grew up in Pierre (pronounced PEER), South Dakota. If I had a dollar for everyone who has said to me, “I’ve never met anyone from South Dakota before….” I would have a lotta dollars! South Dakota (NOT to be confused with North Dakota as many people do…) has a lot of wide open spaces and a low population density. It has many beautiful areas and not just in the Black Hills. Travel-wise, South Dakota is known for Mount Rushmore. Mount Rushmore is unique and a definite must-see, but there is so much more to the state than “the guys” (as my little brother dubbed Mount Rushmore when he was a kid).
The state is divided into “east river” and “west river,” separated by the Missouri River-AKA the “Mighty Mo.” Each side has it’s unique characteristics based on scenery and SD sub-culture. East river (or the eastern part of the state) is the more populated area, with the largest city in the state, Sioux Falls. Despite being the largest city in the state, the population is still less than 200,000. While east river is more populated, it is still less populated than most places in the country. West river is the more mountainous and a more common tourist destination. The Black Hills, Badlands, and Mount Rushmore are frequent tourist destinations. Most people I talk to who have actually been to South Dakota, went there to see Mount Rushmore. Mount Rushmore is certainly unique and worth a visit, but there is so much more to see than that!
The Badlands is my favorite of the “Great 8”. It has such unique scenery!
The South Dakota tourism department suggests visiting South Dakota to see “The Great 8.” They list the top 8 things to do in SD which includes Mount Rushmore, Badlands, Crazy Horse, Historic Deadwood, Custer State Park, Jewel Cave Monument, Wind Cave National Park, and the Missouri River. Those are all great sites to see, but they are also the main “tourist” attractions and if you only visit those, you will miss out on seeing on some of the “Hidden Gems” of the Dakota.
Here are three of my favs:
1) The wide open prairie. I did not appreciate it when I lived there. Now when I go back as an adult, I appreciate it’s uniqueness and vastness. I always wonder at how any of the homesteaders survived the insanely cold (or insanely hot!) temperatures, loneliness, isolation of the wide open prairie. If you want a little peak into life on the prairie, check out one of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s home in De Smet, SD (from the Little House on the Prairie book series). Another fun place to visit to get a real feel for life on the prairie is the Prairie Homestead. You can go inside a sod house and marvel at how anyone could survive a winter (or more than 5 minutes at any given time…) in that! Speaking of prairie, at the Homestead, they have prairie dogs there. They are the absolute cutest little creatures!
Cooking in the kitchen of a sod house at the Prairie Homestead
2) Dignity of Earth and Sky sculpture is an impressive new statue near Chamberlain, SD on the Missouri River. The artist built it to celebrate the beauty of the Native cultures. Dignity is a beautiful tribute to the local Native cultures and is framed by the beauty of the land itself in the background.
3) The State Capital. Growing up in the state capital of South Dakota, it never occurred to me how unique it was. Pierre is the 2nd smallest state capital in the US. The population comes in below 14,000, but for such a small town, it has some bigger town offerings. It is its own little bustling “mini city” with shopping (sorry-no Target…gotta drive 3 hours for the closest one of those!), restaurants, museums, and of course government buildings. The capitol building itself was open to the public at anytime for anyone to take a stroll through (this seems wild to me now, living near the Nation’s Capitol!). The Cultural Heritage Center and Discovery Center are “must see” museums while in town.
View of the State Capitol building from the Cultural Heritage Center (Pierre, SD)
Traveling to South Dakota can be a bit of an adventure in itself. The state does have six commercial airports, the biggest being located in the two biggest cities (Rapid City and Sioux Falls). If you prefer bigger airports, airplanes, and more direct flights, flying into Minneapolis,MN or Denver, CO can be a good option if you are willing to drive a few hours to get into SD. If you are looking for a totally unique travel experience in a place with friendly people and wide open spaces, South Dakota is your place!!
Prairie Dogs are the absolute cutest!