46 Cool and Unusual Things to Do in South Dakota - Atlas Obscura

Unusual Attractions in South Dakota

Custer, South Dakota

Crazy Horse Memorial

The world's largest mountain carving could fit all of Mount Rushmore inside it many times over.

Wall, South Dakota

Wall Drug

The granddaddy of all tourist traps, built on ice water, jackalopes, and a giant dinosaur.

Midland, South Dakota

Skeleton Man Walking Skeleton Dinosaur

Just a man taking his prehistoric pet for a stroll.

Rapid City, South Dakota

Hotel Alex Johnson

One of America’s oldest and spookiest hotels, thanks to the residency of ghosts, dead presidents, and Alfred Hitchcock.

Montrose, South Dakota

Porter Sculpture Park

A roadside collection of over-sized iron creations that are a bit more macabre than most.

Keystone, South Dakota

Hall of Records in Mount Rushmore

Hidden behind Lincoln's head is a 70-foot-long chamber containing enamel plates documenting American history, sealed in a teakwood box in a titanium vault.

Hot Springs, South Dakota

Mammoth Site

This prehistoric sinkhole lured exclusively male mammoths to their death, much to the delight of science.

Rapid City, South Dakota

Chapel In The Hills

This replica stave church looks like a piece of Norway was simply plopped down in South Dakota.

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Cool Places to Eat & Drink in South Dakota

Rapid City, South Dakota

Firehouse Brewing Co.

South Dakota's oldest operating brewery is housed inside a historic firehouse.

Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Watecha Bowl

Chef Lawrence West serves up Indian tacos, wojapi, and other Lakota dishes at the brick-and-mortar incarnation of his popular food truck.

Rapid City, South Dakota

McDonald’s Quarter Pounder Monument

Calidum et Deliciose Succosum!

Spearfish, South Dakota

Fish Car No. 3

This vintage train once gave new meaning to “swimming upstream.”

Atlas Obscura Itineraries

A Feminist Road Trip Across the U.S.

Over the past month, Atlas Obscura has been exploring the stories of women who changed the world, from wildlife biologists and mountain climbers to Civil War spies and tattoo artists. To celebrate these daring women who struck out on their own, we’ve put together a cross-country road trip. Over 12 stops and more than 3,000 miles, this route will give you a front-row seat to women’s history in America.

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Stories About South Dakota

The Cataract House Hotel, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, in the 1890s.

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The Thorny Problem of Tallying Every T. rex to Ever Live

Here’s why it’s really, really hard to count how many of the apex predators once stalked Earth’s surface.

by Jessica Leigh Hester

Stan sold for a thunderous sum.

The Fossils That Get Away (From Scientists)

A high-profile T. rex sale is a reminder that paleontologists get stressed when fossils vanish into private hands.

by Jessica Leigh Hester

November 13, 2020

Bison help engineer the spring regrowth with their grazing patterns.

Understanding How Bison Might Help Shape the Future of the Badlands

New lessons from resurgent herds.

by Isaac Schultz

November 18, 2019

Chuckwagons often carried heavy loads, including a water barrel.

The Company Building Chuck Wagons for Races and Cowboy Cookoffs

A South Dakota shop still builds the iconic wagons.

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