South Dakota Cultural Attractions

World-renowned museums, music, amazing architecture and more! With South Dakota's Choice Hotels^® you'll be a stone's throw away from it all. Take a peek at the cultural attractions the state of South Dakota offers.

In the Black Hills, Badlands & Lakes Region

Black Hills Museum of Natural History
217 Main Street
Hill City, SD   57745
605-574-4505

Find yourself between the walls of one of the finest paleontological exhibitions in the world when you buy your ticket to Black Hills Museum of Natural History. Experience real dinosaur bones in their massive size, and gain an understanding for the creatures of way-back-when. Explore the collections of fossils, minerals, agates, meteorites, and more which make this cultural destination such a popular one.

National Presidential Wax Museum
609 Highway 16A
Keystone, SD  
605-666-4455

Celebrate America's divine heritage at the National Presidential Wax Museum, and you'll find yourself in the midst of some of the greatest men in the history of our country. There's only one catch - they're made of wax! That doesn't mean, however, that you can't take a realistic photo with one of the 42 men, living or deceased, who find their home here.

Prairie Homestead Historic Site
21141 Highway 240
Philip, SD   57567
605-433-5400

Experience the real frontier at the Prairie Homestead Historic Site, where dozens of unique South Dakotan homestead buildings dwell. Still intact in their original location, you'll enjoy witnessing the days of South Dakota's past through the all-too-vivid buildings which remain in their hundred-years-old spot.

In the Great Lakes Region

South Dakota Cultural Heritage Center
900 Governors Drive
Pierre, SD   57501
605-773-3458

So you've voyaged all the way out to the state of South Dakota, not really knowing what to expect. You're pleased with what you've seen, but there's a yearning inside you to learn more about the fascinating past of the area. There's no better place to do just that than at the South Dakota Cultural Heritage Center, where interactive displays and full-scale models of everything from teepees to covered wagons leave no educational stone unturned.

Akta Lakota Museum
I-90 Exit 263
Chamberlain, SD   57325
605-734-3452

Learn about the fascinating history of the tribesmen which inhabited the area of South Dakota for millennia before its pioneering days. The Akta Lakota Museum is dedicated to the preservation of the culture and history of the Akta Lakota Indians.

In the Glacial Lakes & Prairies Region

Terry Redlin Art Center
1200 33rd Street SE
Watertown, SD   57201
877-TRE-DLIN

Immerse yourself in over 150 of the original oil paintings of the artist Terry Redlin. Hanging on the walls of this impressive gallery is the greatest homage to the painter in the world, designed by the son of the artist. See this family vision come to life in the city of Watertown.

Dacotah Prairie Museum
Aberdeen, SD  
800-645-3851

Step into the past at the Dacotah Prairie Museum, where a full gamut of activities awaits visitors to the state of South Dakota. Experience the days of the old where settlers explored the country's western reaches. Afterwards, head down to the Hatterscheidt Wildlife Gallery, which includes over 50 different plant and animal species.

Museum of Wildlife, Science & Industry
W. Highway 12
Webster, SD  
605-345-4751

One of the perks of a visit to the Museum of Wildlife, Science & Industry is its toll - virtually nonexistent. So skip the ticket lines and head straight into the museum, where you'll find one of South Dakota's most impressive collections of virtually everything related to, well, Wildlife, Science and Industry. From an original antique beauty shop to model tractors and tool collections, there's something for everyone at this impressive destination.

In the Southeast Region

Schmeckfest
Freeman Academy
748 Main Street
Freeman, SD   57029
605-925-4237

Delicious is the day spent as Schmeckfest, a festival that pushes the culinary arts to their limit. Find out what a master chef can prepare with the simple ingredients of flour, eggs, milk, and butter - the results will astound your mind and are sure to immerse your taste buds in an unforgettable experience.

Heritage Hall Museum
748 S. Main Street
Freeman, SD   57029
605-925-4587

Here, you'll find an impressive collection of some of the rarest antiques and artifacts dating from the pioneering days. Ride a real covered wagon and marvel at horse-drawn cultivators, threshing machines, and other tools of implementation following the advent of the industrial revolution. You'll walk away with an understanding of how South Dakota's geological and cultural landscape has been transformed by technology.

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