9 Playfully Peculiar Towns In South Dakota

South Dakota has a proud history as a major contributor to the days of the wild west. It is home to some of America’s most impressive sites, from the majesty of Mount Rushmore to the breathtaking scenery of the Black Hills and grasslands. Although South Dakota has many well-known tourist attractions, proof of its curious past offers a more intriguing history.

Here we look at nine playfully peculiar towns in South Dakota worth a road trip stopover.

Keystone

Keystone is the gateway to the famed landmark, Mount Rushmore, just three miles from the former mining town. Although you expect to see the massive President busts, a 23-foot “Big Foot” is quite a surprise.

The work is not the first Bigfoot sculpture for chainsaw artist Jarrett Dahl. Dahl's work includes two other commissioned hairy fellas, including an eight-foot-tall Bigfoot and a 12-foot Sasquatch. His greatest achievement is the work of a group of talented chainsaw artists who share bragging rights for the world’s largest Bigfoot made of carved wood, a furry coat of logs, and a twiggy beard.

Keystone’s National Presidential Wax Museum features all 46 U.S. presidents frozen in their most iconic moments and a total of over 100 figures. While there, play the role of press secretary at a re-creation of the White House press briefing room just for laughs.

Keystone is also home to the highest point in South Dakota. Towering 7,231 feet above sea level, Black Elk Peak overlooks the expansive views of the Black Hills National Forest. An abandoned stone fire tower built in 1939 is open to the public via a four-mile hike. Formerly known as Harney Peak, the site was renamed after the Oglala Lakota medicine man, Black Elk, in 2016.

Ride the oldest continuously operating standard gauge excursion train in the world up steep grades and around sharp curves, exploring the mountainous terrain of the Black Hills. The cars pulled by a vintage steam engine are period accurate, complete with elegant hardwood details, elegant stained glass, and luxurious leather seats. The 1880 Train’s most exciting ride includes an Old West Shootout recreating a scene right out of a western movie.

Hot Springs

Hot Springs is located along the banks of the Fall River, fed by the thermal springs that gave the town its name. As the river winds through the town’s city parks, the naturally heated mineral waters beckon, inspiring the town slogan, “So Much to Soak In.”

Towels and blankets sit abandoned on the grassy riverbanks awaiting the return of park visitors frolicking in the warm waters. There are many spots to experience the warming effects of the springs, including resorts, local parks, and the very popular Cascade Falls. However, the town's history goes beyond the springs.

The town’s original 1888 jail is the oldest extant wooden jailhouse in South Dakota, made of solid 2x4 pine boards enforced with rows of wire. Although not 100% confirmed, the infamous Calamity Jane might have spent a night in jail after a drunken bout of troublemaking. It is more likely she “slept it off” in one of the cells in the Hot Springs Town Hall, but the little wood jailhouse still sports a sign claiming, “Calamity Jane Slept Here.”

The Mammoth Site is North America’s only late Ice Age facility of its kind and a world-renowned education and research institution where visitors participate. The active dig site is the world’s largest mammoth research facility. Over 60 mammoths and at least 87 Late Ice Age animals have been unearthed since the first tusks were spotted by a heavy equipment operator in 1974.

Wind Cave National Park's splendor is not just found above ground. Visitors can take in the breathtaking sight of bison, elk, and wildlife roaming the expansive grasslands of the Black Hills or explore the longest and most complex caves in the world below.

Mitchell

Despite Mitchell’s unassuming location in the James River Valley, it is well known as home to the World's Only Corn Palace. In 1892, local officials commissioned the building of the Corn Palace as a scheme to attract settlers to the rich soil primed for farming.

Restorations in the 1930s restored the building’s Moorish-inspired minarets and kiosks. Although made of concrete, new murals made of corn, local grains, and grasses are redesigned by local artists each year to re-adorn the building with materials found in the self-proclaimed "Corn Capital of the World." The palace hosts the annual Corn Palace Festival in late August, celebrating the palace redecoration, attracting top entertainers, and featuring a carnival complete with a contest judging local produce.

The Mitchell Indigenous Archaeological Site & Museum is a 1,000-year-old Native American village of the Mandan tribe. The ancestral people of the area helped develop modern strains of corn 500 years before European settlement. It is South Dakota’s only active archaeological site open to the public. The site also features Audrey’s Garden, showcasing the native plants integral to the foods, medicines, dyes, and ceremonies of the indigenous inhabitants of the village.

The town’s original library, built in 1903 is now the Carnegie Resource Centre, where changing historical exhibits, work by famous Yanktonai Nakota Sioux artist Oscar Howe, and a permanent collection of Corn Palace memorabilia share the history of the town in imaginative ways. However, Oscar Howe’s 1940 mural "Sun and Rain Clouds Over Hills" in the dome of the building is the center's showstopper.

The Dakota Discovery Museum and Art Gallery weaves together the story of the Native American and immigrant people of the Middle Border states between 1600 and 1939, spanning the stories of ancient traditions to the arrival of the homesteaders and railroad. The collection of artifacts and murals shares the complexities of the relationships and conflicts that helped shape the identity of the people and town of today.

Deadwood

Deadwood’s picturesque location tucked into a peaceful valley in the Black Hills makes it difficult to imagine it once harbored the likes of the wild west’s most well-known upstarts and outlaws, including Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, and Poker Alice. A town founded on the bad luck and good luck of the gold rush, it is now a historic landmark forever tied to its legendary, tumultuous past.

You can still find trouble in Deadwood at their summer gunfight reenactments when gunshots ring out on Deadwood’s Historic Main Street. You can also ride the Deadwood Stagecoach to experience the primary mode of travel until the arrival of the railroad in 1890. Travel Main Street and watch out for bandits and desperadoes up to no good.

Get into character panning for gold at Broken Boot Gold Mine, or follow the path into the century-old drifts where miners sought their fortunes.

The town’s historic Mount Moriah Cemetery overlooks Deadwood Gulch. It is a testament to Deadwood's fallen heroes and villains, including the most sought-after graves of frontiersman Wild Bill Hickok and sharpshooter Calamity Jane. Despite their romantic involvement, Wild Bill asks Calamity Jane not to be buried near him. Unfortunately, his request was forgotten when Jane died 27 years later. At her request, they lie side by side in eternity.

Seth Bullock, the first Sheriff of Deadwood, is also buried at Mount Moriah. As a close friend of President Theodore Roosevelt, Bullock petitioned the Society of Black Hills Pioneers to rename Sheep Mountain to Mount Theodore Roosevelt, where he built a stone tower to honor his friend. Aptly named "Friendship Tower," it affords visitors scenic views of the beautiful Black Hills.

Lemmon

Surrounded by stunning grasslands in the Black Hills, Lemmon’s downtown Petrified Wood Park might seem like an optical illusion from a distance. However, the structures filling an entire block are not only very real but also the largest petrified wood park in the world. Made of petrified wood, fossils, and stone, the park is the work of Ole S. Quammen and features a wishing well, a waterfall, and a castle weighing 300 tons. Now owned by the town, the peculiar site includes over 100 formations reaching as high as 20 feet tall.

The small town offers inspiration at every turn, including the sculptures of John Lopez. Known for turning discarded metal into historical figures and captivating nature-inspired pieces, Lopez’s work is surprisingly realistic. The “Boss Cowman” Square and Sculpture Garden on Main Avenue features the town’s founder on horseback surrounded by murals telling the story of Lemmon. The sculpture garden features the breathtaking Tree of Life and a Humpback Whale made from an old airplane wing.

Lopez’s work also creates a peculiar welcome at the Grand River Museum, where a cowboy straddles a triceratops, hinting at the collection of dinosaur fossils, ranching, and Native American stories within.

Just outside of town is Hugh Glass Park along the banks of the Grand River. Perhaps Lopez’s most poignant work, a sculpture depicting the legendary fight between the frontiersman and a massive grizzly bear, shows the enemies frozen in battle for all time. Despite massive injuries, Glass survived the battle, traveling 200 miles back to civilization.

Spearfish

Spearfish is located near the Wyoming border at the mouth of Spearfish Canyon, where the town comes to life during its weekly Friday block parties. The summer gatherings below the town’s clock tower mark the town’s joie de vivre. However, the "Termesphere" atop the clock has a peculiar effect on revelers who look into the mesmerizing globe. Artist Dick Termes' trademark six-point perspective system creates an optical illusion that takes a unique outside-in look at an environment that would typically surround you.

A cluster of geodome-shaped cedar-shingled cabins hidden in the woods displays more of Termes's work at the Termesphere Gallery. Inside the gallery, a collection of globes hangs from the ceiling, capturing 360 degrees of creative imagery. One of his most famous works appears on the cover of Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time.

Termes is in good company, with fellow local artists contributing to Spearfish’s inventiveness. An outdoor gallery features colorful murals throughout town, from the Lookout Mountain Tunnels to the Spearfish Rec Center and under bridges to walls by parking lots.

The quirky town is also home to D.C. Booth Fish Hatchery’s “Fish Car No. 3.” It is the only federal fisheries railcar exhibit in the country, telling the story of a little-known part of history. The “Fish Car Era” spanned 66 years, using trains to transport billions of trout, catfish, and lobsters from fish hatcheries to lakes and rivers around the country.

Pierre

Pierre sits at the center of South Dakota on the eastern bank of the Missouri River. As the state capital, it is the ideal setting for the Trail of Governors. The life-sized statues honor the people who helped shape South Dakota and include work by renowned local sculptors such as John Lopez.

The 32 ex-governors first appear across from the governor's mansion, carry on beside the state capitol, and continue through downtown Pierre and along the river. Some stand with hands outstretched in greeting, dressed in formal period attire, while others offer more insightful designs, from the pilot outfit of World War II hero Joe Foss to the rifle held by Mike Rounds and the overalls and cap worn by Carl Gunderson to the bullhorn in the hand of the longest-serving South Dakota governor, Bill Janklow.

The statues of Pierre are not limited to governors. The row of statues saluting those who died in World War II is a moving sight behind the Flaming Fountain Memorial. Both monuments honor the people who sacrificed their lives for their country. The constantly flowing artesian fountain was drilled during the construction of the state capitol and is named after the natural-gas flame originally included in the design. An eagle was later added to the memorial, representing the members of the great Sioux Nation who fought in America’s modern wars.

The 1905 Stanley County Jail at Main and First Street once housed notorious horse thief Buff George. However, the inmate that stood out the most was a full-grown mountain lion. Housed there in 1921 while awaiting transport to Minnesota, the large wildcat was said to purr, stretch, and play just like a cat, according to the Pierre Capital Journal.

Yankton

Known as the "Mother City of the Dakotas," Yankton is much like a woman scorned. In 1862, Yankton was the most densely populated area and the logical home for the Dakota Territorial Capitol. However, following a devastating flood in 1881, the capitol moved to Bismarck in the north. After much drama and bitterness, the territory split into two states. Just over a century later, a replica of the original wood building was placed at Riverside Park as a nod to the town’s once proud designation.

Yankton’s Meridian District Art Project (MDAP) is a work in progress, with an open invitation for artists to submit ideas for new works. The first murals appear on street and alley walls, with hopes that the collection will grow into a town attraction. The Yankton River Walk's series of sculptures offers an inspiring open-air exhibit. The captivating sculptures take cues from nature and local stories along with abstract and interpretive stylings.

The Dakota Spirit Fountain’s many layers were actually sculpted out of an 18-ton block of South Dakota granite. The meticulously carved layers represent the diverse people who make up South Dakota’s past and present, creating a peaceful welcome at Yankton’s south entrance.

Vermillion

Vermillion sits on a bluff overlooking the Vermillion and Missouri rivers, where the town celebrates arts and culture with dueling personalities. The annual South Dakota Shakespeare Festival stages a free play every year, reflecting a more refined side of the town, while Thursdays on the Platz turn the town’s Ratingen Platz into a lively outdoor venue filled with loud music, the aromas of local food, and the allure of cold craft beer. Either way, arts and culture make Vermillion stand out in the wilds of the Midwest.

At Vermillion’s University of South Dakota campus, America’s “Musical Smithsonian” houses a collection of instruments from accordions to zithers. Formally known as the National Music Museum, music lovers and musicians alike spend hours exploring thousands of musical instruments from around the world, spanning five centuries of exceptional craftsmanship and ingenuity. Rock' n’ rollers can admire rare iconic electric guitars, including a gilded Gibson Les Paul.

Spirit Mound Historic Prairie State Park is The Hill of the Little Devils, according to the Plains First Nation Peoples. It is also believed to be one of the few places where Lewis and Clark once stood. An ongoing project is slowly restoring the prairies to resemble the lands the expedition would have encountered, including replanting prairie wildflowers and grasses.

When you seek journeys focused on a few and far between experiences, these South Dakota towns hit the mark. South Dakota offers extraordinary adventures sure to tickle your fancy, from heated mineral waters to ancient dig sites and captivating open-air art walks to outlaws and sharpshooters.

Adding these nine playfully peculiar towns in South Dakota to your must-visit list makes it a snap to find the ideal destination, whether heading out on a last-minute day trip, planning a weekend away, or mapping out a road trip of the bizarre and offbeat.