10 Overlooked Towns In South Dakota Worth Visiting

South Dakota covers more than 77,000 square miles, yet most visitors in the United States focus on just a handful of attractions: the Black Hills, Badlands National Park, and Mount Rushmore. What often gets missed are the towns that built the state’s identity through railroads, farming, fairs, and geography itself. These overlooked communities aren’t just side notes.

Spearfish, for example, is home to Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway, a 19-mile stretch with waterfalls like Bridal Veil Falls and hiking routes that draw outdoor travelers year-round. Wall attracts millions to Wall Drug, but many don’t realize it also sits minutes from Badlands National Park’s most photographed overlooks. Taken together, these are towns in South Dakota worth visiting; places that pair history with hands-on experiences.

Belle Fourche

Belle Fourche surprises you with its real-world quirks. At the meeting of three waterways, the Belle Fourche River, the Redwater River, and Hay Creek, the town earned its name, meaning “beautiful fork.” Proudly in the town stands the Center of the Nation Monument, a stone marker where the geographic center of the United States rests, a quiet photo stop with informative plaques and flags. The Tri-State Museum and Visitor Center is perched above the river and hosts Native American artifacts, paleontology exhibits, a rotating art gallery, and the Johnny Spaulding pioneer cabin on site.

When nature calls, there’s the Belle Fourche Reservoir (Orman Dam) and Rocky Point Recreation Area, 8,000 acres of open water, boat ramps, the playground, camping sites, and trails ideal for fishing, swimming, canoeing, and picnicking. Finally, the River Walk, a 5-mile paved trail along the riverbank, lets you glide through parks and natural settings at your leisure.

Sisseton

Sisseton invites you to explore its quiet pride and multi-fold history, an hour from Watertown. The Joseph N. Nicollet Tower & Interpretive Center stands 75 feet tall and gives panoramic views of three states: Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The center highlights Nicollet’s 1830s mapping work of the Coteau des Prairies, and the climb to the top is a straightforward way to understand the geography of the region. Not far off, the Stavig House Museum, a three-story Arts-and-Crafts style home built by Scandinavian craftsmen, offers guided tours. The 1916 site features original woodwork and period furniture, and it explains how families lived in early 20th-century South Dakota.

For a bit more energy, the Dakota Connection Casino & Bingo brings nightlife, live bingo, and slot machines in a casual setting with a restaurant and 24-hour convenience store. Outdoors, Sisseton sits near the Sica Hollow State Park, where you can dive into 10+ miles of trails via mountain bike, foot, or horseback.

Custer

Custer is often treated as a pass-through, but it stands as a solid hub for outdoor thrills and cultural stories. The Wildlife Loop Road in Custer State Park is an 18-mile scenic drive where herds of bison, pronghorn, and burros are often close enough to photograph. Early morning and late evening are the best viewing times. At Sylvan Lake, you’ll find kayak, canoe, and paddleboard rentals in summer, plus a small swimming beach. It’s also the trailhead for the Black Elk Peak Trail, a 7-mile round-trip hike to South Dakota’s highest point, with a stone fire lookout tower at the summit.

Custer has underground exploration, too. Jewel Cave National Monument, 13 miles west of town, is the fifth-longest cave in the world, with ranger-led tours showcasing calcite crystals and narrow passages. The 1881 Courthouse Museum, in the original red-brick courthouse, captures local history. Exhibits include Lakota culture, the 1874 Custer expedition, Victorian-era settler life, a blacksmith shop, and even the Dr. Flick cabin from 1875. Meanwhile, the Purple Pie Place is prominent for its homemade pies and ice cream in its bold purple facade.

Hill City

Hill City serves as the "Heart of the Hills," a natural hub for Black Hills adventures. The 1880 Train, operated by the Black Hills Central Railroad, runs a beautiful 20-mile heritage ride between Keystone and Hill City on restored steam locomotives. It operates from early May through early October and brings real living history to the rails. Adjoining the depot, the South Dakota State Railroad Museum keeps exhibits and artifacts of railroad life, which are great for curious minds of all ages.

Paleontology is at its best at the Black Hills Museum of Natural History, which grew from the Black Hills Institute of Geological Research. A highlight is "Stan," one of the most complete Tyrannosaurus rex skeletons ever found. Art and local culture thrive in Hill City. Sick-N-Twisted Brewery has about 22 tap brews at present, along with regular game nights.

Milbank

Milbank combines deep roots in heritage with peaceful parkland and a sense of hometown dignity. The Grant County Historical Museum, housed in a 1905 Carnegie Library, boasts rotating exhibits and operates the Historical House, Amsden Country School, and Dolan-Justice Memorial Museum. A standout is the Hollands Grist Mill, reconstructed in 2009 with four sails that stretch seven feet wide and thirty feet long. It gives tours and live demonstrations that let visitors see the machinery in action.

History is at par with living tradition in the fact that Milbank is recognized as the birthplace of American Legion Baseball, a pastime born there in 1925 that’s still played by thousands across the country. Lake Farley Park provides a shift to open air and recreation. The manmade lake includes a swimming beach with two docks, playgrounds, volleyball and picnic shelters, plus a walking-biking loop around the water.

Huron

Huron greets you with big experiences grounded in the Midwestern heart. A roadside giant, the World’s Largest Pheasant, standing 28 feet tall, marks your arrival and reflects the town’s larger-than-life spirit, tied closely to pheasant hunting and the annual South Dakota State Fair, which runs five days over Labor Day weekend with rodeo, concerts, barbecue contests, carnival rides, livestock shows, and more.

Trails and water bring active options closer to town. Ravine Lake Park gives access to a sand beach, paddle-boat and kayak rentals, miniature golf, picnic shelters, and accessible fishing docks, all set around a loop trail and shaded picnic spots. Downtown, the Murals on the Town project paints Huron’s stories across walls in bright, walkable artistry. History waits inside at the Pyle House Museum, a well-preserved Queen Anne home built in 1894 and listed on the National Register. It gives a window into local life at the turn of the century.

Wall

Wall earns its fame as the gateway to the Badlands, but it offers more than convenience. The iconic Wall Drug Store draws about two million visitors a year with free ice water, five-cent coffee, homemade donuts, an art gallery restaurant, a chapel, and whimsical attractions, like a roaring T-Rex animatronic and an 80-foot brontosaurus outside. And your visit might coincide with local events, like the Wall Celebration each July, featuring a parade, rodeo, beanbag toss, games, music, and community flair.

Just off Main Street, the National Grasslands Visitor Center displays exhibits and a theater about the prairie ecosystem, local hiking, biking, and wildlife, with the actual Badlands grasslands just minutes away. For a different vantage, Fly Badlands offers narrated air tours above the Badlands’ dramatic geology, fossils, and cultural landscapes.

Chamberlain

Chamberlain stands satisfied beside the Missouri River, bringing Indigenous heritage with outdoor activity. The Dignity of Earth & Sky sculpture, a 50-foot stainless steel figure holding a star quilt, overlooks the river with quiet strength and honors Lakota and Dakota cultures. The Aktá Lakota Museum & Cultural Center, run by St. Joseph’s Indian School, brings the Northern Plains’ Native stories to life with 2,500 artworks and artifacts, including pieces by Oscar Howe and contemporary Native artists.

Roam Free Park lays out grassy riverfront trails, picnic spots, and sweeping views; great for walking, biking, or watching wildlife. In town, don’t skip Al’s Oasis, a classic pit-stop known for five-cent coffee, famous lemon cream-cheese pie, and quirky photo ops like giant bison statues outside.

Winner

Winner lives at the heart of South Dakota’s farm-and-ranch country, and here you can see a grounded experience in prairie life just 90 miles from Pierre. The Winner Drive-In Theatre remains one of the few operating drive-ins in the U.S., screening summer evening movies that feel timeless and community-focused. The town’s Leahy Bowl, a well-kept baseball field, hosts summer games with local teams, perfect for catching youth baseball action and connecting with the community vibe.

Tripp County ranks among the best in the state for grouse, turkey, and whitetail deer, with stocked lakes and creeks supporting year-round fishing for bass, northern pike, and crappie. The Winner Youth Bass Fishing Pond invites families and learners to enjoy easy, supervised casting and a relaxed afternoon near town. Sports enthusiasts can also drop by the Winner Country Club, a nine-hole golf course open April through October, ideal for a casual round.

Spearfish

Forty-five minutes from Rapid City, Spearfish is an all-in-one, grounded, activity-rich stop, making it far more than just a stopover. The Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway spans 19 miles of the winding Black Hills road. It gives access to Bridal Veil Falls, Spearfish Falls, and Roughlock Falls, each reachable via pullouts and short hikes. The D.C. Booth Historic National Fish Hatchery & Archives, an 1896 establishment, houses a museum, fish-feeding stations, historical archives, and two hiking trails beside Spearfish Creek.

Art surfaces in unexpected shapes at the Termesphere Gallery, a cluster of domes exhibiting Dick Termes’s painted spheres. Each “Termesphere” wraps a scene inside-out. Additionally, cultural life pulses at the Matthews Opera House & Arts Center, a 1906 theater that now hosts plays, concerts, and gallery exhibits.

Travelers often look to the Black Hills or Mount Rushmore when planning a South Dakota trip, but the real character of the state often lives in its smaller communities. In Spearfish, canyon waterfalls and a historic opera house stand side by side, while Chamberlain places visitors along the Missouri River with museums and pretty overlooks that unpack the state’s past. Each of these destinations highlights a different side of South Dakota: outdoor adventure, small-town traditions, surprising art, or deep history. Skipping them means missing the layered stories that make the state distinct in the United States.