Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for south dakota
Native American Scenic Byway
By Linda Tancs
Following a natural path cut by the Missouri River, the Native American Scenic Byway runs north and south through central South Dakota. The route takes travelers through the lands of the Yankton, Crow Creek, Lower Brule, Cheyenne River and Standing Rock Sioux tribes. Unlike many road trips, much of the rugged country on view remains undeveloped to this day, featuring landscapes along the way like mixed-grass prairie and rolling hills that end in limestone cliffs. Overlooking the Missouri River near Mobridge you’ll find a beloved local landmark, the monument marking the final resting place of Sitting Bull. It’s located in an isolated park that remains free to visitors.
Share this:
The Corn Palace
By Linda Tancs
There’s an “a-maize-ing” venue on Main Street in Mitchell, South Dakota. That’s where you’ll find The Corn Palace. The venue is adorned with intricate murals crafted from natural grasses and numerous shades of corn. During the summer months you can take a free, guided tour where you’ll learn how the murals are made. A popular tourist attraction, the facility also hosts industrial exhibits, dances, stage shows, banquets and other special events.
Share this:
All About Trout
By Linda Tancs
Established in 1896 to propagate, stock and establish trout populations, D.C. Booth Historic National Fish Hatchery and Archives in Spearfish, South Dakota, is one of the oldest operating hatcheries in the country. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it boasts over 1.8 million fisheries artifacts and other objects, the largest collection in the country. The site still rears trout for tribal and military waters. Visitors can engage with brown and rainbow trout by feeding them or watching them through the underwater viewing windows. The grounds are open daily from dawn until dusk.
Share this:
Dignity in South Dakota
By Linda Tancs
Located on a bluff between exits 263 and 265 on Interstate 90 near Chamberlain, South Dakota, is a massive stainless steel sculpture honoring the cultures of the Lakota and Dakota people. Known as Dignity, the 50-foot-tall Native American woman is cast in attire patterned after a two-hide dress of the 1850s. She holds outstretched a quilt featuring 128 stainless steel blue diamond shapes that glitter in the sun. At night, LED lights cause the diamond shapes to glow in the night sky. Easily visible from the interstate, the adjoining rest area and ample parking lot make it very accessible. Enjoy sweeping views of the Missouri River and the South Dakota landscape.
Share this:
Where the Battle Wasn’t
By Linda Tancs
It’s impossible to think of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, without reflecting on the Battle of Gettysburg. Considered the most important engagement of the U.S. Civil War, it marked a turning point for Union forces and inspired President Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. Given the area’s acclaim, it’s appropriate that a sister city in South Dakota adopted the moniker “Where the Battle Wasn’t.” Although you won’t find a famous battlefield there, you will find plenty of opportunities for hunting and fishing in this pea-sized town in the prairie.
Share this:
A Taste of Vinegar
By Linda Tancs
Touted as the world’s first and only museum dedicated to vinegar, the International Vinegar Museum in Roslyn, South Dakota, is a connoisseur’s wonderland. You’ll learn how vinegar is made and who makes it and discover 101 uses for vinegar. Hundreds of vinegars from around the world are on display, and there is ample opportunity to sample the goods and buy from the shop. Open from June through Labor Day, time your visit for the third Saturday in June, when you can enjoy the annual Vinegar Festival. The event features a parade, a Vinegar Queen contest, museum tours, cooking demonstrations and vinegar tasting.
Share this:
Beneath the Plains
By Linda Tancs
Minuteman Missile National Historic Site preserves two facilities that were once part of a Minuteman Missile field that covered the far western portion of South Dakota from 1963 through the early 1990s. The only National Park Service unit specifically designated for the Cold War, the park’s enabling legislation states that Minuteman Missile’s purpose is “to interpret the historical role of the Minuteman II missile defense system as a key component of America’s strategic commitment to preserve world peace and in the broader context of the Cold War.” Ranger-guided tours of Launch Control Facility Delta-01 and the underground Launch Control Center are conducted throughout the year, but the elevator taking visitors down to the underground control center can only hold six visitors at a time. Fifteen miles west of the visitor center is the Delta-09 missile silo, where visitors can see a Minuteman II missile in the silo.
Share this:
History in Rapid City
By Linda Tancs
Memorial Park is the pulse of Rapid City, South Dakota. A typical family-friendly public park on Rapid Creek, you might be surprised to learn that it’s also home to one of America’s largest Berlin Wall exhibits. The wall segment, formerly located between Brandenburg Gate and Checkpoint Charlie from 1961 to 1989, was donated in honor of the citizens of Ratingen, Germany (the sister city of Vermillion, South Dakota), who fostered German-American relations.
Share this:
Preserving Native American Culture
By Linda Tancs
Located along the banks of the Missouri River in Chamberlain, South Dakota, the Akta Lakota Museum & Cultural Center tells the unique stories of the Lakota Indian tribe from the perspective of both the past and the present. An educational outreach program of St. Joseph’s Indian School, the museum strives to preserve and promote the Lakota (Sioux) culture through art, artifacts and educational displays that depict the proud heritage of the Lakota people. Admission to the center is free but donations are gratefully accepted.
Share this:
A Mecca for Music Lovers
By Linda Tancs
The National Music Museum in Vermillion, South Dakota, is a menagerie of melodious merriment. Carved crocodile zithers. Goldfish-shaped harmonicas. Strutting stringed peacocks. It’s all there, in addition to the oldest known harpsichord, rare Adolphe Sax-made saxophones, the rarest European pianos and other treasures. Lauded as one of the largest and most important collections of historical instruments in the world, the museum publicly displays 1,200 of its 15,000-strong collection, representing American, European and non-Western instruments from virtually all cultures and historical periods. Open year round, state residents enjoy free admission on federal holidays and summer Sundays.
Travelrific® Travel Journal 