Best Things to Do in Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Sioux Falls, South Dakota, has grown in size and prominence in the Upper Midwest since its inception in 1856. You will find the labels "Sioux Empire" and "Queen City" several places in this sprawling Great Plains city. If you travel from the Black Hills east toward Minnesota on I-90, you will pass through Sioux Falls. Likewise, if you travel on I-29 from around Pembina, North Dakota, south toward Council Bluffs, Iowa, you will pass through Sioux Falls. Located as it is at the intersection of two major interstate highways, Sioux Falls beckons to visitors to sample the activities the city has to offer. Museums, parks, biking and hiking trails, and winter and summer sports complexes are among the best things a traveler will discover when visiting this "Gateway to the Plains."

Best Things To Do in Sioux Falls: Explore the USS South Dakota Memorial by Sherman Park
It makes sense that the state of South Dakota should have somewhere within its borders a tribute to the USS South Dakota, one of the most famous battleships of World War II. The battleship fired the initial shots of defense against the Japanese attackers at Pearl Harbor and then proceeded to be in action in many of the battles fought in the Pacific war theater. The city of Sioux Falls has a park-sized memorial to this vessel.

The memorial itself is in the shape of a scaled-down concrete battleship of which only the top foot of the bulkheads show above ground. Within the 680-foot battleship form are the bell, 16-inch gun, anchor, flag mast, and other salvaged parts from the original battleship. A large compass rose in the plaza area of the structure memorializes the ship. The building which serves as the "bridge" is a combination gift shop and war museum. In the museum, you can watch a video about the battleship and the Navy and see some preserved letters from the sailors who manned the USS South Dakota during the war. In 2010, adjoining Sherman Park celebrated its centennial. Entrance to the park, the memorial, and the museum is free. The museum and gift shop are open from Memorial Day to Labor Day from 10 AM to 6 PM.

USS South Dakota Memorial
Sherman Park
2705 W. 12th St.
Sioux Falls, SD 57103
605-367-7141
http://www.siouxfallsparks.org/ContactUs/public_parks/Battleship_Memorial

Best Things To Do in Sioux Falls: Visit the Sioux Empire Medical Museum
If you have ever wondered what an iron lung looked like or what medical doctors used to treat their patients in the early 1900s to the present day, visit the Sioux Empire Medical Museum. You can get a good idea of how a surgical patient fared under the surgeon's knife in 1912. This museum of medical history is on the campus of the Sanford University of South Dakota Medical Center in the concourse. Admission to the museum is free. The museum is open weekdays from 11 AM to 4 PM.

Sioux Empire Medical Museum
1305 W. 18th St.
Sioux Falls, SD 57117
605-333-6397
http://www.sdmuseums.org/museums/museum_page.php?museumid=42

Best Things To Do in Sioux Falls: Play at Best Things To Do in Sioux Falls: Great Bear Recreation Park
Eastern South Dakota is not known for its hills or rugged terrain but Great Bear Recreation Park is situated on 220 acres of rolling hills left by glacial deposits. Great Bear Recreation Park is one of the places Sioux Falls area residents go to enjoy winter recreation.

Bring your own or rent inner tubes to spend a day in the Kirby Family Tubing Park tubing down four runs. A surface handle tow lift will transport you back to the top to start all over again.

Although the ski area is built on hills, there are three short black diamond downhill runs with names like The Falls, The Valley, and Sanford Street. A beginners ski area, beginner run, and five intermediate level runs round out the downhill skiing at this Sioux Falls park.

Grizzly Park, Great Bear's terrain park, is set apart from the other areas of the main park. Freestyle skiers and snowboard enthusiasts can try out the ten foot wall ride or the 350 foot Sun'N'Fun Half Pipe, among other things. Season or day passes and rentals of all winter sports equipment is available at the Great Bear Store. Please note users of Grizzly Park must bring their own snowboards, boots, and other equipment. Rentals are not allowed in the terrain park.

In the summer, 6 kilometers of hiking trails loop through burr oak forest, valleys, and atop the hills of the park.

Great Bear Recreation Park
5901 E. Rice St.
Sioux Falls, SD 57110
605-367-4309
http://www.greatbearpark.com/

Best Things To Do in Sioux Falls: Tour the SculptureWalk
Another free activity is to park your vehicle and hike around the vicinity of Sioux Falls' downtown area. You will see the sculptures competing in the annual SculptureWalk contest and be able to vote for your personal favorite. Each year artists allow their sculptures to be displayed outdoors for the entire twelve months. Fourteen awards are given out to the artists including Best of Show and People's Choice awards. Maps for the current year may be found on lamp posts along the 8th Street to 14th Street section of Phillips Avenue. Statues may be purchased by the public after the year is done. Then the next year, a new collection of statues is displayed. Photos of the current year's entries and winners may be seen by going to the webpage.

SculptureWalk
Downtown Sioux Falls
Sioux Falls, SD 57101
605-339-8359
http://www.sculpturewalksiouxfalls.com/photos/

Best Things To Do in Sioux Falls: Chill at Falls Park
I saved one of my family's favorite Sioux Falls stops for last. On the hot August day in 2010 we visited Falls Park, almost every parking place was occupied. Falls Park is one of the best and most popular places in Sioux Falls to cool down without paying waterpark prices.

Although you may not swim in the water, you can position yourself close enough to the Falls of the Big Sioux River so as to catch the spray and occasional foamy bubbles riding the breeze. A good place to do this is by the small Queen Bee Turbine House. Nearby, ruins of the 1881 Queen Bee Mill are still standing, appearing almost like a Stonehenge of the Plains. This mill was once seven stories tall but was partially burned in a 1956 fire.

Sculptures and pink quartzite rock outcroppings abound throughout Falls Park. A favorite sculpture beside the river is the Monarch of the Plains, a mahogany granite statue of a bison lying down. I had to take my turn to get a photo because families like to have their children pose for pictures either on or in front of the statue.

We took the elevator to the top of the five story Obervation Tower. From there, you can get spectacular views of the entire Falls Park and other features of the Sioux Falls cityscape. It can be rather breezy on top but you can walk all the way around to get a panoramic view of the area. A gift shop and information center are open at the base of the tower.

Other buildings on the grounds include a horse barn built in the late 1800s but now converted into an art gallery and cultural arts center. We ate lunch at the Falls Overlook Cafe housed in a hydroelectric building built in 1908 by the Sioux Falls Light and Power Company. The sandwich wraps were excellent. Although we could not stay longer, the Falls Park is illuminated each night during the summer with the Wells Fargo Falls Park Sound and Light Show. During the winter holiday season, the Park is illuminated again during the Winter Wonderland event from the middle of November to the first week of January.

Falls Park
Falls Park Drive
Sioux Falls, SD 57103
605-367-7430
http://www.siouxfalls.com/fallsParkDetails.cfm

Sources:
http://www.siouxfallscvb.com/ Sioux Falls Convention and Visitors Bureau
http://www.siouxfallsevents.com/ Sioux Falls Events
http://www.siouxfallsparks.org/ContactUs/public_parks?all_locations Sioux Falls Parks
http://www.travelsd.com/Destinations/Details?id=601 Sioux Falls Travel Guide