Must-See Roadside Attraction: Wall Drug in Wall, South Dakota

If you ever find yourself driving across South Dakota on Interstate 90, you will see billboard after billboard advertising everything from an 80 foot dinosaur to a shooting gallery to free ice water - all of which are located at a drug store in a tiny prairie town called Wall.

In 1931, when Dorothy and Ted Hustead first purchased Wall Drug, the population of Wall, South Dakota was 326. It hasn't grown much as far as permanent residents go - currently the population hovers right around 800 - but on any given day upwards of 20,000 visitors might pass through for a look at Wall Drug's T-Rex, or to stop for that free ice water they've seen advertised for the last 400 miles.

It's the free ice water that actually kept Wall Drug in business back during the Depression. After nearly five years of lackluster sales and few customers, Dorothy Hustead came up with the idea to offer free ice water to passing travelers. This may not seem novel, but if you have driven across South Dakota, you know how enticing something as simple as ice water can be.

Over the past 75 years Wall Drug has grown from a tiny Mom and Pop drug store to a 76,000 square foot must-see attraction with a café that seats 530 people, shops, photo props and even a traveler's chapel. The Hustead family is still at the reins and it doesn't look like this landmark is going to stop growing any time soon.

Naturally, there are all the regular amenities that travelers need - restrooms, a gas station, tourist information, food, souvenirs and, of course, a drug store - but there are many unexpected surprises as well, which make this a great place to take a break from that arduous I-90 drive.

The attractions at Wall Drug include a picnic area, a mining and panning experience, an arcade, lots of statues (including a jackalope and their famous roaring T-Rex), photo props, a huge western art and historic photo collection, a water show, the Westward Discovery Show, an apothecary museum, a Wild Bill wax display, the Traveler's Chapel and a shooting gallery. And that's before we even get to the shopping.

Wall Drug houses a shopping mall to rival most small towns with everything from typical South Dakota merchandise and a country store to Western wear, a rock shop, a fossil shop, a toy store, camping and hunting supplies, a poster shop, a pottery store, jewelry stores, souvenir shops, a leather goods store, wood carvings, paintings, fine décor, a fudge shop and a Western bookstore - all of which is arranged and decorated like you are walking through a quaint Frontier town.

From the covered wooden sidewalk to the stagecoach over one of the doorways, the entire place is one big photo opportunity. There are lots of fun things for kids to do and plenty of enticing attractions for adults as well. This is one roadside attraction that is fun for the whole family and has something for everyone.

So, if you find yourself driving across South Dakota, or are willing to take the quick jaunt from the Mount Rushmore area, Wall Drug is one of those random roadside tourist attractions that should not be missed. Make sure you check out the Back Yard, complete with a teepee and a Mount Rushmore photo prop (just in case you don't make it over to see the real thing), savor some fudge in the Country Store and Fudge Shop and check out some of the animated Old Time displays - and don't forget to grab your free ice water.