Day Tripping
Fun Day Trips to Take From Your Base in Sioux Falls
Day Tripping:
Fun Day Trips to Take From Your Base in Sioux Falls
By Rochelle Caviness - December 16, 2002
Sioux Falls is an ideal location from which to explore nearby locations in South Dakota and Minnesota. Numerous attractions are nearby that make perfect locations for day trips...
A Day Trip to De Smet, South Dakota
Fans of Laura Ingalls Wilder, will surely want to make a day trip from Sioux Falls up to De Smet, the "Little Town on the Prairie" that was the setting of many of the beloved books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, including:
- By the Shores of Silver Lake
- The Long Winter
- Little Town on the Prairie
- These Happy Golden Years
- The First Four Years
- On the Way Home - this book begins in De Smet, and then follows Laura on her journey to Missouri.
De Smet is about 90 miles from Sioux Falls, and well worth the visit. De Smet was also the final home of Mary Ingalls, Laura's sister. Mary lost her vision at the age of 14 due to illness. Two years later she was enrolled in the Iowa College for the Blind, where she was to study for most of the next eight years. After leaving school, Mary returned to live with her parents in De Smet. Biographical information on Mary, as well as detailed information about the academically and practical schooling she received can be found on the webpage aptly entitled: Mary A. Ingalls.
During your tour of De Smet, you can visit the surveyors house that the Ingalls lived in during the long hard winter, as well as the final home that Ma and Pa Ingalls lived in. You can also visit the cemetery where many members of the Ingalls family are buried.
For more information on "Laura" things to see in De Smet, visit the following links:
Other nearby destinations for day trips include:
Garretson, South Dakota
Garretson, of Jesse James fame, is located about a twenty minutes drive from Sioux Falls. In addition to the numerous attractions and recreational opportunities in Garretson, you'll want to check out the Jesse James Pontoon Rides along the Split Rock River. These guided rides are accented by commentary on areas natural heritage and history.
Mitchell, South Dakota
Located just west of Sioux Falls, Mitchell is home to the Corn Palace, a building covered in murals constructed from corn and other grains. Consequently, it is not surprising that the Corn Palace is also known as the world's largest bird-feeder. When you visit the Corn Palace, be sure to go inside. Admission is free, and inside you'll find an exhibit on the Corn Palace and its history, including photos of each years murals - they are changed every year. The exhibit includes audio descriptions of the buildings history.
Other attractions in Mitchell include:
- Prehistoric Indian Village & Archeodome
- Middle Border Museum and Oscar Howe Art Center
- Enchanted World Doll Museum
Pipestone, Minnesota
Pipestone, Minnesota is located about fifty miles from Sioux Falls. Two of its numerous attractions are:
- Pipestone National Monument is located about 50 miles from Sioux Falls.
- Wind Farms, there are several wind powered, electricity generating 'farms' in Minnesota. Electricity is generated via giant wind turbines, that are a truly awesome sight and they make an intriguing noise! One of these farms, The Lake Benton Wind Power Facility is located near Pipestone, and a self guide driving tour of the facility is available. If you don't want to drive all the way from Pipestone to this facility, just drive in 'its' direction, and you'll come across several fields of wind turbines just a few minutes drive north, just outside of the town of Pipestone on highway 23.
These are just a few of the many opportunities for day trips that you can take while visiting Sioux Falls. But don't forget to check out all the Sioux Falls has to offer....
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