The largest city in South Dakota is Sioux Falls and it seems to grow larger, population wise, every single day. While Sioux Falls is a large city, there are more than seventy parks and greenways for people to wander around and explore. The summers are warm to sometimes even stifling hot, while the winters are really cold. The city does not get a lot of snow, but it does rain a little bit during the summertime.
Here are the best things to do while in Sioux Falls:
1. Falls Park
This is number one on the list, because the park surrounds the falls that are located on the Big Sioux River. Inside the park, people can see the 1881 Queen Bee Mill as well as the 1908 Sioux Falls Light and Power Company building, which now houses the Falls Overlook Café. Many people will walk along the nineteen miles of trails that begin at the park and continue around the city.
2. Sertoma Butterfly House and Marine Cove
At least 800 butterflies live inside the butterfly house as they fly from one tropical plant to another within the tropical gardens. Guests can wander through the gardens as they watch the butterflies from all over the world flutter around. Inside the marine cove, people can see everything from coral, fish, sea anemones, sea stars, and sea urchins. Guests can even get up close and personal when they touch stingrays, bamboo sharks, and horn sharks.
3. Great Plains Zoo and Delbridge Museum of Natural History
Two great venues in one place will be welcomed by any visitor who wants to see the most that the city offers. The 45 acres of land in the zoo is where more than one thousand animals call home. People can see primates, tigers, giraffes, flamingos, amphibians, and much more. Inside the museum, visitors can walk through the exhibits and see 150 mounted animals, of which, 38 are endangered species.
4. USS South Dakota Battleship Memorial
Many relics from the battleship can be found at the memorial and visitors can see the pieces of the ship that were saved and used at this site when it was decommissioned. The outline of the hull is made out of concrete, so people can get a sense of the massive size of this ship that did battle during World War II.
5. Pettigrew Home and Museum
This home was originally built in 1889, but Senator Richard Franklin Pettigrew purchased it in 1911 and quickly began filling it with items that he found during his travels. Many of the things that he collected included Native American clothing, stone tools, and items from his local area. Visitors can know walk through this home and view his collection as well as the rooms that have been restored to look as they did when he first purchased the house.
Sioux Falls is a magnificent place to visit, because people can spend time indoors and out while enjoying some fascinating history of the area. There is an abundance of wildlife in the surrounding areas as well as a natural beauty that is normally difficult to find in a large city of the same size.