The topography in South Dakota is pretty straightforward: The Missouri River splits the state in half, with a small mountain range—the Black Hills—taking up the Southwestern corner. Buffalo once ranged on prairieland in herds of thousands. South Dakota is not just prairie though; it’s much more: towering Ponderosas on granite cliffs, rolling bluffs and Wild West stories.
“There’s a lot of history and scenic beauty to absorb,” says Michelle Lintz, executive director of the Rapid City CVB.
With its central location, affordable venues and monuments and memorials galore, South Dakota is perfect for groups seeking engaging experiences.
Rapid City
Rapid City lies against the eastern slope of the Black Hills. The town is divided into eastern and western parts by a small mountain range known as the Dakota Hogback. Even though the city gets its name from Rapid Creek, a tributary of the Cheyenne River, it could be called “Rapid,” because visitors will find that it’s not far from some of the most scenic wonders in the country. Mount Rushmore is 20 miles southwest of the city.
“Rapid City is in the heart of some of the most beautiful scenery,” Lintz says. “Scores of national and state parks are within half a day’s drive.”
Just a few of those include Badlands National Park, Black Hills National Forest, Wind Cave National Park and Custer State Park, where the buffalo still roam.
Rapid City packs in plenty of sites. In addition to hiking, biking and golfing, groups can check out the Journey Museum, which features exhibits on archeology, paleontology, geology and the Lakota Sioux tribe. Prairie Edge Trading Co. and Galleries features art from the Lakota Sioux tribe and other Plains Indian tribes, as well as art by non-Native American artists.
Rapid City has hosted as many as 7,000 people for a meeting, Lintz says. The ideal number is somewhere between 2,000 to 5,000 people.
The newly renovated Dahl Arts Center celebrated its grand opening in January. The facility includes the Cyclorama, a 200-foot mural highlighting events in American history, a 250-seat flexible event center and meeting space.
The Rushmore Plaza Civic Center features 150,000 square feet of meeting space and a new hockey arena for the city’s hockey team, the Rapid City Rush, which began its inaugural season last fall.
The Best Western Ramkota Hotel includes 267 rooms and 33 suites and an indoor water park. More group-friendly hotels include Hotel Alex Johnson, Grand Gateway Hotel, Holiday Inn Rushmore Plaza and the Radisson Hotel-Rapid City. A Comfort Inn & Suites and a Sleep Inn are slated for completion sometime this spring, Lintz says.
Rapid City started a trolley service last May to transport visitors around downtown.
Deadwood
This formerly lawless town, which now sees 2 million visitors annually, was created in the frenzy of the Black Hills Gold Rush in 1876. The town, located close to the Wyoming border and 41 miles from Rapid City, is the resting place of Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane.
“When people think of the Wild West, they think of Deadwood,” says Philys Reller, director of group sales at the Deadwood CVB. She says walking around town is probably the best way to explore Deadwood. The entire town is a National Historic Landmark.
Deadwood is close to two major ski resorts and is the starting point for 300 miles of snowmobile trails. Eighty casinos also are situated here.
The Lodge at Deadwood is expected to open by October with a conference facility for up to 700. First Gold Hotel offers 204 rooms, while the Mineral Palace Hotel & Gaming renovated its guest rooms and added several new suites.
The 1893 Ballroom, which can accommodate 222, in the recently restored Martin & Mason Hotel, is a unique spot for special events.
“It’s like stepping back in time to the Victorian era,” Reller marvels. “It’s breathtaking.”
Spearfish
Spearfish lies at the edge of the Black Hills National Forest and features the dazzling Spearfish Canyon, nearly vertical limestone cliffs in shades of brown, mauve and grey. Aspens turn the canyon gold in autumn. The canyon’s 11th Hour Gulch has walls so high that only one hour of sunlight a day shines upon it.
Main meetings venues are the 54-room Spearfish Canyon Lodge and the 145-room Holiday Inn Spearfish–Convention Center.
A trail system, roughly six miles long, runs through Spearfish. And the Spearfish Waterpark, featuring a floating adventure walk, is set to open in May.
Sioux Falls
Sioux Falls, dubbed the “Heart of America,” is the largest city in South Dakota. “Heart,” indeed: The city is within a day’s drive of many major Midwestern cities. Winnipeg, Manitoba, is 470 miles away.
“Two big pluses are our central location and how economical hotel rates are,” notes Teri Ellis-Schmidt, executive director of the Sioux Falls CVB.
Sioux Falls comfortably hosts groups of up to 5,000 people but has accommodated groups as large as 12,000. The city offers more than 4,200 guest rooms.
The Sioux Falls Convention Center boasts 50,000 square feet of exhibit space and another 11,000 square feet of meeting rooms, which is all attached to the 243-room Sheraton Sioux Falls. More venues include the Best Western, the Travelodge Motel and the Holiday Inn City Centre. The Washington Pavilion of Arts and Science and the Orpheum Theater Center are great places for groups to meet or have an engaging reception.
Groups can explore The Empire Mall, the largest shopping complex between Minneapolis and Denver, or absorb art from Northern Plains tribes at Prairie Star Art Gallery.
Pierre
South Dakota’s state capital, Pierre (pronounced like “peer”), lies on bluffs overlooking the Missouri River. Pierre is small; it’s the second-smallest state capital in the U.S. But it holds a lot of surprises.
“Visitors are surprised Pierre’s atmosphere is very sophisticated,” notes Lois Ries, director of the Pierre Area CVB.
Nearby is fishing mecca Lake Oahe, one of the largest manmade lakes in the world. The Capital City Queen shows groups Lewis and Clark-related sites on the river. (The duo first encountered the Teton Sioux at Ft. Pierre.) Three golf courses are located close to the river.
The Casey Tibbs Foundation and Rodeo Center will open this August here. The facility, named after the famous cowboy and Ft. Pierre area native, features displays of memorabilia and more. Tibbs has been described as being as important to rodeo as Babe Ruth was to baseball.
The 151-room Best Western Ramkota’s meetings venue accommodates 1,500 people. A 67-room AmericInn, situated on the riverfront in Ft. Pierre, includes a 3,600-square-foot meeting room.
Huron
Huron, named for the Huron Indians, is located in the east central part of the state, about halfway between Sioux Falls and Pierre. Huron is home to the annual South Dakota State Fair, held five days before Labor Day.
The Huron Events Center, which includes the Crossroads Hotel and Convention Center and the Huron Arena and Exposition Center, offers 34,000 square feet of meeting space.
Attractions include the Dakotaland Museum; the Pyle House Museum, home of Gladys Pyle, the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate; and the Humphrey Drugstore, where Vice President Hubert Humphrey worked as a boy. The establishment is still open and operated by Humphrey’s nephew. The Barn Restaurant features pictures of Huron native and Charlie’s Angels star Cheryl Ladd. She worked here as a carhop when she was a teenager.
Aberdeen
L. Frank Baum, author of The Wizard of Oz, lived in Aberdeen from 1888 to 1891. He ran a store and a newspaper then. It’s believed that many elements of his famous book were inspired by goings-on in Aberdeen. Oz-themed walking tours are available for groups.
Attractions include the Decotah Prairie Museum, Centennial Village, Capitol Theatre and Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge. The bureau also sets up geocaching excursions, which include the use of a handheld GPS device.
Main venues include the Best Western Ramkota Hotel and the AmericInn.
Since Northeastern South Dakota is considered among the finest spots in the world to hunt pheasant, many hotels welcome hunting dogs.
Watertown
Watertown is located near the Minnesota border. Its Watertown Event Center is fairly new; it opened in 2005 with 32,000 square feet of meeting space. The Best Western Ramkota is situated next to the facility.
The Redlin Art Center here is dedicated to the works of wildlife and landscape artist Terry Redlin, who was raised here.
For More Info
Aberdeen CVB 605.225.2414 www.aberdeencvb.com
Deadwood COC and Visitors Bureau 605.578.1876 www.deadwood.org
Huron Chamber and Visitors Bureau 605.352.0000 www.huronsd.com
Pierre CVB 605.224.7361 www.pierrechamber.com
Rapid City CVB 605.336.1620 www.rapidcitycvb.com
Sioux Falls CVB 605.718.8484 www.siouxfallscvb.com
South Dakota Office of Tourism 605.773.3301 www.travelsd.com
Spearfish CVB 605.642.2626 www.spearfishchamber.org
Watertown CVB 605.753.0282 www.watertownsd.com
