2019-01-16 11:48:19
I-29 MILES 225 ROUTE I-29 between Sisseton and Vermillion SISSETON Climb to the top of Nicollet Tower to view three states and a valley carved by ancient glaciers. Tour the Stavig House to learn how one immigrant family became prairie homesteaders and local entrepreneurs. Hike Sica (pronounced “SEE-cha”) Hollow State Park. Late spring to early summer, wildflowers and butterflies put on a colorful show. Experience Fort Sisseton Historic State Park’s annual festival in June. (Year round, visit for quiet fishing, camping and more.) WATERTOWN View more than 160 original oil paintings by iconic wildlife & Americana artist and Watertown native Terry Redlin at the Redlin Art Center. Stroll the Watertown Artwalk, featuring 15 sculptures from artists across the country. Tour the Mellette House, the restored Italianate mansion built in 1885 by the state’s first governor. BROOKINGS On the South Dakota State University campus, tour the South Dakota Art Museum for displays of South Dakotan and Native American art. Then, discover the university’s South Dakota Agricultural Heritage Museum. A replica farmhouse and vintage tractor are among the exhibits. Continue celebrating our agricultural heritage at the campus Dairy Bar. Here, 16 homemade flavors of ice cream are served daily. Before leaving campus, discover an arboretum and colorful gardens among McCrory Gardens’ 25 acres. VERMILLION Visit the Oscar Howe Gallery to see how one artist captured the Native American experience in bold paintings. Dive into local history at the Austin-Whittemore House Museum, restored to its 19th-century glory. From fossils and botanical specimens to photos and art, brush up on South Dakota’s natural and cultural history at the W.H. Over Museum. “Little Town” Detour to De Smet From Brookings, the midpoint of your road trip, detour to De Smet. The drive is just over 40 miles, but you’ll feel as though you’ve drifted off to an era when settlers built sod shanties and new lives in this vast expanse of the state. De Smet is, after all, the “Little Town on the Prairie” made famous by Laura Ingalls Wilder’s books and the popular television series they inspired. Today, you can still experience the Ingalls Homestead, period buildings and the Laura Ingalls Wilder Pageant. During this July event, performances of the author’s works are staged.
©South-Dakota. View All Articles.