2021-01-19 11:44:51
TO MY GREAT PLACE . . . Perspective: THE TIN MAN Storybook Land & Wylie Park Aberdeen, SD My Glacial Lakes & Prairies Area is…the best place for a weekend getaway! Come spend a couple nights in Aberdeen! Visit Storybook Land in Wylie Park, and try your hand at miniature golf, relax by the lake or get some mini donuts! Or, beat the heat under the huge bucket of water at the Aberdeen Aquatic Center! But I’ll have to skip that part…I don’t want to rust! You’ve got to try…a hearty pheasant sandwich during the Rooster Rush activities held in October each year. Aberdeen is known for having some of the best pheasant hunting in the state, and hunters are welcomed with the “orange carpet” treatment! Take home….a souvenir from the Dacotah Prairie Museum, located in the heart of Aberdeen’s downtown A great place for the munchkins….is the Aquatic Center. It is a time to spend with the entire family or if you have a change of heart, visit Aberdeen’s Wylie Park with many fun and entertaining activities for all ages. For a special night out….you can be young at heart and enjoy a night watching the Aqua Addicts Waterski Show, Hub City Hot Shots Baseball, Wings Hockey, and much more. To unplug, my friend the Scarecrow….lets his heart rule his head by attending the Aberdeen Community Theatre and Capitol Cinema plays, movies, and performances, the Aberdeen Community Concerts, and the many special events that come to Aberdeen. The best part of living here…are the people. Aberdeen is known for its hospitality, and residents definitely put their heart into making visitors feel welcome. To do something active I….know by heart the miles of walking and bike paths found all around the city of Aberdeen. Bring your own bike, or rent a surrey or fun cycle at Roll Out at Wylie Park We are well-known for….having the best county fair in the state! Open your heart and join us at the Brown County Fair held each August. Aberdeen is very dear to my heart. I thank you for reading about my hometown. I hope you will visit me soon. You are always welcome. Sincerely, The Tin Man Perspective: BROOKINGS CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU (CVB) My Glacial Lakes & Prairies Area is… Brookings of course! You’ve got to try… A Nick’s burger and a scoop of SDSU Ice Cream. Enough said there! Take home… A quintessential piece of South Dakota from our two state museums. The South Dakota Agricultural Heritage Museum and South Dakota Art Museum both feature locally made products you won’t find anywhere else. Don’t miss… Catching a live show at the Performing Arts Center and Swiftel Center. From chart-topping, Grammy-award winning artists to an arena ready for the rodeo, there’s much to see and experience behind the big red, velvet curtain. A great place for kids… The Children’s Museum of South Dakota, at the corner of Kidoodle Way in downtown Brookings is a one-of-a-kind place for play, laughter, creativity, and discovery with 44,000 square feet of indoor exhibit space and four acres of outdoor prairie. My favorite shopping… Our Downtown District is full of local boutiques, antique galleries, looks for less, children’s gifts and home décor. It truly is a one-stop shop. Not to mention, there’s a few places to find the perfect cup of joe. To unplug, I… Find a park where the trees are lush and there’s plenty of space to sprawl out. And, it’s no surprise the best place to unplug is a place with no plug-ins! Fortunately, Brookings is equipped with a wide variety of parks, like Dakota Nature Park, offering different activities and lots of space. The best event is… Downtown at Sundown! For seven weeks out of the summer, the Brookings CVB brings live music, cold drinks, local food and a friendly atmosphere to the streets of downtown Brookings. This family-friendly event offers free admission and free kids activities. All details, including future line-ups and participating vendors can be found at DowntownAtSundown.org. We are well-known for… Brookings is most known for Hobo Day, the largest one-day event celebrating the homecoming tradition of South Dakota State University. Brookings is also well-known for hosting one of the largest outdoor festivals in the region, the Brookings Summer Arts Festival. Every second weekend in July, more than 200 artists from across the nation bring their best work to Pioneer Park. This two-day festival brings out the best in our community! To learn more and see what other events #sdglacial lakes are taking place, check out Visitbrookingssd.com. Perspective: ANN LESCH, Ingalls Homestead, De Smet, SD I work with my family at the Ingalls Homestead just outside De Smet. Laura Ingalls Wilder, author of the Little House books, lived here as teenager and her family homesteaded this land. We’ve been helping visitors have fun and make memories, while sneaking in some learning about Laura Ingalls Wilder and South Dakota history, since 1997. Visitors get to drive a covered wagon, attend a one-room school session, and make corn cob dolls and jump ropes. You’ve got to try…. Our new Prairie Bus tour at the Wilder Welcome Center. A few years ago, my family started a visitor welcome center on De Smet’s main street. We offer a bus tour featuring sites in De Smet and throughout the countryside. It is a wonderful way to get off the beaten path and learn about Laura, farming, and the natural history of the area. All the drivers (I’m one of them) enjoy the opportunity to get to know our visitors. Don’t leave without seeing… The house that Pa Ingalls built on 3rd Street. It’s the only building Charles built that still stands and visitors can see the kitchen cabinets he built for Ma. It’s cool! Most visitors to De Smet know the Laura Ingalls Wilder Memorial Society in De Smet offers a chance to see the Surveyors’ House from By the Shores of Silver Lake on their Historic Homes tour. Sometimes visitors skip the house on 3rd Street to save time, but they are missing out on so much. Locals know… There is a lot to do and see in De Smet. A couple hours in not enough. Plan for the day, at least. An over night is great. De Smet has two motels, two bed and breakfasts, and campgrounds. Take home… Photos and memories, as many as you can. However, if you are looking for a memento, our gift shop at the Ingalls Homestead has a fantastic selection of books. You could also pick up the iconic piece of Little House gear, a sunbonnet. I sew more than 500 every winter. The best part of living here… The people and the sky. De Smet residents are genuinely friendly and progressive-minded. I’m amazed at how much happens in our little town. That said, the openness of the prairie allows for some impressive skyscapes. Sunrises and sunsets are gorgeous, a thunderstorm rolling in with a lightening show is impressive to watch, and the view of the Milky Way at night is an awesome, humbling experience.
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