South Dakota Vacation Guide • 2026 South Dakota Vacation Guide • GLACIAL LAKES & PRAIRIES

Take the back roads to places along the Sisseton Arts Byway including the Nicollet Tower & Interpretive Center and the “Sacrifice” Sculpture. Get to know our story at places like Laura Ingalls Wilder in De Smet, the Mellette House in Watertown, or the Pickler Mansion in Faulkton.

Pursue your favorite outdoor pastime on our many glacial lakes, or on a pheasant hunting trip of a lifetime. Travel with family to Splash Central Waterpark in Huron, Storybook Land in Aberdeen, the Bramble Park Zoo in Watertown, or the Children’s Museum of South Dakota in Brookings.

Visit our website and request our 2026 Glacial Lakes Travel Guide today. Family fun awaits!

Visit our great attractions including Laura Ingalls Wilder in De Smet, Storybook Land and the Land of Oz in Aberdeen, and the Bramble Park Zoo in Watertown. In Brookings, you’ll find the Children’s Museum of South Dakota, the South Dakota Art Museum, and the South Dakota Agricultural Heritage Museum.

✦ Our region includes over a dozen South Dakota State Parks and Recreation Areas. The best of camping and lodging options await you.

✦ Visit South Dakota’s Only 110 FT. Elevator Mural in Faulkton by Internationally known artist Guido van Helten. While in Faulkton, tour the Historic Pickler Mansion – the Home of South Dakota’s 1st US Congressman John Pickler.

✦ The Nicollet Tower and Interpretive Center west of Sisseton, honors Joseph N. Nicollet, the French mapmaker who explored the Coteau des Prairies in the 1830’s. From the tower you can see the spectacular view of the Continental Divide, the Coteau des Prairies and the ancient glacial valley.

✦ Fort Sisseton near Britton, South Dakota, was established in 1864. As Fort Sisseton Historic State Park, it was designated as a State Historical Park in 1959. Fort Sisseton is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

✦ Go back in time July 9th-12th during the 4th Annual Vintage Camper Rally at County Line Campground in Summit. Jam to the oldies Friday and Saturday. Just one of many great events in our region.

✦ Visit the Redlin Art Center in Watertown where over 170 original oil paintings of world famous artist Terry Redlin are on display. Open year-round and free admission.

Plan a trip around these fun-filled events and more! Follow us on Facebook and check out our website for event posters and sdglaciallakes.com

GLACIAL LAKES TOP 10 EVENTS

Making Memories in Northeast South Dakota

Every person that visits the Children’s Museum of South Dakota, in Brookings, falls in love with the experiences that spark imagination. Our five year old grandson instantly gravitated towards the auto repair shop. It was of no surprise that our six year old granddaughter went directly to the veterinarian area. Kids of all ages, including adults, can spend hours in this museum, including outdoor and indoor spaces.

MAKING MEMORIES IN NORTHEAST SD

Taking the back roads is easy when you explore the Glacial Lakes and Prairies. The wide open spaces along with attractions for kids of all ages, make this area a great destination for families. My husband and I had the opportunity in the summer of 2025 to explore the Northeast Region of South Dakota with our grandkids, ages five and six.

Looking for a day of free family fun? Storybook Land in Aberdeen is a must-see. We recommend starting your visit by grabbing tickets for a ride on the train to get a lay of the land. While the park is free to enter, you’ll want to buy ride tickets for a small fee so you can enjoy the many themed attractions. A favorite for us was walking the Yellow Brick Road and exploring the Wizard of Oz section, especially getting to feel a tornado in Dorothy’s House!

For an epic afternoon, head to Thunder Road in Wylie Park in Aberdeen. I speak from experience, our grandkids loved this attraction. With go-karts, bumper boats, minigolf, and a laser maze challenge, it’s a surefire way to become everyone’s favorite part of the trip.

When the weather isn’t cooperating, or you’re just looking for a day of guaranteed fun, Allevity Entertainment in Aberdeen to the rescue. Our family loved the variety of activities, from challenging each other to a game of mini-bowling to laughing in the Spin Zone Bumper Cars. You can even step into another world with their virtual reality games.

The metal rocket slide in Prospect Park will quickly become your family’s favorite slide. Yes, it’s metal and it is tall! Let your kids run and enjoy the adventure that awaits on the giant rocket-shaped slide.

You’ll find one of the Midwest’s best waterparks in Huron, a perfect stop on your road trip. Our grandkids couldn’t get enough of it and would have stayed all day if they could! With a great lazy river for all ages and a huge variety of water slides, everyone in the family will stay entertained. As a bonus for parents & grandparents, the different pools throughout the park made it simple to find a safe and fun spot for our five and six year old grandkids.

We all had an incredible time. I challenge you to take the back roads with your family in tow and see where the roads take you. You will be pleasantly surprised.

GLACIAL LAKES WALLEYE

Northeastern South Dakota is a special place if you love fishing. The sheer number of lakes available present a wide variety of extremely quality fishing opportunities. I personally love exploring as many different lakes as I can. This past spring, we fished at a lake with Joe Unzen from the Double P Ranch on a lake typical of eastern South Dakota. The boat ramp had perhaps six vehicles and boat trailers. Most of the day, there were hardly any boats around us. The lake was shallow with some emerging weeds coming up along the shorelines. The number of walleyes we saw on our electronics was staggering. Not even sure how many walleyes we caught pitching jigs and plastics in less than six feet of water.

Something to point out about the walleye fishing is not only that there are so many lakes with so many fish but the presentations we use to catch fish are so much fun. Casting crankbaits along wind blown shorelines or weed edges is a favorite. Pitching jigs and live bait is as fun as walleye fishing gets. Jigs and plastics are another favorite. You can use slip bobbers and I don’t know too many people who still don’t enjoy watching a bright colored bobber disappearing underwater. Later in the season, you can use bottom bouncers and spinners or Slow Death hooks. You can troll crankbaits or use lead core. At the end of the day you can catch walleye just about any way you want but the fact that we often find walleyes shallow in less than seven feet of water through so much of the year is truly what makes this area so much fun.

Walleye are popular and no doubt that the anglers in the region probably spend more time focused on walleye than anything else but try to take advantage of so much more. There are some tremendous smallmouth bass fisheries in this region. There are big largemouth bass as well. You can find huge bluegill and crappie. The jumbo perch are extremely popular, especially through the ice. You can find musky and northern pike. There is just a lot of great fishing in the Glacial Lakes Region of South Dakota.

We have so many great memories from fishing in this region. There are also several fun communities with great lodging and eating options, and I also enjoy the people in this region. Truly a special area if you love to fish.

Find detailed information on accommodations, attractions, restaurants, traveler services, gaming facilities and shopping in the Glacial Lakes and Prairies region.

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icon. From the one-of-a-kind overnight experiences to mom-and-pop restaurants, these are the places locals swear by.

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South Dakota Vacation Guide - 2026 South Dakota Vacation Guide

GLACIAL LAKES & PRAIRIES

REGION

GLACIAL LAKES TOP 10 EVENTS

Making Memories in Northeast South Dakota

MAKING MEMORIES IN NORTHEAST SD

GLACIAL LAKES WALLEYE

Issue List

2026 South Dakota Vacation Guide

2025 South Dakota Vacation Guide

2024 South Dakota Vacation Guide

South Dakota Vacation Guide 2023

South Dakota Vacation Guide 2022

2021 South Dakota Vacation Guide

South Dakota Vacation Guide South Dakota Vacation Guide 2020

South Dakota Vacation Guide 2019

SD Vacation Guide 2017