Flight Destinations
Flights to South Dakota
South Dakota
Situated in the American Midwest the state of South Dakota features some of the USA’s best known and most popular tourist attractions, making this a great place to visit.
Flights to South Dakota
The two main airports for flights to South Dakota are the Sioux Falls Regional Airport (airport code: FSD) and the Rapid City Regional Airport (code: RAP). The Sioux Falls airport does have more options for 1-stop flights to South Dakota from the UK. KLM and Northwest Airlines both travel through Detroit, and Continental Airlines makes its one transfer in Denver. You can get a 2-stop flight to South Dakota with Air Canada, and go through Toronto and Chicago.
South Dakota Tourist Attractions
South Dakota is one of the lesser populated of the US states, but what it lacks in people it makes up for in attractions! It’s home to one of the USA’s best known landmarks, Mount Rushmore, as well as several national parks and some attractive cities, making South Dakota a popular destination with tourists from around the world.
Mount Rushmore
South Dakota’s most famous attraction, and one of the most iconic images of the United States, is Mount Rushmore. Carved out of the granite rock of the Black Hills are the faces of four of the USA’s most influential presidents, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. It took sculptor Gutzon Bortglum and his team of 400 workers fourteen years to complete the 60 feet (18 metre) high sculptures, working between 1927 and 1941.
Badlands National Park
Along with Mount Rushmore South Dakota is home to the Badlands National Park. This barren landscape has been seen in many a movie and it features thousands of rocks that have been eroded by the weather to leave spires and pinnacles with jagged edges and very visible layers.
Close by to Badlands is the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site. This is a missile silo left over from the Cold War period, and though it’s not in use today as a missile silo it was left intact to show visitors what it did and what an important role it played.
Wind Cave National Park
South Dakota’s second national park is Wind Cave National Park. Here you can visit a huge cave system that’s thought to be the fourth largest in the world spanning a distance of over 131 miles. The caves are still being explored and it’s amazing to think that they are discovering about another 4 miles of caves every year! Inside the parts open to visitors you’ll find unique boxwork and frostwork formations.
Pierre
Chosen to be the capital of South Dakota when it became a state back in 1889 is the small city of Pierre. It’s located right in the heart of South Dakota and is the second smallest state capital on the country. The main attraction is the impressive South Dakota State Capitol Building, completed in 1910.
Sioux Falls
In contrast is the city of Sioux Falls, the largest city in South Dakota. The main attraction of this city is the Sioux Falls themselves, situated within Falls Park. There are numerous historic buildings in this part of the city too, while other attractions include the Northern Plains Gallery, the Great Plains Zoo, and the Old Courthouse Museum.
When Should You Visit South Dakota?
South Dakota is a state of four seasons so it’s usually quite easy to plan when to visit. Summers are hot but this is a time when thunderstorms are prevalent and tornadoes possible, so perhaps not the best time to visit. In the spring you’ll have milder temperatures and calmer weather, as with the autumn months, while in the winter temperatures drop substantially.