South Dakota
A look at South Dakota's top sightseeing destinations: Mount Rushmore, Badlands and more
Home to the Black Hills, the Badlands and the sprawling prairies of the Great Plains, South Dakota is a state rich in scenery and features monuments and dedications to the likes of everyone from Crazy Horse to George Armstrong Custer. It’s also a state extremely proud of its history.
Attracting some 14.7 million tourists annually, South Dakota touts six national parks, some 63 state parks and 16 historic landmarks.
Here’s a look at a few of them.
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Mount Rushmore
No South Dakota travel itinerary would be complete without Mount Rushmore at the top of the list.
Completed in 1941 and originally named the “Shrine of Democracy,” Rushmore was designed by Gutzon Borglum, a sculptor who’d previously undertaken proposals for larger-than-life, relief-like stone monuments – like Georgia’s Stone Mountain.
Completed in 1941, Mount Rushmore is one of the most recognizable and most-visited tourist attractions in the U.S. (iStock)
Situated in the Black Hills just outside Keystone, a small, sleepy Pennington County town of about 240 people, Rushmore is perhaps the most recognizable presidential memorial in the country as well as one of its top tourist destinations, clocking in at some 2 million visitors per year.
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Famously featuring the heads of Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln, each about 60 feet in height and carved directly into the mountain’s granite face, Rushmore was originally intended to be even more elaborate. Each president’s likeness was supposed to be carved down to his waist, though this plan was quickly abandoned after funding dried up.
Washington’s likeness was the only one where this work was even started – and a sharp eye can easily make out his ascot and jacket lapels on the finished monument.
Badlands National Park
Sprawling across nearly 243,000 acres in southwestern South Dakota, Badlands National Park is known for its jagged, colorful sedimentary rock formations created by millions of years of erosion and the recession of a shallow sea that covered the area some 75 million years ago.
WEATHER SHAPED BADLANDS OVER MILLIONS OF YEARS, RESULTING IN OTHERWORLDY LANDSCAPE
Its prolific prehistory also rendered the park – which was once home to ancestors of the modern horse and rhinoceros – extremely rich in fossil beds.
Designated in 1978, Badlands National Park is known for its diverse wildlife and large, colorful rock formations. (Buddy Mays/Getty Images)
It’s also known for its vast prairies and the diverse array of wildlife residing in them. Among species currently calling the South Dakota Badlands home are bighorn sheep, bison, prairie dogs, pronghorn, golden eagles and the black-footed ferret – one of the world’s most critically endangered mammals.
Crazy Horse Memorial
Located in the Black Hills in Custer County – and not far from Mount Rushmore – this planned monument is set to depict legendary Oglala Lakota warrior Crazy Horse on horseback pointing at his tribe’s ancestral land.
Much like Rushmore, the Crazy Horse Memorial is also being carved directly into a mountain. However, set to stand some 564 feet high, it’s a much larger undertaking.
With the monument having been a work in progress since 1948, only Crazy Horse’s face and hand can be made out, and there’s no set completion date for the rest of it.
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Upon completion, the Crazy Horse Memorial will be the tallest statue in the U.S. and the third-tallest in the world.
Historic Deadwood
With a population of just over 1,000 and a quaint Main Street lined with old brick shops and saloons, Deadwood might look like any other unassuming Great Plains town – but in its 19th century heyday, it was anything but.
Deadwood’s historic downtown is home to the saloon where legendary frontiersman James “Wild Bill” Hickok was shot and killed during a poker game. (Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Deadwood, located near the Wyoming border, was notorious for its lawlessness, rampant criminal activity and frequent murders.
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It’s also home to the site of James “Wild Bill” Hickok’s 1876 killing and the saloon where Jack McCall purportedly shot the legendary gunman during a poker game still stands, prominently advertising itself as the “Wild Bill Bar.”
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(SOUTH DAKOTA SEARCHLIGHT) – Democrats are running for 46 of South Dakota’s 105 legislative seats — leaving 56% of seats without a Democratic candidate.
That doesn’t bode well for the party ahead of November, said Michael Card, professor emeritus of political science at the University of South Dakota.
“It doesn’t put them in a position to actually put forward their ideological policy preferences and have much of a success at getting those enacted,” Card said.
In the state Senate alone, Democrats have failed to field a candidate for 22 seats, which is nearly two-thirds of the chamber. In the House, Democrats have failed to field a candidate for 38 seats, which is 54% of the chamber.
There is only one Democratic legislative primary in the state: a state Senate race in District 26, which includes the Rosebud Reservation.
There are no statewide Democratic primaries, after announced candidates for governor and U.S. House dropped out or failed to gather enough petition signatures to make the ballot, leaving one Democrat in each of those races.
Statewide candidates will have less name recognition than Republican candidates ahead of the general election, since they didn’t have primaries, Card said. In the Legislature, Card said Democrats “are guaranteeing they won’t get a majority.”
In contrast, Republicans have primary races for governor, U.S. House and U.S. Senate. Five legislative districts do not have Republican primaries, but do have Republican candidates. There is a Republican candidate running for every legislative seat, except for one House seat in District 27, which includes the Pine Ridge Reservation.
Card said there are several factors leading to poor candidate turnout among Democrats, including a self-fulfilling cycle of failure.
“A lack of winning makes fewer people willing to take a chance on running for office,” Card said. “Why run if I think I’m going to lose?”
Democrats haven’t held a statewide office since 2015, and they haven’t held a majority of either legislative chamber since 1994.
Joe Zweifel, deputy executive director of the South Dakota Democratic Party, said the organization worked “really, really hard” to convince Democrats to run for office.
“But you can’t force people to run for office,” said Zweifel, of Sioux Falls, who’s running for a legislative seat himself in District 12.
He’s heard the open seats called a “failure.” But he disagrees, choosing to focus on the Democrats who did step forward.
“We’re running quality, good candidates in those races,” Zweifel said.
The South Dakota Democratic Party hopes to build on legislative successes, such as a new law from Rep. Kadyn Wittman, D-Sioux Falls, that commits state funding to cover the family portion of reduced-price school meals.
“That specifically is a return on investment for our donors, and it shows that Democrats are doing good things for the people of South Dakota,” Zweifel said.
Wittman’s success helped inspire Democratic District 13 House of Representatives candidate Ali Rae Horsted, of Sioux Falls, to take a second run at the Legislature. Horsted ran unsuccessfully for the Senate against Sen. Sue Peterson in 2024, garnering 42% of the vote.
Horsted plans to build on that success and the name recognition she already has in the district. She hopes she’ll have “better odds” in this election, since there are two House seats for every district.
Horsted said it would better serve South Dakota if the state had a more balanced Legislature. While the latest Legislature was 92% Republican, 52% of voters in South Dakota are Republican. South Dakota has the lowest percentage of Democrats, 7.6%, in the Legislature nationwide.
“I think it’s important that people have options on the ballot,” Horsted said, “and people are able to vote for candidates that represent their values and their vision for the future of South Dakota.”
Makenzie Huber is a lifelong South Dakotan who regularly reports on the intersection of politics and policy with health, education, social services and Indigenous affairs. Her work with South Dakota Searchlight earned her the title of South Dakota’s Outstanding Young Journalist in 2024, and she was a 2024 finalist for the national Livingston Awards.
South Dakota Searchlight is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
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From East River to West River, South Dakota communities share a common goal: creating places where people of all ages can live, work and thrive. AARP’s Domains of Livability provide a framework to help communities do just that. Through the AARP Community Challenge grant program—designed to spark quick, impactful local projects—South Dakota communities are turning big ideas into visible, people-centered improvements.
Read the South Dakota Community Challenge Grant Report, which showcases grant-funded projects across the state designed to build more livable communities.
What Are AARP’s Domains of Livability?
AARP’s approach to livable communities is rooted in eight interconnected domains that together support quality of life at every age:
- Outdoor Spaces and Buildings – Safe, accessible parks, streets and public buildings
- Transportation – Affordable, accessible options for getting around
- Housing – A range of choices that support independence
- Social Participation – Opportunities to connect, learn and have fun
- Respect and Social Inclusion – Communities that value people of all backgrounds and ages
- Civic Participation and Employment – Meaningful ways to engage and contribute
- Communication and Information – Clear, accessible ways to stay informed
- Community Support and Health Services – Access to services that support well-being
These domains work best when addressed together—something South Dakota communities are embracing.
Turning Vision into Action with Community Challenge Grants
AARP Community Challenge grants fund short-term, “quick-action” projects that can ignite long-term change. Across South Dakota, these grants have helped communities pilot ideas, build momentum and demonstrate what’s possible when residents put people first.
Here’s how local projects are bringing the Domains of Livability to life:
- Outdoor Spaces and Buildings: Communities have used grants to enhance parks, create pop-up public spaces, add benches and shade and install wayfinding signs. These improvements invite people to linger, gather, and enjoy shared spaces—supporting both physical activity and social connection.
- Transportation: Small, thoughtful transportation projects can make a big difference. Community Challenge grants have supported safer crossings, improved walkability and bikeability around key destinations and the planning or installation of transit amenities like shelters and seating—especially important for older adults and people with mobility challenges.
- Housing and Community Support: Some projects focus on helping residents age in place by improving access to information about home modification resources or by testing neighborhood-level solutions that connect people to services. These efforts strengthen independence and peace of mind.
- Social Participation and Inclusion: Murals, community events and creative placemaking projects funded by AARP grants have sparked community pride and social connection. By involving residents in design and implementation, these projects foster respect, inclusion and a strong sense of belonging across generations.
- Communication, Civic Participation and Opportunity: From hosting community conversations to creating new tools for sharing local information, South Dakota communities are using grants to engage residents in shaping their future. These efforts elevate local voices and encourage ongoing civic participation.
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