We set out early from Sioux Falls knowing that, despite it being a 4 hour drive, it was going to take at least 10, because we had decided 1) we were going to see all the roadside attractions along the way, and 2) if anyone had to use the restroom, we were STOPPING (feel free to like the post if your dad never stopped to let you use the restroom). Our first stop was 4 minutes from the hotel: Falls Park, an absolutely gorgeous park in the middle of the city.
We tromped around for a half an hour here trying not to get wet, and then headed out for real. Kelly had checked on Roadside America, which is a great website to help you plot all the attractions to be had on any given route in the US. There were 9 stops we were absolutely going to see, starting with:
Unfortunately, it was closed, but there were still some buffalo in a fenced field for us to see.
Our next stop was just down the road about 50 miles; a place called Porter Sculpture park. Don’t miss it- it’s a phantasmagorical wonderland, filled with the creations of Wayne Porter and his dog. Whimsical, somewhat dark and creepy, and worth every penny of the entrance fee. He even let us use one of his golf carts.
Interspersed between the art are hand painted signs with poetry written by the sculptor. There are so many more sculptures, out in the middle of nowhere. Truly vivid and amazing. Next up, THUNDERBUNNY!
Big Steer and Bison!
The only Corn Palace in the World!
The boys had a blast at all of these stops. I’m really torn about not including the pictures of them- even with all the driving, we all had so much fun (and ice cream). The attractions were very helpful in breaking up a long drive, and everyone was excited to see what was next along the road. In this case it was Dignity, a terrific 80′ tall sculpture at a rest stop overlooking the mighty Missouri River:
Then, of course, we stopped to see the Biggest Pheasant made of Railroad Spikes:
And a skeleton man walking his pet skeleton T-Rex:
This was the most fun I’ve ever had on a road trip. All of us had an absolute blast, and this day wasn’t even over- we drove through Badlands national park and stopped at Wall Drug, too!
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