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Highest-rated free things to do in South Dakota by visitors

·Stacker

Tint Media // Shutterstock
Tint Media // Shutterstock
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Being an American can be incredibly expensive. While workers in the United States have seen a 1,015% increase in wages over the past 50 years, those gains haven't caught up with the ever-growing cost of living, according to a 2025 report from Consumer Affairs. Between 1973 and 2023, the national consumer price index increased by 586%.

Although Americans have about 63% more purchasing power than 50 years ago, that quickly dissipates when factoring in the increased costs of housing and education. Housing costs have jumped about 1,045%, private college tuition has risen by 158%, and public college tuition has increased by 177%.

That imbalance has put a huge strain on the average American. In 2023, a record-high 42.9 million households were cost-burdened, according to an analysis of Census Bureau data by the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies.

It's no wonder that maintaining savings, paying down debts and mortgages, and regular expenses are taking precedence over vacations. But not everything that's enjoyable has to come at a high price. In fact, there's a roster of completely free things to do in South Dakota.

From touring landmarks and historical sites to getting out into nature, you can find all this and more without swiping your credit card or crossing state lines.

To help you find your next free activity, Stacker compiled a list of the highest-rated free things to do in South Dakota using data from Tripadvisor. Tripadvisor ranks places using a combination of metrics, including overall rating, reviews, and number of page views. As a result, an activity with a 5 out of 5 overall rating might rank lower than one with a 4 out of 5. Data is as of Aug. 18, 2025. Only locations that received at least 20 reviews were included.

Read on to start planning a weekend of free fun near you!

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#30. Storybook Land and Land of Oz

Tripadvisor

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#30. Storybook Land and Land of Oz

- Rating: 4.8/5 (231 reviews)
- City: Aberdeen South
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#28. D.C. Booth Historic National Fish Hatchery

Tripadvisor

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#28. D.C. Booth Historic National Fish Hatchery

- Rating: 4.7/5 (444 reviews)
- City: Spearfish South
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#27. Prairie Edge Trading Co. & Galleries

Tripadvisor

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#27. Prairie Edge Trading Co. & Galleries

- Rating: 4.7/5 (568 reviews)
- City: Rapid City South
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#25. Mt Roosevelt Monument

Tripadvisor

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#25. Mt Roosevelt Monument

- Rating: 4.6/5 (208 reviews)
- City: Deadwood South
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#24. St. Joseph Cathedral

Tripadvisor

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#24. St. Joseph Cathedral

- Rating: 4.8/5 (345 reviews)
- City: Sioux Falls South
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#22. Akta Lakota Museum

Tripadvisor

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#22. Akta Lakota Museum

- Rating: 4.9/5 (481 reviews)
- City: Chamberlain South
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#20. Wounded Knee Massacre Monument

Tripadvisor

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#20. Wounded Knee Massacre Monument

- Rating: 3.7/5 (292 reviews)
- City: Wounded Knee South
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#17. Minuteman Missile National Historic Site

Tripadvisor

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#17. Minuteman Missile National Historic Site

- Rating: 4.6/5 (894 reviews)
- City: Philip South
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#15. South Dakota Air and Space Museum

Tripadvisor

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#15. South Dakota Air and Space Museum

- Rating: 4.5/5 (963 reviews)
- City: Box Elder South
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#10. Black Hills National Forest

Tripadvisor

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#10. Black Hills National Forest

- Rating: 4.8/5 (917 reviews)
- City: Custer South
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#9. Dignity of Earth and Sky

Tripadvisor

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#9. Dignity of Earth and Sky

- Rating: 4.9/5 (421 reviews)
- City: Chamberlain South
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#8. Downtown Rapid City

Tripadvisor

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#8. Downtown Rapid City

- Rating: 4.4/5 (2,348 reviews)
- City: Rapid City South
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#7. Chapel in the Hills

Tripadvisor

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#7. Chapel in the Hills

- Rating: 4.6/5 (700 reviews)
- City: Rapid City South
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#5. Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway

Tripadvisor

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#5. Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway

- Rating: 4.7/5 (985 reviews)
- City: Spearfish South
- Read more on Tripadvisor

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