By James D. Hagen, South Dakota Secretary of Tourism
Visitors to South Dakota enjoy an incredible range of cultural and artistic events every summer throughout our state. Many plan their trips to South Dakota around a visit to Mount Rushmore, but our state shows travelers that the arts are a vital part of who we are as a people.
This summer, I encourage you to share in the cultural bounty that keeps visitors flooding into our state. There’s just so much to do in South Dakota! Nearly every summer weekend features an arts festival somewhere in our state, from Aberdeen to Edgemont and from Roslyn to Rapid City. The best thing about our festivals is the people. Thousands of volunteers, all across South Dakota, make community festivals and weekend celebrations possible as they share their love of hometown and their enthusiasm for throwing a great community get-together.
Summer is also a wonderful opportunity for you to visit new attractions that your family may not have seen yet. Experience the monumental sculpture Dignity on its bluff above the Missouri at Chamberlain. Check out the South Dakota Art Museum in Brookings and celebrate 50 years of the arts with the Dahl Arts Center in Rapid City. From the Black Hills Bluegrass Festival to the Sioux River Folk Festival, summer is a tuneful season throughout our state. You’ll find easy directions to those attractions and dozens more at TravelSouthDakota.com.
If food, music and art in the park are your style, we’ve got you covered from border to border. From the Northern Hills at Spearfish to the Missouri riverside at Yankton, tens of thousands of arts lovers flock to our festivals and powwows throughout the summer. Join them—you’ll see neighbors and make new friends in a relaxed, uniquely South Dakota setting.
Cultural tourism is a vital part of our economy, creating jobs, prosperity and lifelong learning in a way that is fun and family-friendly. We work hard to invite people from our neighboring states to enjoy summer cultural opportunities in South Dakota. We invite you to join them and discover for yourself why I am so proud of our state and its cultural community.
