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The State Capitol
Completed in 1910, the Capitol is stunning with its
dramatic murals, stained glass, elaborate tilework
and collections of sculpture and art. The Capitol is
open 365 days a year from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Governors Drive, Pierre.
www.state.sd.us. |
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Lewis and Clark Family Center
Feel
the difference between elk and buffalo hides. Learn to
identify the tracks of native animals. See a dug-out canoe
of the kind used on Lewis and Clark’s historic expedition.
The interactive displays of the Lewis and Clark Family
Center, located on Farm Island, offer hands-on lessons in
U.S. history. Farm Island Recreation Area, 1301 Farm Island
Road, Pierre, SD 57501. (605) 773-2885. E-mail:
FarmIsland@state.sd.us.
South Dakota National Guard Museum
Established in 1862 as a frontier militia, the South Dakota
National Guard is tightly woven into the state’s history.
The South Dakota National Guard Museum in Pierre is the
state’s repository for relics, memorabilia and historical
documents relating to the Guard’s activities from the late
1800s through recent peacekeeping missions. 301 East Dakota,
Pierre, SD 57501. (605) 224-9991.
www.state.sd.us/military/Military/museum.htm.
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South Dakota Cultural
Heritage Center
The extensive collections of the South Dakota
Cultural Heritage Center preserve the historical and
cultural legacy of the state’s early Sioux
inhabitants and the first waves of European
settlers. Open year-round, the museum features
permanent, rotating and traveling exhibits.
Admission is charged; kids under 18 are admitted
free. 900 Governors Drive, Pierre, SD 57501. (605)
773-3458.
www.sdhistory.org.
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South Dakota Discovery Center and Aquarium
Fun,
interactive learning is the focus of the South Dakota
Discovery Center and Aquarium. More than 60 hands-on
exhibits illustrate principles of electricity, magnetism,
life sciences, telecommunications and physics. The center’s
aquarium features fish species native to the Missouri River.
805 W. Sioux Avenue, Pierre, SD 57501. (605) 224-8295.
www.sd-discovery.com.
Oahe Dam Visitor Center
Offering great views of South Dakota’s largest lake, the
Oahe Dam Visitor Center presents a complete history of Lake
Oahe and its surroundings. Exhibits describe the
exploration, settlement, and natural history of Lake Oahe
and the Missouri River, as well as the construction of the
Oahe Dam and power plant. Open Memorial Day to Labor Day.
Seven miles north of Pierre on South Dakota Highway 1804.
(605) 224-5862.
http://corpslakes.usace.army.mil/visitors/projects.cfm?Id=G612960
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Oahe Chapel
Adjacent to the Visitor Center is the Oahe Chapel.
Built in 1877, the chapel was both church and
schoolhouse for the Oahe Mission and the Sioux
Indians it served. Open daily, with services at 8
a.m. Sundays Memorial Day through Labor Day; open
off-season by appointment. (605) 773-3458. |
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Fort
Pierre Chouteau
In the
mid-1800s, Fort Pierre Chouteau was the largest trading post
on the upper Missouri River, a thriving community of
traders, trappers and Native Americans. Today, not much
remains of the fort’s wooden bastions and buildings but the
site, a National Historic Landmark, interests
archaeologists, who hold excavations there each summer.
www.fortpierre.com.
Verendrye Museum
Named
for the first Europeans to visit South Dakota, the Verendrye
Museum is located on Deadwood Street in Fort Pierre. The
museum houses pioneer relics and a reproduction of the lead
tablet brothers Chevalier and Louis la Verendrye buried in a
bluff above the Missouri River, thereby claiming for France
the territory that eventually became the Louisiana Purchase.
Open Memorial Day to Labor Day. (605) 223-7761.
www.fortpierre.com.
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Pierre Aquatic Center
"Two great facilities under one roof!"
Open to the public - Visitors Welcome!
(605) 224-1683
900 E. Church Street, Pierre SD 57501 |
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