Things to do & places to visit in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States

Sioux Falls city in South Dakota, United States. Timezone: America/Chicago, current date and time: Saturday, May 04, 2024, 9:44.

Top things to do (24)

Top places to visit (30 attractions) view more »

5.0 St. Joseph Cathedral (342 reviews)
- G-O-R-G-E-O-U-S
Saturday: 7:00 AM - 5:30 PM Churches & Cathedrals

Stunning! The marble columns, pink and gold details, beautiful carvings, stunning altar, stained glass windows and the 3D stations of the cross were just a few of the awe-inspiring details. Regardless of your religious affiliation, this place is a masterpiece to behold. We arrived just as they opened on a Tuesday morning in June 2021, and entered through the primary front doors. After viewing the inside, there is a small peaceful prayer garden on the south side (facing the church, it’s on your left), and a large statue of Jesus just behind the church (up the hill from the garden area). Be sure to check their website for their schedule, if you’re wanting to just visit for the beauty and not take part in Mass. See more..
5.0 Sioux Falls Bike Trails (158 reviews)
- Worth an extra day
Hiking Trails

We spent an extra day in Sioux Falls so we could ride on the Greenway Trail System. We parked at the trail head at Falls park and went around the whole city starting southbound. Beautiful scenery despite a detour in downtown. Otherwise never had to cross a city street. There are plenty of restrooms. If you have little time, park at the falls and go south. There are fewer trees when you approach the airport in the northwest side. See more..
5.0 The Blood Run Nature Area (28 reviews)
- Historical gem
Nature & Wildlife Areas

Hidden and unknown to most residents in area until recently, this is an amazing historical site where thousands of indigenous people lived hundreds of years ago. It is in the process of development...I hope they keep the pristine beauty of this historical gem. See more..
5.0 Tuthill Park (19 reviews)
- Beautiful park with a great sledding hill.
Parks

Tuthill park is a beautiful, big park with lots of trees, a playground, frisbee golf, and an amazing sledding hill. See more..
5.0 Good Earth State Park (16 reviews)
- A Hike with Variety
State Parks

This area provides a great variety of hiking terrain. There are open prairie, light forest, hilly inclines, and gradual slopes. The scenic overlooks with informational signage are great and there's always a map posted along the way to help you get around. Great place to spend a few hours. The visitor center hasn't been open due to the pandemic but the restrooms are open. See more..
5.0 Sertoma Park (13 reviews)
- Beautiful Park and Walking Trails
Spent 2-3 hours Parks

This is a wonderful place to go for a walk! In the fall the colors are awesome. Great place for family or engagement photos! See more..
5.0 Arc of Dreams (12 reviews)
- Beautiful piece of art
Points of Interest & Landmarks

To all the dreamers! This is a great spot downtown. Parking is available around the area either on the street or in some visitor parking areas. It’s a lovely stroll along the river. Take the time to do the walk or just enjoy the arc. Very picturesque and quintessential Sioux Falls. We enjoyed it! See more..
4.5 Falls Park (3.379 reviews)
- Gem of the City
Saturday: 5:00 AM - 12:00 AM Parks

Park with waterfalls where the river flows over many tiers of Sioux quartzite. See more..
4.5 SculptureWalk & Arc of Dreams Monument (556 reviews)
- Pleasing Downtown Surprises!
Hiking Trails

Nice Surprise Indeed! My wife and I were passing through Sioux Falls and we were looking for a place to eat downtown. The surprise... the Downtown Sioux Falls Sculpture Walk! After having lunch, we decided to spend some time walking around downtown before the 4hr+ drive back to Grand Forks. If your plan is to blow by each sculpture without a chance to appreciate them, then this is not for you. If you have some time to really take a look at each sculpture and truly try to appreciate what the artist was trying to do, I think you’d really enjoy the Sculpture Walk. Since our time was limited, we were unable to see all the sculptures. This is a good reason for us to come back to Sioux Falls. I know we missed out on many other works of art. With lots of great places to eat downtown, and sculptures scattered around downtown as well, it was time well spent for us! Merci Beaucoup! (3/21) See more..
4.5 Butterfly House & Aquarium (516 reviews)
- If you've never been to a butterfly house, this one might be good
Saturday: 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM Spent 1-2 hours Nature & Wildlife Areas • Aquariums

Enjoy over 800 free-flying butterflies from around the world in the tropical conservatory. View vibrant marine fishes, jellies, and corals in twelve aquarium habitats, including the Pop-Up Dome Aquarium and Pacific Tide Pool. Experience interactive learning and relaxation with tropical butterflies and marine life in our land-locked state. A year round tropical destination! The Butterfly House & Aquarium is a nonprofit organization, funded entirely by admissions, memberships, gift shop sales, and donations. Thank you for visiting and supporting our mission of inspiring conservation of the vital building blocks of sea, sky, and land! See more..
4.5 Washington Pavilion (186 reviews)
- Great Theatre Experience
Saturday: 9:30 AM - 5:00 PM Spent More than 3 hours Science Museums • Theaters • Art Museums

The mission of the Washington Pavilion of Arts and Science is to educate, entertain, inspire, and enrich the community by making arts and science part of our lives. Our vision is to be the region’s premier arts and cultural institution and a national model for multifaceted, community-based institutions.The Washington Pavilion is the region’s home for the arts, entertainment and science. Located in a beautifully renovated historic building in downtown Sioux Falls, it is one of only a few facilities in the world to bring together under one roof the performing arts, visual arts, interactive science and educational opportunities. See more..
4.5 Old Courthouse Museum (155 reviews)
- History of downtown
Saturday: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM History Museums

Beautifully restored 1800s quartzite building has three floors of regional history exhibits. See more..
4.5 Pettigrew Home & Museum (135 reviews)
- Touring the Pettigrew Home & Museum
Saturday: 12:00 PM - 5:00 PM Spent 1-2 hours Historic Sites

Welcome to the Past! Tour the elegant 1889 Queen Anne-style home of South Dakota’s first senator, Richard Pettigrew. Take a guided tour of the historic home, or browse the museum galleries and discover the Sioux Falls of the late 1800s. Free admission. Free parking. Wheelchair accessible. Open Monday through Sunday. See more..
4.5 Denny Sanford Premier Center (100 reviews)
- Excellent Concert Venue
Spent 2-3 hours Arenas & Stadiums

We’ve been to several concerts and events at Denny Sanford and have always enjoyed the experience. Great concert seating - very close to the performers.... even in the nosebleed seats. Hockey is also great! Highly recommend this place! See more..
4.5 Veterans' Memorial Park (51 reviews)
- Beautiful!
Parks

We just happened to see the Veterans Park as we pulled into the parking lot for the Mexican restaurant we were having dinner at. We drove over after dinner. It was a lovely Friday night, looking at all the monuments, signs, and just remembering the sacrifices that are made for all of us!! Beautiful trees, plants, paths, and it was much larger than what I thought it would be!! See more..
4.5 Michelangelo's David replica (49 reviews)
- Lovely spot
Spent < 1 hour Points of Interest & Landmarks

This was an amazing experience. Super chilly I would recommend a coat and a warm hat and gloves this time of year. However the scenery was beautiful nice park with view of the water. Great place for a date or a stroll. Lovely spot. See more..
4.5 WoodGrain Brewing Company (48 reviews)
- Great local beer downtown
Saturday: 12:00 PM - 12:00 AM Breweries

WoodGrain Brewing Company is a high-quality microbrewery and taproom on the corner of 9th and Phillips in historic Downtown Sioux Falls. Our beers are meticulously hand-crafted using the freshest ingredients and featuring locally sourced hops and barley whenever possible. We offer a wide variety of styles so check out our menu and come visit our taproom! It’s hand-built from local reclaimed barn wood and is a fun relaxed place to meet your friends for some of the best craft beer Sioux Falls has to offer. No kitchen, but snacks are available, and you’re welcome to order delivery or bring food in from local restaurants or food trucks. Check out the QR codes on our tabletop menu for some good options. We’re family-friendly so supervised children are welcome. And the pups? Yeah, we’re cool with them too if they’re leashed, well-mannered, and quiet. Our servers are happy to provide dog bowls and treats if you like. We’ll see you here! See more..
4.5 Terrace Park (44 reviews)
- A very nice public park
Parks

This park is a little tricky to find but well worth it. It houses the Japanese Garden of Sioux Falls and this is enough for a visit itself. The Garden snakes along a winding path and is filled with well maintained trees, shrubs and perennial plants. When we were there, there was a wonderful concert with a very talented singer and the orchestra of Sioux Falls. That made for a very pleasant evening. Parking is free. We parked outside of the park in a bordering neighborhood. See more..
4.5 Mary Jo Wegner Arboretum (18 reviews)
- This place is a must see
Spent 1-2 hours Nature & Wildlife Areas

The Mary Jo Wegner Arboretum and East Sioux Falls Historic Site began as a dream. A local visionary for the environment, Mary Jo Wegner imagined a natural haven in Sioux Falls like others enjoy in major cities. With wetlands, gardens, and native plants, the Arboretum provides recreation and education. A living link to the past and a great stake in our future. See more..
4.5 Fernson Brewing Company (16 reviews)
- Awesome Taproom
Breweries

Fernson Brewing Company is a brewery in Sioux Falls, South Dakota that aims to bring people together over unique hand-crafted beers. See more..
4.5 Sioux Empire Medical Museum (16 reviews)
- Wonderful hidden gem!
Speciality Museums

Our family absolutely loved our visit to this small museum. Ardeth - one of the lovely volunteers- took us on a tour of the whole museum and told great stories of her work as a nurse and the history of different devices in the museum! What a lovely lady. See more..
4.5 Arrowhead Park (15 reviews)
- Nice paved path
Spent 1-2 hours Bodies of Water • Nature & Wildlife Areas • Parks

Nice paved path with some unpaved hiking also the area has a couple lil quarry rock ponds. Sometimes there are a lot of geese on the path tho. See more..
4.0 Great Plains Zoo & Delbridge Museum of Natural History (411 reviews)
- Exploring the Great Plains Zoo & Delbridge Museum of Natural History
Saturday: 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM Natural History Museums • Zoos

Open 361 days a year, the Great Plains Zoo & Delbridge Museum of Natural History is home to more than 1,000 animals from 137 species including 24 endangered species. The 45-acre park offers up-close views to animals often not found in larger Zoos including Tigers, Rhinos, Bears, Primates, Giraffe, and an award-winning Snow Monkey exhibit. The Zoo also includes the Delbridge Museum of Natural History, a rare collection of 150 mounted animals including 38 “vanishing species.” See more..
4.0 USS South Dakota Battleship Memorial (184 reviews)
- A worthwhile historic visit.
Saturday: 9:30 AM - 5:30 PM Spent 1-2 hours Speciality Museums • Monuments & Statues

Honoring the most decorated battleship of World War II, this memorial is a full-size outline of the ship with artifacts from the ship with a museum containing crew artifacts. Open May 1 to Sept 30 See more..
4.0 Wild Water West (135 reviews)
- Fun water park
Saturday: 11:00 AM - 8:00 PM Water Parks

The areas only inclusive Slides and Rides destination! With a 500,000 gallon wave pool, slide tower, Go-Karts, Mini Golf, Splash park, Bumper Boats, Swim-Up Bar and so much more!! See more..
4.0 Sioux Falls Stadium - The Birdcage (50 reviews)
- St Paul Saints vs Sioux Falls Canaries
Saturday: Spent 2-3 hours Arenas & Stadiums

Went to see live baseball on Fourth of July weekend. Other than the mask wearing it had the feel of going to the ballpark to see a game. The ballpark was a wonderful small park with the feel of being at a game. The employees were very friendly and helpful. They had fireworks after the game on Friday. On Saturday after the game we went to the golf course near by to see the city's very large fireworks. It was a fantastic weekend ! See more..
4.0 Great Bear Recreation Park (50 reviews)
- Greatest staff on Earth!
Saturday: 9:00 AM - 9:00 PM Ski & Snowboard Areas

So, I’d like to give a huge shout out to the folks at Great Bear Ski Valley. I purchased a season pass this year and was only able to use it 5 times before breaking my leg. And toe. I had just purchased some new boots and entered my very first race on January 10th. 20 minutes after entering, I got injured. Didn’t even get to compete, and also never got to use my new boots! I had emailed them last week asking when the season would be over, as they’re installing a new chairlift. Turns out that they’ll be closed by the time I’m able to return. I’ll miss the deadline by 9 days. But I got an email this morning saying that they plan to completely credit me a season pass for next year!! Woohoo!! Such an awesome community and organization out there. Always donating and hosting charity events and promoting safe and responsible sports. Can’t wait to shred some pow next year on the hill! See more..
4.0 Thunder Road (48 reviews)
- Fun racing go carts
Saturday: 11:00 AM - 11:00 PM Spent 2-3 hours Amusement & Theme Parks

Thunder Road Fun Park is an indoor and outdoor entertainment center with for all ages. The outdoor entertainment center includes two Go-kart tracks, Adventure Mini-Golf, Tilt-A-Whirl, Adventure, Laser Maze, Euro-Bungy Trampoline, Water Wars, and Batting Cages. The indoor entertainment center has 8 Lanes of traditional bowling and next generation HyperBowling, an arcade, two story laser tag, 7D Theatre, mini-bowling, Spin Zone bumper cars, ax throwing lanes, birthday party rooms, corporate event rooms, a snack bar, and a full service restaurant and bar. The Free Parking, No Admission, and Free picnic areas. Remember the Fun! See more..
4.0 The Empire Mall (45 reviews)
- JC Penny’s
Saturday: 10:00 AM - 9:00 PM Shopping Malls

South Dakota’s premier shopping destination, The Empire Mall is the dominant center for the eastern half of the state as well as portions of northwest Iowa and southwest Minnesota. Shopper visits each year total 12 times the population of the state. The Empire Mall serves not only as a town center for Sioux Falls (ranked No. 1 on Forbes’ list of Best Small Places for Business and Careers for nine of the last ten years) but also as the economic engine for a trade area stretching more than 75 miles. The mall has recently upgraded its position in the market by completing a total renovation. See more..
4.0 Sioux Falls Convention Center (31 reviews)
- Nice remodeling
Saturday: Convention Centers

Very nice and newly expanded. The new arena is very nice the acoustics were awesome - we listened to Thomson Square. See more..