South Dakota Bed and Breakfast Budget Hotel Guest House Accommodation
Situated in the Midwestern region of the US, South Dakota has historically been dominated by an agricultural economy and a rural lifestyle, and retains one of the lowest population densities in the US. The Missouri River divides it into 2 socially and economically distinct halves known as 'East River' and 'West River'.
In its southwestern portion, the Black Hills are a group of low pine-covered mountains of great religious importance to Native Americans as well as a major tourist destination. Within the Black Hills is Mount Rushmore, the widely-used symbol of South Dakota. These hills are a beautiful accessible extension of the Rocky Mountains. Thick forests of tall, ponderosa pine, spruce and aspen alternatively blanket and reveal towering granite peaks, deep canyons, cascading trout streams and clear, clean lakes. The granite faces of Mount Rushmore National Memorial gaze out over this mountainous landscape and the herds of buffalo, elk, deer, antelope and mountain goats. The Badlands National Park blends amazing craggy rock formations with mixed-grass prairies. The history of the region includes legendary figures such as Crazy Horse, Sitting Bull and George Armstrong Custer who led his 1874 expedition into the Black Hills, starting the great Gold Rush. Others such as Calamity Jane and WIld Bill Hickock shaped the wild frontier town of Deadwood, which lives up to its Old West image with legalized gaming. Ghost towns, nestled quietly in more remote areas, can still be explored.
In the centre of the state, the Missouri River with its high, rugged and grassy bluffs, forms a topographic and climatic bridge between the gently rolling cattle ranch country of the west, and the tabletop flatness of the farming region to the east. The area is abundant with wildlife, and scattered with military outposts such as Fort Randall, near Pickstown, which takes the visitor back to witness the area's historical past. In Mobridge, there are memorials to Sitting Bull and Sacagawea, while Native Americans still hlod pow wows and expositions to preserve and display their traditions.
The southeastern region is densely populated with grain and livestock farms, with Sioux Falls as its focal point, featuring stockyards, manufacturing and historical districts and a turn-of-the-century courthouse. The cities of Yankton and Mitchell lie in the picturesque James River Valley, near one of the great Lakes of the Missouri and preserving reminders of the heyday of riverboat traffic along this mighty river. The region is dotted with state parks, great camping facilities, hiking opportunities and rolling scenery.
In the Northeast, the land ranges from flat to hilly and is dotted with swamps, marshes and forest-rimmed glacial lakes. The main local occupation is livestock farming as well as growing crops such as sunflowers, corn and other small grains. The Ordway Prairie near Aberdeen is one of the Largest preserves of native tallgrass prairie in this part of the US. You will find natural forest areas and national wildlife refuges; rivers and picturesque gorges. One of the best-preserved frontier forts in the country, Fort Sisseton, has been converted into a state park. An annual historical festival features period military and American Indian life, historical displays and re-enactments. Other attractions allow the visitor to follow in the footsteps of the first Sioux Indians, the fur traders and explorers of the 1800s, and the homesteaders who were followed closely by the railroads. Six of the 'Little House' books by Laura Ingalls Wilder were based near her childhood experiences in De Smet, South Dakota.
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Places to stay when on your Bachelor party, Bachelorette party, Golf Break, South Dakota Wedding Venue, South Dakota Airport Hotels, Romantic Weekends away in a hotel with Luxury Spa , or stay at an Colonnial Style Lodge, Country Retreat , Resort or Something Unique .
Opera fans can look for accommodation near South Dakota Opera venues. Baseball fans should look for Hotels near South Dakota Stadiums.
