Area Attractions
Badland’s National Park
Colorful and rugged, the Badlands National Park is located in southwestern South Dakota. It has 244,000 acres of amazing spires, eroded buttes, pinnacles, and grass prairie.
The park is managed by the National Park Service. It is the largest undisturbed grass prairie in the United States.
Many endangered animals are protected in this wilderness area. It also contains one of the world’s richest fossil beds.
Drive through, hike or camp! You are sure to enjoy the wildlife and the scenery with all its stunning sharp, jagged peaks and valleys.
People travel from all over the world to enjoy the beauty of the badlands.
Come see for yourself.
National Park Service
Black Hills & Badlands Tourism Association – Badlands National Park
Native American Culture
The Native American Reservations are abounding in culture.
Dakota is a Native American word meaning “friends, allies”, and a friendly reception is exactly what you can expect to find when you visit the area.
We are surrounded on three sides by the Pine Ridge and Rosebud Indian Reservations so be sure to experience the heritage and history here.
Authentic arts and craft traditions are still practiced by many Native Americans.
Wounded Knee mass burial site located on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation is a National Historic Landmark.
The Heritage Center residing on campus of Red Cloud Indian School and located on the Pine Ridge Reservation is one of the earliest cultural centers and museums featuring art, education, culture and history. It is home to 10,000 pieces of Native American contemporary and historical Lakota art.
The Red Cloud Indian Art Show welcomes nearly 200 artists, both seasoned professionals and emerging young artists, to showcase their work each year.
Buechel Memorial Lakota Museum on the Rosebud Reservation is designed to educate both locals and visitors about Lakota history, traditions and culture. It is an important resource for historians, ethnographers, anthropologists, and artists alike.
Attend powwows, Sun Dances, museums, art and cultural exhibits, fairs, rodeos, historical sites and be sure to visit with the people themselves.
Pine Ridge Area Chamber of Commerce
Lacreek National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1935 as a refuge and breeding ground for migratory birds and other wildlife. Since the late 1950’s, 281 species of birds have been recorded at the refuge. It serves as an important staging area for migrating Canada geese, sandhill cranes, shorebirds, neotropical migrant birds and other waterfowl. There are tens of thousands of ducks and geese, in addition to approximately 100 trumpeter swans winter at the refuge each year. The endangered whooping crane and the threatened bald eagle also live in the area.
Other raptors such as the red-tailed hawk, Swainson’s hawk, northern harrier, American kestrel, great horned owl, and golden eagle can be often seen. The refuge hosts one of the only two nesting colonies of American white pelicans (approximately 3,000 birds) within South Dakota. This refuge provides a variety of habitats for resident and migrant wildlife such as the ring-necked pheasant, pronghorn antelope, white-tailed deer, mule deer, coyote, and badger. Lacreek National Wildlife Refuge is over 16,000 acres of wetlands located 12 miles southeast of Martin, South Dakota.
Bowring Ranch State Historical Park
The Bowring Ranch is reminiscent of a turn of the century working cattle ranch.
The ranch house and outbuildings are preserved and open to the public.
The endangered whooping crane and the threatened bald eagle also live in the area.
The ranch house displays antiques and memorabilia from the Bowring’s extraordinary political careers.
The visitor center contains history on ranching, homesteading, geology, wildlife and many other areas related to the Sandhills and Bowrings.
It’s a great opportunity to see ranch life as it was in the turn of the 20th century.
For Everything South Dakota!
Black Hills & Badlands Tourism Association is the go-to source for travel and cultural information in South Dakota.
Check out – Exploring the Black Hills and Badlands – for a close up look at the parks, monuments, lodging, attractions, events, activities, and general historical information about the area.
Black Hills, Badlands and Lakes Association
Ask about local events such as Powwows, Sun Dances, Museums,
Art and Cultural Exhibits, Fairs, Rodeos, Historical Sites & more.
For more information about events, visit:
Martin, SD – Chamber of Commerce
FB – Martin Community Heritage Center
FB Group – Our Town – Martin, SD