Sioux Falls, South Dakota is known as the “Gateway to the Plains." With a population of 148,000 it is one of the biggest cities in the region. Sioux Falls is named for the gorgeous cascades of water in the region. In fact, it is a wonderful place to take a gander at a beautiful expression of ecological history.

About 14,000 years ago, when the glaciers of the Ice Age retreated from North America, great gouges and cuts were left on the earth. The scars that the glaciers left on the surface of the earth have yielded incredible water falls. Furthermore, visitors to Sioux Falls can see the lovely pinkish quartzite bedrock that was exposed by the glaciers.

Sioux Falls is a wonderful travel destination for people who love the outdoors. The Fish and Game Department and Parks and Recreation Department have joined forces to create the Sioux Falls Outdoor Campus. This program offers courses in a number of outdoor activities to both visitors and natives. Courses include fishing, boating, and wilderness exploration. There are a number of great hiking and biking trails in the Sioux Falls area as well. For outdoor fun, you can visit Sertoma Park, Arrowhead Park, or McKennan Park.

The Great Plains Zoo in Sioux Falls is a wonderful destination for youngsters and adults. In addition to the many live animals, the zoo is home to a huge collection of mounted animals. The collection at the Delbridge Museum rivals that at the Museum of Natural History in New York City. Much like the famed Museum of Natural History, the Delbridge Museum has a number of dioramas the present the mounted animals in depictions of their natural habitats.

There is something special five miles from the city for the history buffs. Just outside of Sioux Falls is a real cowboy ghost town. Visit Buffalo Ridge and you can get a sense of what it was like to live in South Dakota in the 1880's. There are a number of exhibits in the ghost town to help your imagination along.

Because a large part of the area in and surrounding Sioux Falls is farmland, the city hosts one of the largest farm shows in the nation. Every January, nearly 30,000 people flock to the Sioux Falls Farm Show. At the farm show, there is stiff competition for the best the many breeds of cows, pigs, and sheep.