Savor the last days of summer – and first days of fall – with a road trip north

This piece is sponsored by Travel South Dakota.

The final few weeks of summer can be bittersweet – soaking up the long warm days and enjoying a bit of relaxation before the hectic return of fall.

It’s the perfect time to celebrate family life with a few easy day trips by getting your Northbound Family Adventures Passport stamped. If you like nature, adventure or a little bit of both, this passport is the perfect guide to a late summer vacation. No app required. Just great stops and prizes waiting for your discovery.

For the full guide, visit here. 

Check in along the way and your stops will add up to prizes, from stickers to T-shirts and even NorthFace backpacks and ENO hammocks.

Here’s a sampling of what you’ll find when you take a drive north.

McCrory Gardens

Brookings

Every season at McCrory Gardens is gorgeous, but late summer is something special.

“This is the height of the growing season,” said Lori Puetz, venue coordinator. “If you’re looking for lots of things in bloom, this is the time of year to visit.”

The gardens are operated by South Dakota State University. The grounds feature trees and shrubs that can withstand the state’s harsh climate plus new selections that are tested for adaptability.

There are 25 acres of formal display gardens and 45 acres of arboretum.

If you need a little more to attract the whole family, the Party on the Porch live music series is every Sunday in September from 1 to 3 p.m. The event is free and features live music in the terrace garden. Guests can purchase beverages – for adults and children – and packaged snacks.

“We encourage people to bring their own lawn blanket and just come listen to music,” Puetz said.

On Sept. 6, families can enjoy the annual Insect Festival. “This is a chance for various educational vendors to provide information on the goings-on with insects and how important they are to our world,” Puetz said. The festival is from 1 to 5 p.m. with free admission.

It also includes an insect parade, she said.

McCrory Gardens has a full schedule of events on the website – but there’s one unlisted event that’s a favorite for Puetz: the monarch butterfly migration. Every year, the gorgeous butterflies make their way to warmer climates.

“We have enjoyed them being here in abundance in September,” Puetz said. “All the pollinator-type plants we have attract the monarchs, and they are just so fun to watch. It’s amazing to see them flock to these plants – the liatris, goldenrod and coneflowers. It’s so eye-catching, and we all look forward to it.”

For Puetz, enjoying both the events hosted at the gardens and the peaceful beauty of a quiet day makes the area attractions worth visiting over and over – in different seasons and for different reasons.

She recommends a stop at the arboretum. While it doesn’t have the formal gardens, it still offers plenty to see.

“As the season progresses and the leaves begin to change color, the arboretum is so beautiful,” Puetz said. “It’s just enchanting out there.”

The gardens are open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is $6, with children age 5 and younger free.

Storybook Land and Land of Oz

Aberdeen

Planning a family vacation requires a lot of considerations – and cost is one of them. That’s why Dawn Thorstenson thinks Storybook Land is a good bet for your family vacation dollar.

“It’s affordable,” said Thorstenson, the concession manager at the park. “I’m a mom of three. It always costs money for everything, and that can limit what you can do. You can spend an entire weekend here and not spend a single penny if you want.”

Storybook Land and the Land of Oz offers a petting zoo, a lake stocked with fish, an amusement park and a campground perfect for a family getaway.

Families are encouraged to picnic or purchase items from the concession stand. The park is a wonderful and nostalgic throwback to old nursery rhymes, Thorstenson said.

“You can walk down that memory lane and then introduce it to your kids,” she said, noting that it includes everything from Humpty Dumpty to The House That Jack Built.

The park also includes amusement rides, which are $3 per ride.

And it’s all part of a bigger park. Wylie Park includes 172 RV sites plus cabins and tent sites. The manmade lake is sandy, and guests can rent kayaks, paddleboats and canoes, or go fishing.

Looking for a bit more adventure? Thunder Mountain has go-karts and mini golf, and there’s a bike rental facility to explore the trails.

“We’re also connected to our city trail system for walking and biking. There is a trail that leads through the trees in our park, and when the trees are just full of leaves, all you see is green trees covering this path. You don’t see a start or an end — just the trees and the path,” Thorstenson said.

Thorstenson loves the Wizard of Oz area, complete with Dorothy’s farmhouse, tornado alley and the yellow brick road. “You can open the back door of the house and see the house is on the witch’s legs,” she said.

The park is open daily from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and then 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. after Labor Day.

Back Forty Beef & Adventure Farm

Pierpont

Now is the time to plan your visit to a farm open two months each year and specializing in homegrown beef products.

Back Forty Beef Adventure Park is open every weekend from Sept. 6 through Oct. 26. Explore a 12-acre corn maze, food trucks and farm animals while shopping for local products.

There are special events every weekend including Taste the Maze on Sept. 13, offering craft beer and South Dakota wine.

Owners Clint and Kelly Brandlee “prioritize humane care for our cattle to ensure we deliver only the best — delicious, nutritious, homegrown South Dakota beef,” they said.

You can find their homegrown beef, tallow products and pumpkins at the farm too.

Plus, check in with your digital passport and save 10 percent on tallow products.

Dacotah Prairie Museum

Aberdeen

Learning a little bit about the history of the region is fun at the Dacotah Prairie Museum in Aberdeen.

The museum, open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, is free.

It began in the 1960s after different groups had discussed community projects and a desire to preserve local history.

In 2024, a newly dedicated Decker-Schooley Gallery opened, featuring “Country School Days.”

The one-room country school-themed exhibit features a barnyard and house where visitors can complete their chores and pack a lunch to spend the day at the school. A special area for toddlers offers role-playing activities.

Other exhibits include the expansion of the railroad and an immersive art experience in partnership with the Minnesota Children’s Museum.

“Four well-known paintings in 3D foster an experience in art like never before,” according to the museum’s website. “Ride a giant rooster, set up camp in the Canadian Rockies, prepare dinner for hungry farmers and create your own version of the Mona Lisa smile.”

That exhibit is on display until Sept. 6.

Discover iconic, inspiring experiences with new S.D. Stars & Stripes Passport