Winter fun is still waiting: Check out these indoor-outdoor destinations

This paid piece is sponsored by Travel South Dakota.

The cold is back, and with or without snow, there’s still plenty to do indoors and outside just a short drive from Sioux Falls.

Head northeast and you’ll discover something for all ages, plus check in on your Northbound Family Adventures digital passport from Travel South Dakota as you discover destinations along the way.

Here’s a peek at what’s waiting:

Winter Park

Wessington Springs

Wessington Springs is a hidden winter gem.

Just ask Loree Gaikowski, who has helped organize Winter Park – a bright spot in town for hiking, sledding and ice skating.

A few years ago, she and a friend were talking about the area – there are hills perfect for sledding, an old swimming hole and a municipal fieldhouse. How could it be more of a destination?

“The park and the springs are full of history, and you put that skating pond there, and we coined it our Winter Park,” Gaikowski said. “It’s always been a popular area, but nobody was marketing it.”

So they did and received support and grants. For example, the recreation center in Mitchell gave them gently used ice skates so they could get started.

“We have some newer ice skates, and we have snowshoes people can use, and it’s all free,” Gaikowski said. “We wanted kids to have something they could do outside and learn to love it and just have pure fun.”

She said the park attracts people of all ages – and it’s busy with or without snow. Trails that are perfect for snowshoes also are ideal for a winter hike. But more than that, the park is a reminder that South Dakota has many beautiful spaces.

“Wessington Springs is a hidden gem,” Gaikowski said. “It’s hard to see your hidden gem when you’ve been there your whole life. But there is something really special here.”

The fieldhouse is a warming house in the winter, housing the skates and other equipment. Volunteers bake cookies and serve hot chocolate or cider.

“It’s kind of a Hallmark experience,” she said.

When the season first kicks off, there are wagon rides. The sledding hill has a historic Rube Goldberg towrope that was built in the 1950s and activates with the flip of a switch.

Their biggest wish right now is snow machines. They also are working with South Dakota State University to expand their trails to allow horseback riding and mountain biking.

Gaikowski calls the future of the park exciting. She said visitors also can enjoy several good local restaurants like the Springs Inn and Sweet Grass.

“Not a lot of towns have good solid eats like we do,” she said.

The best place to see upcoming events is to follow WS Winter Park Activities on Facebook or email [email protected].

Terry Redlin Art Center

Watertown

Just when you think you know all there is to know about legendary artist Terry Redlin, there’s something new to learn.

Julie Ranum, executive director of the Terry Redlin Art Center, said a new exhibit will open in April 2026 featuring some of Redlin’s unfinished art.

“We are personally blown away by it, and it’s all stages, so it will be the first time fans and collectors will get a glimpse into his process,” Ranum said. “How did he start? How did he work through the scene? That is the story we are hoping to tell.”

She said standing in front of an unfinished or almost finished work and wondering what the artist was intending to do next can be a powerful experience. “It invites us to step into the shoes of the artist,” Ranum said.

The opening will coincide with the 10th anniversary of Redlin’s death.

“It will be a great way to commemorate this special man,” she said.

Redlin was a much-loved wildlife painter who grew up in the area. The art center is a gift from him to his hometown. After losing one of his legs in an accident at age 15, he received a scholarship for students with disabilities and eventually obtained degrees in graphic and commercial art.

“It wasn’t until he was 40 that he launched himself into the world of fine art, and his career took off,” Ranum said. It was the right person at the right time, and his take on rural landscapes and wildlife – painting what he grew up admiring – took off.

“He struck a chord with people, and we found through the course of his career that the memories he was painting were our memories too,” Ranum said.

The museum opened in 1997 and now houses 170 of Redlin’s original oil paintings. The museum is free at his request.

“We are continuing to operate as a nonprofit. We are admission-free and welcome people from all over the world. It’s an amazing gift to share with people,” Ranum said.

She said people often are surprised by the size of some of the paintings and how different it is to look at an original painting versus a print. Because so many of his limited prints sold so quickly, many paintings are new to people.

Redlin retired in 2007 because of Alzheimer’s disease. At the time, he had more than 50 paintings in the works. And those will be what is on display next year.

For Ranum, she loves to see others experience the power of art and how it can transport a person through time. She has watched other guests experience that. And she loves to go look at a painting that recently returned to the museum from a private collection.

“It’s called ‘On the Alert,’ and it takes me back to the area I was raised,” Ranum said. “The setting is so similar, and it reminds me of my mom and my dad and growing up in that area. I’m in my youth, with my family, and it’s a place of peace for me.”

 She said allowing people those quiet moments with the art and with themselves is a true gift – from Redlin.

“I’m really excited about what the future holds,” Ranum said.

The Redlin Art Center is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. It is closed on Sundays in the winter and on major holidays.

Children’s Museum of South Dakota

Brookings

If you want to feel like a kid again, the best place to do that is at the Children’s Museum of South Dakota in Brookings.

Sure, it’s a place meant for children to learn, create and explore. But it’s impossible for adults not to enjoy those same things. Kerrie Vilhauer, director of marketing and communications, said the museum “offers everyone a chance to see the world for the first time.”

“Our museum is a space where loved ones can let loose and explore the world together. All of our exhibits are interrelated, and it’s fun to watch people make connections and create community as they play and learn too,” she said.

The museum includes various themed areas, from a Main Street replica to a prairie. “Plant corn and potatoes, build a house and learn how to hoop dance – these are all activities you can do first-hand,” Vilhauer said. “We don’t have a velvet rope in the building. It’s bound only by the limits of each guest’s imagination – it’s a ‘yes’ place.”

That means you can take a toy from one spot to another – and create more experiences. You can bring a bowl of fruit from the grocery store to the art studio to create a still life or “grow” a carrot and sell it at the market.

“I’ll never forget my first visit when I watched children plant potatoes and carrots only to watch other children harvest them into a waiting wheelbarrow to make the journey to the nearby grocery store,” Vilhauer said. “I thought ‘I can’t believe this – it’s like everyone is cleaning up after themselves too!’”

One star of the museum is the life-size animatronic Mama T. Rex dinosaur in the outdoor prairie. Vilhauer calls it the perfect selfie spot.

The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. It’s closed on Mondays. Admission is $11.50 for age 1 and older. The museum also has a gift shop and cafe.