(Note: as of September 2020, this store is permanently closed).

Most children have at least one teddy bear, and they often form a special attachment with their bear that lasts through childhood. Jackie Miley grew up in foster care and never had a teddy bear. Now she lives in Hill City, and she’s become somewhat famous…for her collection of teddy bears.

Jackie arrived in Hill City many years ago to live and work at the Super 8 motel there. She brought one teddy bear with her - a bear that she had made for herself at Build-A-Bear.
Teddy Bear Town/Facebook
Once she settled into her new job, Jackie visited local thrift stores and started adding to her bear collection. Soon she had a lot of bears, and people flocked to the motel to see them. Many brought bears of their own to add to her collection. In 2005, Jackie sent an itemized list that included her collection of 3,610 bears to The Guinness Book of World Records, and it was official - she had the largest teddy bear collection in the world!
The collection continued to grow, and Jackie moved the bears to a little house across the street from the Super 8. The collection currently includes nearly 10,000 bears!
South Dakota Video Tours/Youtube
When you visit Teddy Bear Town, you'll be amazed at how stuffed it is with bears. They hang from the ceiling, sit perched on shelves, and even lounge on the floor.
Sienna E./Yelp
Only about 4,000 of the bears fit inside this little house - the rest are rotated through storage.
Brenna M./Yelp
Teddy Bear Town has already been featured in The Guinness Book Of World Records several times, and continues to hold the record for the largest collection of teddy bears.
Teddy Bear Town/Facebook
People from all over the world donate bears to Teddy Bear Town. This bear once flew helicopters...now he lives at Teddy Bear Town.

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Some bears were once dedicated sports fans before they arrived at Teddy Bear Town.
Teddy Bear Town/Facebook
Teddy Bear Town/Facebook
Other bears commemorate loved ones who have passed away. This bear honors a serviceman who died in Afghanistan in 2009.
Liliana3001/Tripadvisor
Bears come from all over the world. This bear recently arrived from Switzerland!
Teddy Bear Town/Facebook
Teddy Bear Town is open to the public from Memorial Day through Labor Day, and it's free! It's located at 108 Main Street, Hill City.
Teddy Bear Town/Facebook
During the off-season, the bears are in hibernation, but Jackie is sometimes still available to show them to you. You can even donate a teddy bear to Teddy Bear Town to keep the world record going! Visit the Teddy Bear Town Facebook page for more information.

Have you visited Teddy Bear Town? Tell us about it!

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