The One Thing To Do in South Dakota Before the End of the Year

Zooming around on a map of the Midwest, I was searching for the least-visited regions of each state within driving distance. My fingers hovered on the border between North and South Dakota, signaling that I had no idea what to do in the area. 

Coming up from Iowa, Sioux Falls and Fargo were familiar, but what about the three and a half hours of driving between the two? These strips of lonely roads laid between small towns and reservations, far removed from the urban bustle, are often my favorite pockets of the U.S. Knowing nothing about the area was grounds for a road trip: spending a week in a region most people numbly drive through in just a few hours.

What I found were fascinating small towns, traditional rodeos, rich Native American culture, and one very special museum. A museum so emblematic of South Dakota, it’s now the first place I think of when somebody mentions the state. For someone usually on the hunt for state parks, biking trails, and farmers’ markets, I rarely consider museums the best thing to do anywhere. But the Terry Redlin Art Center in Watertown, South Dakota, defies the odds. If there’s one last thing I think you should do before the end of the year, it’s to make it here.

Terry Redlin was an American painter and one of the most popular artists of the 1990s, celebrated for his twilight scenes that depict nature, small towns, and wildlife. Growing up in the Midwest, I fondly remember that nearly every home in my small town had a piece of Terry Redlin art—whether it was a painting, a collection of knick-knacks, a wall calendar, or even a holiday peanut can. He is a beloved figure in our region and is also recognized across the country for his poignant Americana paintings, especially his "America the Beautiful" series. This series consists of eight paintings, each illustrating one stanza of the patriotic song of the same name.

As a lifelong fan of his work in both art and conservation, my attention was piqued by the knowledge that he spent his final days in this part of South Dakota in the quaint and gorgeous Watertown. He left his legacy here as well, in a dedicated 52,000-square-foot art center that displays the original eight paintings from the “America the Beautiful” series. What I didn’t expect was the free entry.

It was obvious to me that my foreign-born husband and my children needed to see the Terry Redlin Art Center as much as I did. Not only because his works were an iconic part of my childhood in the ‘90s, but also because of the art itself, Redlin’s story of resilience, his dedication to wildlife, and his service to the American public, even after his death. To me, I saw an art lesson, a history lesson, and an entrepreneurial story all wrapped up in one museum. 

My family wasn’t as enamored as I was about the concept, grumbling and rolling their eyes about my wanting to stop at some big art museum. From the first glance of the mansion and lawns, however, they quieted their complaints. Inside, the giant, sparkly chandelier and pristinely framed paintings depicting light, wildlife, and small-town America put them at ease. 

We spent hours quietly gazing and conversing over each painting, and I stood before the America the Beautiful series nearly in tears. After a lifetime of seeing the images in printed copies, seeing the original pieces come to life with brush strokes and textures felt like standing within the scenes themselves. 

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