Corn Palace

  The first corn palace was built in 1892 to show the world that crops could be grown in South Dakota. A new theme is used every year when it’s redecorated with ears of corn cut lengthwise for the pictures, and decorative grasses and plants for the borders and columns. A short movie, a few displays about making the murals, a gift shop, and a sports arena with more corn murals are located inside.

  Everything at the palace is accessible but some of the curb cuts from the parking lots to the palace are steep or in bad condition.

  Parking for RVs is a block east on Seventh Street then north on Lawfer Street. The car lot is east on Seventh. Follow the signs for both lots.  Palace
43.71472, -98.02536
       
       

Old Courthouse Museum

   Five rooms of the old courthouse have displays about the history of the region plus the interior of the courtroom has been restored to the way it looked in 1900. We were expecting more history pertaining directly to Sioux Falls but that seems to be covered in the Pettigrew Home and Museum which we didn’t have time to visit.

  The museum is all accessible. The wheelchair entrance is located at the rear of the building close to the parking lots. A ramp and automatic door access the building. An elevator goes to all the floors.

The parking lots are large enough for vans and small RVs. Larger RVs can be parked along the streets at metered spaces-two hour limit.  Museum
43.55133, -96.72857

Great Plains Zoo , Delbridge Museum of Natural History

  When Sioux Falls was offered over 100 mounted animals, the collection of big game hunter and local businessman, Henry Brockhouse, they decided to join the collection with the zoo. So now visitors have the bizarre experience of viewing the dead animals in the museum and then their very much alive counterparts in the zoo! Actually both the museum and the zoo are done well. The mounted animals are displayed in life like poses with informative signs. The zoo has a lot of acreage so most of the animal enclosures are very roomy. An expansion is planned for the African Savannah.

  The museum is completely accessible. The zoo is accessible but some of the enclosures have fencing that blocks the view for children and people in wheelchairs. The giraffe section is especially bad with very high fencing. The walkways are wide, flat, and in good condition except for the very first section which is patterned concrete and very bumpy.

 The parking lot is large enough for all RVs.  Zoo
43.53834, -96.76208
      
     

Falls Park

  The drought over the summer has parched the grass and decreased the water flow but Falls Park is still a nice place to spend an afternoon. The visitor center, which is mostly just a gift shop, has a tower with a viewing platform. Paved paths on both sides of the river wander through the park. Informative signs are located along the paths.

  The paths are wide and smooth, very easy to roll along, but hilly so most wheelchair users will need to have some help. The signs along the paths are at a good level and easy to read. Railings along the paths block the view at places.The tower has an elevator. The doors to the outside viewing balcony are a little heavy.

  RV parking is located across Falls Park Drive at the farmer’s market lot. RVs are not permitted on the park road. Use caution planning your route. North Phillips Ave., southwest of the park, has a railroad bridge underpass with a 12’ height limit. Park
43.56009, -96.72278

Grand Falls Casino Resort

    The casino lot is huge so just find a spot out of the way. There’s also a small RV park, full hookups and pull throughs, for $20.00 a night.

  This is a new casino, very roomy with good ventilation. The chairs are easy to move out of the way and the ticket and money slots are easy to reach. We thought that the machines were set tight so we didn’t play long. Casino
43.49891, -96.50589
 

Grotto of the Redemption

  This is amazing! Father Paul Dobberstein, along with Matt
Szerensce  and Father Louis Greving, built the grotto using petrified wood, malachite, azurite, agates, geodes, jasper, quartz, topaz, calcite, stalactites and stalagmites all carefully cemented into place. Every surface is decorated with stones and crystals. A small museum has displays and a movie about building the grotto. Guided tours are available.

  The grotto is accessible. It’s built in levels with ramps to all of the levels except the very top one. The museum and the movie are also accessible.

  The parking lot is large enough for any RV. Grotto
42.96504, -94.44556

  
  

Douma Park Campground

  Douma Park is a little oasis of trees and water surrounded by corn fields. The ponds, which look like they may be gravel pits leftover from road building, are used for swimming, fishing, and electric boating. The campsites are fairly close together with many large shade trees but no other vegetation for privacy. Amenities include electric hookups, pit toilets and water. The water is polluted with nitrates and not recommended for children, pregnant women or nursing mothers. (or us-yuck)

  None of the sites are accessible but the ground is hard enough to making rolling around pretty easy although some spots have large, loose gravel. The tables have short overhangs. The pit toilets and the pay station($10.00) are not accessible.

The sites are almost all pull through, large enough for any RV but with a slight uphill slope. A 1 1/4 mile dusty, gravel road accesses the campground. Campground
43.16401, -95.70585

Fort Museum and Fort Trading Post

  Fort Dodge was established to protect the early settlers from the local Indian tribes. The danger was mostly in the minds of the settlers so a fort was never built and the post was only manned for three years. Even so an accurate representation of a frontier fort has been built on the grounds. An additional dozen buildings, some relocated, some newly built, are opened to tour. Several have small museums with displays about the fort and the history of the city.

  The main reason that we visited was to see the “real” Cardiff giant. The Cardiff Giant was a major hoax of the 1800s. A block of Fort Dodge gypsum was shipped to Chicago where it was carved into a 10’ man. The sculpture was buried on a New York farm, discovered while digging a well, then displayed as a petrified man. The exhibit generated thousands of dollars as people flocked to see it. The fake giant is still in New York but this one in Fort Dodge is a real one. ;- ) 
        
   Although attempts have been made to make the fort and other buildings accessible it is almost impossible to see most of it without help. Even with help getting around is very hard. Most of the buildings have ramps but they weren't built with the ends flush with the ground so many have pieces added on that are steep. Most of the buildings have high thresholds. The paths are loose, deep gravel or lumpy, grassy ground.

  The parking lot is large enough for any RV.  Fort
42.48807, -94.19877
  

Matchstick Marvels Museum

   What do you do during long, cold winters in rural Iowa? If you’re Patrick Acton you get a pile of matchsticks and a bottle of glue and make intricate models. At least twelve of the over sixty models that he’s built are on display at the museum. He’s always working on another plus some have been sold so the display is ever changing.

   Everything is accessible.

   Parking for cars and vans is front of the museum. Motorhomes can be parked on the side streets.  Museum
   42.18776, -92.71659
     
   

Rodgers Park County Campground

  The campground has three terraced levels so all the sites have a lake view. Amenities include restrooms with showers, electric hookups, and a dump station.There’s also swimming and boating in the small lake.

  None of the sites are accessible but most are usable. The ground is hard packed dirt and crushed rock so rolling isn’t too difficult. The tables don’t have an overhang. The restrooms themselves may be accessible but the building is located up a steep slope.

  Some of the sites are large enough for any RV.  Getting to the campground requires driving 1 1/2 miles on a dusty, gravel road. Campground
42.1972, -92.08214