Roller Coasters in South Dakota

There are a whopping THREE roller coasters in South Dakota! One kiddie coaster and two mountain coasters. And one of those is a weird inverted one. Let’s take a look! (As always, please check the calendar and prices before you visit.)

Click on the coaster’s name below for a video of the ride! Ride all the roller coasters in South Dakota from home!

Storybook Land

Like many states, South Dakota has a kiddie Storybook amusement park. But unlike most places, it has a decent reason for existing – Wizard of Oz author L. Frank Baum lived here in the 1880s. Aberdeen’s Storybook Land got its start in the 1970s and has been slowly building up since then.

As for the park itself, it is really meant for toddlers, and that includes the rides – of which there are all of four. Everything else is a static walk-up (or -through) scene. The four rides include the small Humpty Dumpty’s Great Fall roller coaster, featuring an oval track with a single helix. Then there’s a carousel, a small balloon ride, and a train that circles the amusement park.

The Storybook Land side situates its attractions around a large castle. The Land of Oz side takes you along a (you guessed it) yellow brick road winding through the woods until you get to the Emerald City. Along the back of the park is a small zoo. There are a couple of petting zoo barns and some small playgrounds too. The larger park contains a lake, volleyball courts, go-karts, mini-golf, and bumper boats, plus camping and picnic areas.

Admission & Hours

It looks like the whole park is free to enter and park, and each attraction carries a separate fee. For the amusement park rides, it’s $3 each for the train, roller coaster, balloon ride, and carousel. In general, Storybook Land is open from 10 am-9 pm from Memorial Day to Labor Day, with possible limited spring and fall opening dates. They say to check back in April for updated operating hours.

Attractions in the rest of the park carry their own admission and hours, from $8 mini-golf to a $3.50 laser maze. There’s a lot more here than I realized – 4-person surry bikes, roller skate rentals, paddleboats, canoes, and more.

Rush Mountain Adventure Park

In Keystone near Mount Rushmore, you’ll find Rush Mountain Adventure Park with the Rushmore Mountain Coaster. I’ve been on this one and it’s pretty good. I’d be more interested in the cave it’s built on top of. They also have a seated zipline ride, a ropes course, gem mining, and “7D” theater ride. It’s 5 miles outside of downtown Keystone where all the rest of the touristy stuff is, so plan for a little bit of a drive.

Just the mountain coaster costs $21, though there are packages available for all attractions. A popular $72 wristband covers unlimited rides on all attractions for 24 hrs, plus the cave. Parking is free, though there is a greeter at the entrance. They can help you find your way.

Fort Hays Chuckwagon

Fort Hays Chuckwagon is a tourist trap toward the outskirts of Rapid City, on the way to Mount Rushmore. It’s set up as an old west town and apparently features the sets for the movie Dances with Wolves. There’s a dinner-and-a-show inside and you can hitch a tour to the rest of the Black Mountains from here.

But right next to the road is the Buffalo Hunt, an inverted-style mountain coaster. Meaning, you hang from the track instead of sit in a cart. Instead, you’re strapped into a pair of seats and swung around the track while you try to hit targets with a laser-fitted gun. The ride itself isn’t very exciting except for a turn or two. It’s mostly about shooting those targets.

A single ride is $11, or you can get an all-day pass for $25 to try to up your score. Parking is free.

Water Parks in South Dakota

There aren’t a ton of water parks in South Dakota, but there are a few decent ones!

• Wild Water West in Rapid City has 6 slides, 2 kids’ area a lazy river (with an attached swim-up bar), a wave pool, activity pool, plus go-karts, bumper boats, mini-golf, and batting cages. Everything is included in admission, currently $28.30 and under.
• WaTiki Indoor Waterpark Resort, also in Rapid City features 3 slides, a kids’ area, activity pool, lazy river, and hot tub. Note that even though it’s indoors, it’s not open year-round, but is open in the winter during some holidays. Make sure to check before you visit. Day passes are $20 and a spectator pass is available for $10. If you stay at one of the 5 attached hotels, you get 20% off your water park admission and free spectator passes.

• Splash Central in Huron has 3 slides, including one water coaster! Plus a kids’ play area, a lazy river, an olympic-sized lap pool, and activity pools with an inflatable obstacle course. Tickets are $8.50 and under.
• The Rec Center in Spearfish has 3 slides, a kid’s splash tower, an activity pool, and a lazy river. Fees are $13 and under.

Did I miss anything? Have you been to any of these parks? What are you looking forward to doing this year? Let me know in the comments below!