Where: KOA - Sioux Falls (South Dakota)
When:  July 1 to July 4, 2021
Cost:  $254.48 (USD) for four nights (full hook-ups)
Bucket List: Sioux Falls Sculpture Walk
Biking:  Big Sioux River Greenway
Beer: Remedy Brewing Company

We spent the Fourth of July holiday in Sioux Falls, and the spirit of America was on full display in this little city on the eastern edge of South Dakota.  Turns out, Sioux Falls is actually the largest city in South Dakota with a population of around 200,000.   The town’s namesake is, of course, the massive falls that located on 128-acres just north of downtown along the Big Sioux River.  The Falls were the draw for us, but the city (especially the downtown) has waaaay more to offer.

Simply put, Sioux Falls has one of the best downtowns we’ve ever visited. One of the first things we did after getting settled at our campground was to head to a local craft brewery in the downtown area.  Most of the breweries we visited are located downtown, and are within walking distance of each other.    Between beers, we strolled around downtown and admired the 60+ public art sculptures nearby.   AMAZING!   The city planners deserve some credit for this incredible mix of retail shops, restaurants, breweries, multi-use trails, parks, and other attractions in the downtown area. 

How much did we like it?  Well, I’m going to repeat some things three times!

That’s THREE times. That’s THREE Times.

Biking, Biking, Biking!

Sioux Falls is home to the Big Sioux River Greenway system, which includes a 19-mile paved loop around the city and over 15 miles of spurs connecting neighborhoods to the main trail.   Not surprisingly, the main loop is adjacent to the Big Sioux River.  As such, the loop connected us to many of the city’s landmarks, including the airport, a golf course, a sports complex, the USS South Dakota, the Zoo, downtown, and several parks, including Falls Park.  Planning for the loop dates back to 1975 (originally 19 miles), and the city deserves credit for its forward-thinking on the trail system.  

We started our ride around the loop near the Sanford Sports Complex, primarily because we were staying at the KOA Journey in the northern part of town.  Although the landscape (mostly flat and grassy) and river views were a little underwhelming during the first part of the ride, we eventually made our way to some lush trees along the trail and adjacent parks in the southern part of the loop.  As we wound our way through neighborhoods, the number of people using the trail – walking, biking, skateboarding, rollerblading – increased markedly.   Somehow, we managed to get off the loop and onto one of the spurs without intending to. Thus, one criticism is that the trail signage could be a little better.

The trail system was even more popular near downtown and around Falls Park, which was not surprising given that we were biking on a holiday weekend.   Nonetheless, we loved that we could basically get most places that we wanted to see on our bikes! 

Falls, Falls, Falls!

Falls Park is probably the number one thing to do when visiting Sioux Falls.  An average of 7,400 gallons of water drop 100 feet over the course of the Falls each second.   There’s a five-story observation tower by the Visitor’s Center, but the best way to view the falls is from one of the other viewing platforms…or just get down in the rocks themselves (carefully)!   

The park is also home to the Queen Bee Mill building remnants, Stockyard Ag Experience for kids, and the Falls Overlook restaurant. During our visit, the city hosted a Fourth of July parade that traversed downtown and part of Falls Park, as well as a free music festival in a huge amphitheatre. Falls Park was bustling with activities!

Art Art Art!

Art Art Art.  Art Art Art. Yes, I’m giving this place not just three, but 6 arts!  

First, Sioux Falls has an 18-foot replica of Michaelangelo’s David in Fawick Park just west of the Big Sioux River on South 2nd Ave. All of his parts are there, if you are wondering. Look at that bootie!

Second, Sioux Falls is home to a Sculpture Walk, which is one of the best public art projects I’ve ever seen.   In 2021, there were 60+ sculptures on display. Visitors can vote on their favorites, and there are handy maps on the website to help locate some of the harder-to-find sculptures.   Remarkably, each year, the sculpture corridor adds another 60+ sculptures – although some of the favorites get to stick around for a few more years, usually at different locations.   This art is as good as any you will see in the museums.

Which sculptures were my favorites?  Probably Maximus Moose by Travis Sorenson (2021) and When Pigs Fly (Pork Chopper) by Dale Lewis (2016).   And, we loved being able to duck into a local brewery to cool off as we wandered around downtown admiring these amazing creative works. 

Beer, Beer, Beer!

Sioux Falls boasts several breweries, and we were lucky enough to visit most of the ones located close to downtown.

Covert Artisan Ales 

Cover Artisan Ales is owned by two Army combat veterans and former DOD contractors who spent time in the U.S. intelligence community before starting the brewery.  The beer names pay homage to terms frequently used (e.g. Support Asset).  The logo is derived from “Sly Fox”, a nickname of one of the owners, and the colors correspond to intel message classifications:  unclassified (green), secret (red), top secret (orange), and confidential (blue).  The R and R sour and the Caruba la tarta pastry sour deserve a classification all their own:  outstanding!  Beerwise, this was our favorite brewery.  We ended up taking home a couple of four-packs at a cost of around $17 each. 

Fernson Brewing

Fernson Brewing serves food and includes a large patio space that was well utilized when we stopped for street tacos and beer.  I tried the Supervan Hazy IPA (very cute logo) and Kasie had the Curio sour.  There’s a taphouse located right next to the KOA that we stayed at in the north part of town, but it was closed during our visit.  So sad.  

Remedy Brewing Company

Remedy Brewing gave us all of the feels:  good beer, good food, and good art.   I tried the Uruk Copter Hazy IPA, while Kasie raved about the Mango Guava Kickball Berliner Weisse.   While there are several seating options indoors, we braved the 90+-degree heat and sat outside on the large covered deck so that we could admire some funky murals and sculptures in the courtyard.   Our server suggested that we try the chislic  – some choice beef cuts seasoned with garlic salt and black pepper.  We liked the chislic and Remedy so much that we went back there.   It’s VERY VERY rare for us to go to a brewery twice when exploring a city for the first time.  So, that should tell you something about how much we liked Remedy.

Severance Brewing Company

Severance Brewing is located right across from Falls Park and occupies part of the first floor of The Cascade lofts.  The brewery has a hipster feel, and the beers were appealing enough to us that we shared a flight: (1) Party AnimALES fruit beer, (2) Severing Ties Sky imperial pastry stout, (3) Levitating Falls session IPA, and (4) Ambidextrous Hitchhiker fruited sour.  A fun part of the brewery is the wall of beer doodles on coasters – some of which include some remarkable art.

WoodGrain Brewing

WoodGrain Brewing is located at 9th and Phillips – right where the heart of the Sculpture Walk.   After getting our culture on in the heat, we were ready for some nice light summer beers.   We tried the Gose Sour with Sea Salt and Coriander and the Take 16 (Luvere Minnesota) guava sour collaboration beer.   The place is pretty small, but the beer flavors will satisfy most taste palettes.

Where We Stayed: The Souix Falls KOA

Although Sioux Falls has a killer downtown, at the time of our visit, it was really lacking in RV park options.  We booked almost ten months in advance for our stay at the KOA Journey located in the northern part of town.  Our stay was typical of a KOA campground – nice level sites, lots of amenities we didn’t use, and a little pricey.   As far as amenities go, the campground has a pool, small put-put course (we never saw anyone playing though), game room (a few arcade games), shower house, laundry facility, and a fenced pet area.   Of all those things, we only used the pet area. 

The campground also has a few cabins.  A Camping World is right next door so one possible upside is that the park is that the cabins would be a good place to stay if your RV is being serviced at Camping World.   

The location was adequate. The city is small enough that we could get most places in 10-15 minutes. However, the downside to the location is that we didn’t feel like we could walk or bike to much of anywhere directly from the RV Park. Fernson Brewing had a tap room across the street, but for whatever reason, it was closed during our stay

Concluding Thoughts on Sioux Falls:

Sioux Falls definitely has a midwestern blue collar feel to a lot of the city. Since we are Midwesterners ourselves, that made us feel at home. The vibrant and friendly downtown filled with trails, breweries, nature, and art was something we don’t see in the Midwest very often though. Sioux Falls is definitely worth a visit! When we come back, hopefully there will be more RV park options closer to downtown.