gigastasioHave you ever stopped at a cheesy tourist trap "landmark" that turned out to be kinda cool? What was it?
stringereThe fudge factory in Uranus, Missouri has a lot of great t-shirts and magnets. Just make sure you turn the right way when exiting the highway because Uranus is one way and Dixon is the other.
There was a place in South Dakota, somewhere near Mount Rushmore, where optical illusions made it look like a ball rolled uphill and chairs could stand on edge. Can’t remember thr name of it, though.
If you’re driving a road trip in the Dakotas or thereabouts, do not bother with Wall Drug.
Wall Drug is so notorious I’ve heard people complaining about it in Canada. And not even the bit north of it.
As the story goes, anyway, they’ve put signage up teasing it over and over again for quite a distance, but then you get there and it’s just a drug store.
but then you get there and it’s just a drug store
Alright, I’m calling BS on this one.
It’s a huge ‘drug store’ with multiple restaurants, an arcade, and even an animatronic dinosaur. But what I found interesting there is that they actually have huge sections of walls devoted to historical photographs, dating all the way back to the old west era. There’s some interesting stuff there if you take the time.
(And, of course, Badlands NP is a 10-minute or so drive from there, across the interstate, and that is definitely worth a visit!)
So it’s a really nice, on steroids kind of drug store? (And TBF what I heard probably dates back decades)
And in particular, I found their collections of historical photos to be actually kind of interesting (and the only part of the experience that isn’t completely dumb and vapid):
If I remember right, this is actually just a hallway that leads to one of the bathrooms, but if you’re interested in the history of the old west, you could spend hours just looking at that.
Overall, Wall Drug definitely is not worth it as the destination of your trip. If Wall Drug is the main attraction you’re headed for, you’re going to be sorely disappointed. But, I do think it’s definitely a worthwhile stop if you’re passing by there on the way to somewhere else.
Like I said, it’s very conveniently close to Badlands NP. If you’re coming from the east, it’s also on the way to the Black Hills (worth visiting for a few days), Wind Cave and Jewel Cave (the 3rd and 4th longest cave systems in the world, respectively – don’t miss those, though if you have to pick, Jewel Cave is definitely the more impressive for a quick visit), and Mount Rushmore (pretty meh – best to just look at it from the road as you go by and instead spend time hiking the Black Hills around it). If you’re coming from the east toward those (better) attractions, then I’d definitely recommend:
1 - Stay overnight in the town around Wall Drug, visit the drug store if you have time before bed.
2 - Spend a full day exploring Badlands NP (more if you’re really into it, but a day is enough to see most of it casually).
3 - Stay that night in Wall again.
4 - Drive to Rapid City and the Black Hills the next day.
Just make sure you turn the right way when exiting the highway because Uranus is one way and Dixon is the other.
Dixon has the most amazing cider bar. I hear your mother loved it.
#####sorry…couldn’t help myself…
“If it’s clear and yellow, you’ve got juice there fellow! If it’s tangy and brown, you’re in cider town.”
gmtomoptical illusions made it look like a ball rolled uphill and chairs could stand on edge
I went to one like this in Ohio in the 80’s as a kid. Balls rolled uphill, you could lean a ladder against a wall & climb it, when you went into the little house you walked leaning sideways…
I always thought it was a trick in how they built the place, but never figured it out.