Southeast

Southeast South Dakota covers the southeastern corner of the state, the agricultural country running from the Iowa and Nebraska lines north to the James River drainage. The terrain is rolling prairie and farmland — Loess hills along the Big Sioux River corridor, the wider Missouri River valley defining the southern boundary at Yankton, and a string of glacial lakes scattered across the central counties. Sioux Falls anchors the region as the largest city in South Dakota. Fourteen counties cover the region. Minnehaha holds Sioux Falls (the largest city in South Dakota, with the Falls Park waterfall and the Old Courthouse Museum); Lincoln holds the southern Sioux Falls suburbs; Davison holds Mitchell (with the Corn Palace, redecorated annually with corn murals); Yankton County holds Yankton (the original Dakota Territory capital); Clay holds Vermillion and the University of South Dakota; Union holds North Sioux City. The Falls of the Big Sioux River, the Corn Palace, the National Music Museum at USD, and the Lewis and Clark Recreation Area at Lake Yankton anchor the major attractions. Most trips here center on Sioux Falls and Mitchell. Sioux Falls handles the urban itinerary — Falls Park, the Sculpture Walk, the Empire Mall, the Washington Pavilion; Mitchell’s Corn Palace draws roadside-attraction visitors year-round; Vermillion’s National Music Museum holds one of the world’s most comprehensive musical-instrument collections; Yankton runs the Missouri River and Lewis and Clark history.