This place is a dream for parents of small children. Lots to do, but a small, well designed space -…read moreso you can see your child almost no matter where they are. Safe, clean play space. I will come back again and again. There's a barn, grocery store, cafe, "track," and indoor playground. Free coffee and some places to sit at tables.

Awesome play in good or bad weather…read more We have taken our grand kids here several times. It is well laid out and easy to see the kids where every they are playing. It is great to have someplace to take them in bad or hot weather. It is clean, staff is nice and I hope that they will vary the activities by adding and changing things occasionally to help keep it fresh and interesting. There are certainly bigger indoor play places we have taken them, but this place is just right for now. Parents need to chill, kids ask questions, get hurt, run around, scream and make messes, it all good. Don't be so uptight!

They've different fun things to different ages of kids, and very nice rest area, my baby boy had…read morelots fun !

I absolutely love love love this park. When you have multiple children of different ages it's a…read morechallenge entertaining all of them. Here, you have many choices and by agree range.

It's a joke charging $10 bucks....for what? Porter is way, way over rated…read more I am reading the reviews and I am so confused by the reviews, creative, impressive, stunning and a must see. Not sure if those people are seeing the same sculptures as I? Waste of money.

Perhaps one of the greatest roadside stops on the highways of America! Not only is it a glimpse…read moreinto the mind of the creator, it is a fun way to spend the afternoon! The $10 admission was well worth it to us, some of the things we've paid way more to see can't come close to what we saw along the path in the grassy plains of South Dakota! The massive steel sculptures and creations capture your imagination and take you on a journey. Some are downright creepy, some are extremely bizarre and some are weirdly interesting! Many of the poetry boards that compliment the sculptures will leave you scratching your head and a few will leave you with a smile on your face! The photo opportunities are endless and the grassy path through the sculptures is a nice nature walk. Pets are welcome to come along, our little one had a ball climbing on the colorful creations, he thought they were there for him! A definite must stop on the Highway 90 in South Dakota, I/ mean, what else is there to do?!

If I didn't have somewhere to be tonight, I'd have spent the night here in Sexauer Park. This park…read moreallows camping with 18 paved pads for trailers and RVs, five of which are pull-through and the remainder are back-in. The pads are only $25 plus tax, which is a complete bargain. The campground is operated by the city of Brookings and is the only park in the city that allows camping. They have electrical hook-ups, picnic tables, a playground, restrooms with showers and even a dump station. Very awesome and I enjoyed having a nice walk around today. The only thing missing is a water or sewer hookup, but that's really a minor inconvenience for a self-contained camper van. [Review 17852 overall - 58 in South Dakota - 1373 of 2022.]

I'm from Washington state and disc golf was very popular in college. I like to catch a game when…read moreI'm out in new places. This course is well laid out and is a relatively easy play. No real hazards to worry about. It's great for beginners, kids, and anyone needing some practice. Great course, would have gave it a 5 but it was easy to get par without having played in a few months.

I tell you, I like this park. Sure, it's almost entirely that rough, crappy ditch grass you see on…read moreyour travels along any highway and most of the byways in the midwest, but it is well-kept and mown nicely. This one also is shaded pretty well and there are two very solid playground areas for respective ages of the kids. They also have facilities there, which is always a mega-bonus. Get in the shade under some trees, with a good wind going and this place can be very enjoyable. It also apparently has a disc golf course, so good on them there as well. This was an excellent stop for us and though a Brookings stop is not typically on the agenda for those trips, if it shakes out that way again, we'll probably stop. This one is also pretty convenient to I-80 and a variety of restaurants as well, if you want to take your food and stuff it in your face there.

Absolutely beautiful camp sites! Lots of trees, fairly level sites, beautiful river with paved…read morewalking trails and pit toilets. Attendants were very pleasant. About 20 minutes from downtown! The only warning I have... there's a racetrack nearby and we happen to be therein race night - very loud till 10:0-ish... after that... very quiet!

Stunning Park, Deeply Disappointing Experience and Park Practices:…read more A park this beautiful shouldn't leave visitors feeling deceived and angry -- but after my first visit, I'll never invest another penny to return. The grounds are pristine, the scenery breathtaking, and it's the kind of place you'd gladly support -- I would have happily donated to help preserve it. But being blindsided with a $128 citation for parking in the visitor's lot, at the ranger station, before even reaching the park itself, left a lasting mark that no view could erase. We were short on time, but since it was her favorite birthday tradition -- and her two friends (myself included) had never seen the park she loved so much -- my friend offered to give us a quick drive-through using her season pass. We parked just outside the small brown ranger station at the main entrance -- before entering the park itself -- and hopped into her vehicle, which had the pass. We stayed only long enough to share a small cupcake and take in her favorite view. When I returned to my car minutes later, I found a $128.xx citation on my windshield. I was stunned! My car had never entered the park -- it sat at the ranger station where visitors commonly stop for information. When we explained the misunderstanding, the ranger repeated a script he seemed to know too well: "You don't have to pay the citation if you buy a season pass." When it was clear that wasn't an option, he moved to, "We also have a monthly pass," and finally landed on "daily." Why not start there? It felt rehearsed -- as if this situation happens often, relying on loosely interpreted rules to justify charges. We had deliberately parked outside to ensure we were abiding by the park's rules -- a choice made out of respect, not avoidance. Ironically, we could have driven through without a care and paid the same or less. It made me wonder if this is how the park maintains such immaculate grounds -- by penalizing good-intentioned visitors for honest mistakes, time and time again, until the script is second nature. For those unaware: the moment your tires touch the gravel -- even before reaching any usable part of the park -- it's considered "entry." There was no signage clarifying this, no grace for an honest misunderstanding, and no willingness to resolve it fairly. What could have been a memory of shared beauty became a lasting disappointment. Instead of creating lifelong visitors, this experience ensured that none of us will return. It breaks my heart that a place so beautiful left such an ugly impression.

I cannot for the life of me understand why they are calling this a Japanese garden. This is a small…read morestretch of grass and paving stones near some water. If this city wanted to call it a park, that would be passable, but it's actually insulting and frustrating that they are calling this a Japanese garden. I was able to find what I think is a Japanese maple and they had a bridge that looks like they tried to style it in a Japanese style over an empty bed of rocks that was possibly intended as a koi pond once upon a time, but as it stands, there is nothing Japanese about this location. It's really confusing. For anyone who's not clear, putting a stone lantern from Pier One next to a walkway does not make it a Japanese garden. To add insult to injury, they had the sprinklers going full blast at noon with only one pathway in and out. We got soaked, as did many other people who seemed like locals that were just trying to walk on their lunch break. I was hoping to stop here and feel a little more Zen but I left wet and annoyed.

Beautiful! You would never know you're in a big city. It was peaceful and a great spot to have a…read morepicnic and a walk.

This is a beautiful park nestled in a nice neighborhood of homes…read more The park has tons of walking space and is ideal for pets. It also has beautiful, well kept tennis courts and a basketball half-court which is also always clean. One of the highlights of my trips to Sioux Falls includes walking through McKennan park with my dog and playing tennis. The courts are impeccably clean and are never fully occupied. The basketball half-court is also nice, but if someone's using the court, waiting for your turn can be a frequent issue. On a beautiful day, spending time in McKennan park can't be beat.

Great park! Lots of space, covered picnic area, bathrooms, tennis courts, splash pad for kids…read more Covered picnic area is available to rent to guarantee space for parties/events.

Pretty small state park. The two mile hike brings you around the outer edge. The main attraction is…read morethe beach but we weren't swimming. It was a combo of woods and open field hiking. Bugs were a bit annoying.

In the summer of 2018, my husband and I stopped at this park for the Passport stamp and to do the…read moreHiking club trail. Nice pretty park. The historic WPA bridge is made with local stones. There are other WPA era buildings at the park also. This was a fun park for a quick day trip.

Dakota Nature Park is impressive in size as well as its history. Before this was a park, it was a…read morelandfill! I came this past weekend and the weather was just right, light sunshine with a light breeze. I can't speak for how this park is in the winter, but based on some of the billboards around the park, snow shoeing is a possibility! Lots of nice, paved trails throughout the premise. Unique animals can be seen in the water as well as on land. I didn't see any creatures this time around, but I don't doubt that they're there. Many families were on a scavenger hunts, great idea for an activity! I believe that during the summer, boats are available for rent to ride around the lakes. Lots of poop stations available for your pup's doo doo. Overall, I had a great time at this nature park. Ample parking available in the lots at the various entrances.

New to the Midwest from the northwest & was excited to lean that this place existed. It was damn…read morenear impossible to find any information about the park rules & rentals (other than location) so we figured we just had to go see for ourselves. Parking areas are nicely located with maps for you to see the trails. After getting on the trails we finally saw a sign that said unleashed dogs were not allowed, good to know for next time. Views we're great, paths free of debris & well maintained, lots of people fishing, walking & a few on canoes. This would be the perfect place to go for a walk except the amount of mosquitos is insane... & We Wore TONS of Bug Spray!! It got so bad we decided to go back to the car & walk around town.