Things to do / Travel Guide
Address:Wall, South Dakota
Our Tourist Attractions Expert Says:
When you step into Wall Drug, you will feel as if you have stepped back through time, or at least onto another planet. The mall, located in Wall, South Dakota, is a unique shopping experience combining mall retailers with oddball western attractions, drawing tourists from all over the country.
Wall Drug first became famous in 1931, when it was bought out by a Nebraska native and pharmacist who was looking to establish his drug-store business. At the time, Wall had only 231 residents, and business was very slow until his wife came up with the idea to advertise free ice water to travelers. Since then, Wall Drug has grown into an enormous cowboy-themed department store, which includes a western art museum, a chapel, an 80-foot Apatosaurus, a bucking bronco, a giant fiberglass jackalope, a replica Indian village, a miniature Mount Rushmore photo opportunity and mining and digging activities. Inside Wall Drug, visitors will also find wildlife hanging on the walls, the "Chuck Wagon Four"—a band of mannequin cowboys, which was actually stolen from a Mays Department Store window in Denver, the Wall Drug's postcard store, specializing in Wall Drug souvenirs, and an indoor cafeteria built around the first tree planted in Wall, which continues to grow through a hole in the roof.
The name Wall Drug is well known throughout South Dakota because of effective advertising on over 500 billboards throughout Interstate 90, with campy slogans such as "Have You Dug Wall Drug?" and "Wall I'll Be Drugged." The store received even more publicity when Time Magazine named Wall Drug one of the largest tourist attractions in the north. Wall Drug still offers free water, in addition to free bumper stickers, signs, and coffee for 5 cents. The establishment gives free coffee and a donut to honeymooners, veterans, priests, hunters, truck drivers, airforce men and other travelers. The combination of good advertising, free water and cheap coffee clearly works, as it brings an average of one million visitors every year!
After shopping for souvenirs and uniquely South Dakotan items, if you have worked up an appetite, you can head over to the Western Art Gallery Restaurant, which features a large privately owned art collection, as well as homemade doughnuts, rolls, sandwiches and buffalo burgers, and of course, 5 cent coffee.
Fans of Wall Drug can join the fan club online, where people post photos and comments. The Wall Drug Store Online also offers find a selection of Western items, South Dakotan art and other souvenirs.
Wall Drug is open every day from 6:30 am until 6 pm in the winter, and from 6:30 am until 10 pm in the summer, except on major holidays. There are not many places to stay nearby, and the closest hotels are chains like Best Western and Days Inn, so it might be best just to visit Wall Drug as a stop on a road trip, without the intention to stay.
If you haven't yet figured out how to get to Wall Drug by seeing the many billboards throughout South Dakota and surrounding states, just follow Interstate 90 to exits 109 or 110, near Badlands National Park. The nearest large towns are Rapid City, which is 52 miles away, and Sioux Falls, which is 289 miles away, so it is best not to get lost. It is certainly a long drive away from any major location, but Wall Drug's fans will attest that it is worth the journey!