9 Surefire Signs You Have Strong Roots in South Dakota
By Tori Jane|Published December 05, 2023
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Tori Jane
Author
Tori Jane is a storm chaser, writer, photographer, and the village idiot - in that order. When she's not out and about dancing with the meanest storms on planet Earth for funsies she can be found wandering, shooting landscapes, writing, editing photos, and otherwise up to no good. Legend has it that she can also be occasionally spotted typing up short bios in the third person, but those rumors are unsubstantiated.
If there’s one state in the entire nation that knows a thing or two about state pride, it’s us. South Dakota is, after all, an awe-inspiring place filled with wonder and intrigue. It’s not difficult at all to see why we’re so proud of living here – so proud, in fact, that we’ve got places like Wear Your Roots that offer up all sorts of goodies we can use to tell the world about said pride – our state is No. 1 in lots of things, including awesomeness. What? I’m not biased… I’m just telling it like it is. Here are nine signs you totally belong here, whether you’re born and bred or considering a big move.
1. You've been to Wall Drug enough times that you've probably paid its mortgage.
Ah, good ol' Wall Drug - the godfather of all tourist traps. I mean that in the best way, of course; Wall Drug is iconic for so many reasons, from its world-famous free ice water to its quirky sense of humor (and the giant jackalope outside). It's also one of the longest-running businesses in South Dakota, having opened in 1931. The building is older even still. It perfectly encapsulates the spirit of our historic, delightfully strange little corner of the world.
If you're NOT from here, chances are you'll have absolutely no idea whatsoever what that word means. To the rest of us, it's a mouthwatering dish of seasoned, deep-fried, cubed meat - usually mutton or lamb, but sometimes beef - served rare/medium-rare on a skewer. Interestingly, different parts of South Dakota have different "signatures" for their chislic. You'll find it battered in Pierre while it's served with seasoned salt in Redfield. There are other variations in other towns... and they're all mouthwateringly awesome.
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3. If you haven't been to Wall Drug 500 times, you've been to Mount Rushmore 500 times instead. Or maybe both. We can do both.
If you didn't go on 15 different field trips to this absolutely iconic mountain carving, then you've probably been a million times with family or friends (or both). One does not simply visit South Dakota - or LIVE here - without having been to Mount Rushmore a million and one times.
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4. You're bored of places that don't look like THIS.
South Dakota's landscape is amazingly diverse. The Badlands are absolutely epic, with an amazing assortment of interesting geological formations and whatnot to fall in love with. But then there are rolling plains, endless prairies, amazing canyons, and so much more. It's NEVER boring here if you know how to enjoy it; it's boring in OTHER places that aren't like home. Thinking about getting some SD schwag?
I heard that other states will cancel school, work and life in general if it snows too much? What?? Why??? If there's anything we're amazing at out here, it's making the most of our frigid, snowy winters. We've all come to love 'em, after all.
We put the watch in tornado watch. Sure, we get our fair share of severe weather - sometimes it's even downright scary. But, man, we just can't help ourselves. As soon as that tornado watch is issued, we're checking outside every hour just to see what it's doin' out there. And if we hear sirens, well, that just means it's time to go outside and look even more. Green skies are spellbinding, don't you think?
Even people who aren't into motorcycles or the motorcycling scene know what this one little town's name REALLY refers to. Sure, for most of the year, it's a small town in South Dakota... but for just a little while, it's a mecca for bikers of all sorts to gather and celebrate the thing they're most passionate about. It's really a fun, unique experience - even if you're not into the lifestyle. Plus, it doesn't get any more "iconic South Dakota" than Sturgis.
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9. Yeah, there's a palace in South Dakota. The Corn Palace. And we've all been there.
We take our sweet corn very seriously, thank you, and the Corn Palace is an amazing homage to our favorite tasty cash crop. While North Dakota has its whole "sunflowers" thing, we've got corn... and the awesome Corn Palace.
So, what do you think? How many of these items had you nodding along because, well, same? Let me know! And if you do decide to check out Wear Your Roots, use code SouthDakota10 for 10 percent off. Might as well, right? The clothes are super comfy, and I like them a lot.
If you find you can’t get enough of the amazingness that is SoDak, check out 20 of our favorite reasons to love South Dakota. What are yours? Let me know about those, too!
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