It’s hard to imagine a smaller town with a bigger number of roadside billboards encouraging you to stop by than Wall, South Dakota, home of the (in)famous Wall Drug.
As you hurtle down I-90, the billboards for Wall Drug beckon what seems like every few minutes, breaking up a drive that can be, quite honestly, extremely monotonous.
By the time you reach the town of Wall, it just may seem like an excellent idea to pull off the highway and check out that famed drugstore advertising free ice water, $0.05 coffee (not a typo), homemade doughnuts, and a gigantic dinosaur statue.
So, is Wall worth the stop during a South Dakota road trip?
After basing ourselves there for a few days, we think so!
Here’s what to expect when visiting Wall, SD, including tips for visiting Wall Drug and a bit about the town that bills itself as the Gateway to Badlands National Park.
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An Extremely Brief Overview of Wall, South Dakota (+ its Icon)
The town of Wall, South Dakota as we know it today was first mapped out in 1907 for the same reason that so many towns of the American West were: because of the railroad.
At the time, the Chicago and North Western Railway had just extended to this point, and a settlement was created to cater to the company’s needs.
Today, Wall’s always-small population has dipped under 700 (as of the 2020 census), and it lives on thanks not to the railroad but to tourism: that tiny population grows substantinally each summer!
The top things to do in Wall, South Dakota can be summed up in one sentence: visit the iconic Wall Drug, and drive south out of town to visit Badlands National Park, whose closest entrance lies a mere 8 miles south.
A Short History of Wall Drug
Wall Drug may be known today primarily as a tourist attraction–but it started as a simple country drugstore.
To quote Paul Higbee for South Dakota Magazine, “In 1931 Ted and Dorothy Hustead, a young couple just two-and-a-half years out of the University of Nebraska, arrived looking for three things: good schools, a Catholic church, and a drug store for sale.”
They found it in Wall, and amidst the Great Depression, Dorothy struck gold with her idea to cater to tourists looking for souvenirs and refreshment as well as local customers looking for medicine to drum up business.
The iconic Wall Drug signs even made it as far away as Morocco and London during the 20th century!
The drugstore, now a full-blown tourist mall and roadside attraction in addition to (still, yes) being a functional pharmacy, continues to be run by the Hustead family to this day.
What’s it Like to Visit Wall Drug?
What’s it like to visit a nearly 100-year-old kitschy roadside attraction?
Honestly, a lot of fun!
Is Wall Drug a tourist trap? Sure, I won’t dispute that: it shamelessly promotes itself to over-the-top kitschy tourism.
But unlike some tourist traps that feel as if they only exist to separate you from your money, there’s a good-natured spirit to Wall Drug that makes it worth a quick stroll, chuckle, and pause for free ice water.
You can easily visit Wall Drug without spending a penny, though there are a few things we think you might find worth the money!
Runner1928, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Shopping at Wall Drug
When you open the door to Wall Drug’s main entrance and step inside, you won’t find yourself in a store but in a hallway lined with stores: a touristy, western-themed mall, if you will.
Shops include those specializing in shoes and apparel, original art, jewelry made from Black Hills gold, pharmacy needs, toys, and rocks, among many others!
Jeremy actually ended up buying a pair of shoes at Wall Drug, which we hadn’t originally planned to do–but he had been looking for some, and as it turned out, the shopping experience was pleasant and the prices perfectly reasonable.
What to Eat at Wall Drug
The Wall Drug Restaurant got its start based on two advertised benefits that are available to this day: free ice water, and $0.05 coffee.
While both are worth taking advantage of–the coffee was definitely decent for the price–the homemade doughnuts and ice cream were the highlight for us (the doughnuts are cakey, and we loved them).
Had we not filled up on those, we would have loved to try the pie, too!
The restaurant does also serve a full menu, including buffalo burgers and hot beef sandwiches, and you can enjoy it all in the dining room while surrounded by more than 300 pieces of original Western art that the Hustead family has personally collected over the decades.
Other Things to See at Wall Drug
Other than shopping and eating, there are a few other things you may want to check out when visiting Wall Drug!
The Apothecary Shop and Pharmacy Museum, while it does have things for sale, is worth stepping into simply to see it, as it’s a replica of the original 1931 shop.
The Backyard, complete with plenty of space for kids to run around and get their beans out, is a great place to pause and stretch your legs.
On a practical note, we found the restrooms clean and easily accessible, a must-have feature of any ideal roadside attraction.
Other Things to Do in Wall, South Dakota
Beyond Wall Drug, the main draw for visitors to Wall isn’t what’s in town, but what’s right outside of it: Badlands National Park and Minuteman Missile National Historic Site.
Within Wall itself, the National Grasslands Visitor Center is also worth checking out if you’re curious about how the Dust Bowl and Great Depression impacted this area, including how they led to the creation of Badlands National Park.
The Wall Public Park (complete with a playground and, in the summer, the pool right next door) can absolutely come in handy if you’re visiting Wall with kids.
Looking for groceries? The Wall Food Center on the edge of town wasn’t much to write home about–I’d stock up at a box store before arriving if you can–but it was useful for supplementing our road trip food supplies.
Wall Drug itself is surrounded by a collection of equally touristy shops and restaurants, of these, the Salty Steer gets some of the best reviews.
We enjoyed a dinner at Red Rock which, if not the absolute best meal we’ve ever had, was memorable for the friendly service and novelty of seeing the first old-fashioned salad bar that we had seen in many years.
Visiting Badlands National Park from Wall
We used Wall as our base for exploring Badlands National Park and found it extremely convenient. We’d absolutely stay in town again!
From Wall, a 10-minute drive directly south will take you to the Pinnacles Entrance Station where–after waiting out a potential bison traffic jam and snapping a photo with the entrance sign–you can drive into the park and within minutes either turn off onto Sage Creek Rim Road or start the Badlands Loop Road.
Driving a circle from Wall, to Badlands Loop Road, along Badlands Loop Road until you reach the Northeast Entrance of the park, and then back to Wall via I-90 (with a possible stop at the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site), only takes about an hour and a half worth of drive time.
Obviously, you will spend much longer than that exploring–even in our short recommended 5 day South Dakota itinerary, we recommend setting aside at least most of a day for Badlands Loop Road–but that gives you an idea of how close Wall is to the most popular things to do in Badlands National Park!
The most popular overlooks and trails in Badlands National Park, including the Notch Trail, are accessible from Badlands Loop Road.
Where to Stay in Wall, SD
We greatly enjoyed our stay in Wall and found it both extremely convenient and a very relaxing place to base ourselves when visiting the Badlands.
We stayed at the Best Western Plains Motel and found that it met our expectations perfectly: convenient, comfortable, and unfussy, with an included breakfast that we took advantage of daily.
We were traveling South Dakota in the fall, but the Best Western also has a pool that we definitely would have been jumping into had we been visiting during the scorching summer.
For a cabin experience even closer to Badlands NP, Badlands Frontier Cabins get excellent reviews.
For a (slightly) more budget-friendly option, thereโs also an Americaโs Best Value Inn in town that is popular.
Check rates and book your stay in Wall today!
Read More About Visiting the American West
Planning to explore the American West in-depth?
You’re in for an amazing time: we will never get tired of planning US road trips, and we’ve been lucky enough to cover quite a bit of the country so far.
Here are a few other places you might enjoy setting your GPS to after visiting Wall, South Dakota:
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- The Ultimate Utah National Parks Road Trip Itinerary
- 11 Epic Day Hikes in the Grand Canyon (South Rim)
- USA Bucket List: 50 Best Places to Visit in the US
- 19 Stunning Southwest Road Trip Itinerary Ideas (+ Tips!)
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