uss south dakota battleship memorial

A great memorial to a great battleship of the US Navy. The outline of the ship is massive. Tle history of this ship is unbelievable. It is well worth the time to gain an understanding of the role of this battleship as it served it's country.

While I have an appreciation for any Veterans Memorial, this would not be my choice to bring someone to show. While I understand that the things arranged on the ground are supposed to give you an appreciation of the size of the ship, it just doesn't do anything for me.

Having driven through South Dakota several times on cross -country trips, I have yet to be here when the museum is open due to either the time of year or time of day that it is open. (They are open May 1 - September 30). That being said, it is a very interesting walk. On the park grounds, an outline of the ship has been formed from concrete. Several key battleship components such as the anchor, a piece of the decking, gun turrets, and more. Most of these are from the actual battleship. As you walk around, there are a number of plaques noting the historical significance of the ship in World War II. While I knew it played a key role in several sea battles, I had not realized the vast number of battles in which it was involved, and truly, its significance in winning the war. Take the time to read the plaques; if you enjoy history, the time will be well worth it.

This is a must see for history/military buffs. Very cool setup and a ton of great pictures to see. Worth the visit.

Nice idea, but not much there. Does give some idea of the size of the battleship, or least its footprint. We just happened to drive by it and didn't stop to see much up close.

lots of historical plaques to read out side on the 'deck' of the ship (the lawn ringed by cement to the correct size of the original ship with guns, rails etc(from the ship) placed around at different points. Then there is the bridge of the ship the museum its self, packed full of scale models, uniforms, artifacts, and documentaries of this heavily commemorated ship. It's all on one level so a wheel chair should have no problems. There is also a friendly volunteer who will happily regale you with all sorts of tidbits. They also have neat books and things for sale about it too.

We were a little disappointed to find the memorial is parts of the ship not the full ship. But after watching the 30 minute video and speaking with the volunteer we are glad we visited. I wouldn't go out of my way to go but if you're traveling thru the area and you appreciate our servicemen and women, please stop by.

After all my planning of South Dakota I didn't see this attraction in anything until we were already on our way and I found it in a AAA book. I'm glad we did! My dad is a Navy Veteran and he highly enjoyed it. My mom and I enjoyed it also but not as well as I know he did. They have a movie you can watch if you have the time when you first go in but they don't make you feel obligated if you don't have the time. They don't have the actual ship but they have a lot of the original pieces of the ship. The lady was very informational if you have questions and knew what she was talking about which is always nice.

The layout of the park is really interesting & the gentleman who was volunteering was so nice. He spent a lot of time with us as we were his only visitors that Sunday morning. Thanks for the tour.

My kids and I traveled from Buffalo, NY to here before going to Mount Rushmore. We really enjoyed this site. The only drawback would be to have more than one person in the museum. While the woman was discussing different history with another tourist there was no one to help us. But this was great and my kids love ships!

Nice arrangement of artifacts. No cost and well worth the visit. The layout of the "park" is to scale of the actual battleship. Inside you will find numerous photos and items from the battleship itself, including a New Testament Bible that was in the shirt pocket of a sailor that was killed on board and bears the scars from this event. Other artifacts include: ships bell, guns, silver service, swords, metals, uniforms, pictures, ships wheel and much more.

Granted Sioux Falls has no access to the ocean so it would have been next to impossible to get a ship the size of a battle ship to Sioux Falls. The outline of the ship is laid out in a grassy park --- kinda neat! The interior space of the building is very small and does not have very many items from the ship on display.

A nice exhibit honoring the USS South Dakota Battleship. This isn't the entire ship but very well displayed and informative. Free admission with optional donation.

For anyone that service or not, this is a stopping place to take a look, free admission and only take donations if you choose. Great history that shaped the WWII. Many great items from the ship herself, and plenty of history inside with displays.

Though not the entire ship, there are parts of it and artifacts. Enjoyed the personal stories and displays. Free!