16 Best Things To Do In Yankton, South Dakota

Yankton sits on the Missouri River at the Nebraska line, and it was the first capital of Dakota Territory, from 1861 to 1883. It suits a weekend of walking the old river bridge and the history stops downtown, with a state park on Lewis and Clark Lake 5 miles west of town for camping and boating.

1. Meridian Bridge

The Meridian Bridge is a two-deck steel bridge dedicated on October 11, 1924. Cars used it until the Discovery Bridge opened next to it in 2009, and since November 2011 it's been for walkers, runners and cyclists only.

Each deck runs 0.6 miles across to the Nebraska bank. The lower one has no slope, and the upper deck's entry ramps are steep, according to the city's trail list. That lower deck was built in anticipation of a railroad that never came.

2. Riverside Park and the Dakota Territorial Capitol Replica

Riverside Park, at 200 Levee Street, has picnic shelters, a baseball field and a paved path along the shore. Look for "Waters," an 18-foot stainless steel sculpture by Dale Lamphere, and the statue of steamboat pilot Captain Grant Prince Marsh.

The Dakota Territorial Capitol Replica copies the original capitol built in 1862 and torn down in 1886. It isn't staffed on a schedule; the National Park Service lists it as open by request through the City of Yankton, so call the city if you want to go in.

3. Mead Museum

The Mead Museum fills a restored 1909 building with its original Italian marble staircase and is home to the Yankton County Historical Society. The Dakota Territorial Museum collection is now shown here, at 82 Mickelson Drive.

• "A Dakota Story," a 2,500-square-foot permanent exhibit on Yankton's first 100 years
• A Lewis and Clark exhibit with a four-inch Jefferson Peace Medal
• An interactive Children's Transportation Museum for younger kids
• Heritage Park outside, with a 1906 schoolhouse and a Great Northern Railroad depot

Adult admission is $10, and $5 for ages 5 to 17. In the holiday season the building fills with the Hall of Trees, Christmas trees decorated by local groups, from the day after Thanksgiving through December.

4. Cramer-Kenyon Heritage Home

Built in 1886 in the Eastlake Stick style with a Queen Anne interior, this is the town's house museum. The Cramer-Kenyon Heritage Home runs guided tours Wednesday through Sunday, 1 to 4 p.m., from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend, for a suggested donation. It also welcomes tours at other times, including the off season, if you contact the house first.

5. G.A.R. Hall Art Gallery

Union veterans of the Civil War built this Italianate hall for the Grand Army of the Republic in 1887. Yankton Area Arts bought it in 1999 for one dollar and turned it into a gallery and meeting space at 803 E. 4th Street. Check the Yankton Area Arts site for current hours.

6. Lewis and Clark Recreation Area

Travel South Dakota names this state park the most popular outdoor spot in Yankton. The Lewis and Clark Recreation Area sits off SD Highway 52 on Lewis and Clark Lake, and it's big: 418 campsites and 20 camping cabins.

A privately run resort and marina inside the park rents boats and slips and has a motel, which helps if you don't own a tent.

Entry is $10 a day for South Dakota residents and $15 for nonresidents. Reserve early for a summer weekend; if you're driving in without one, the park holds 108 same-day sites that open for booking at 7 a.m. Central. The park stays open all year, but between October 1 and April 30 showers, flush toilets and other water systems may be closed.

7. Gavins Point Dam and the Lewis and Clark Visitor Center

Gavins Point Dam holds back Lewis and Clark Lake, and the Army Corps of Engineers runs a visitor center perched above the dam with views of the lake. Indoor exhibits cover the area's history, geology and settlement.

The center opens seven days a week in summer and weekdays only the rest of the year, and it sells America the Beautiful passes.

8. Gavins Point National Fish Hatchery and Aquarium

Kids can look at 40-plus mostly local species of fish, amphibians and reptiles in the 13,000-gallon aquarium at the Gavins Point National Fish Hatchery, which sits just east of the dam on Highway 52. Admission is free, which makes it an easy stop on a lake day.

The aquarium is open daily from May 1 through Labor Day, weekdays in April and in September after Labor Day, and closed October 1 through March 31. The outdoor trails and pond roads are open sunrise to sunset, year round.

9. Missouri National Recreational River

The National Park Service protects two free-flowing stretches of the Missouri as the Missouri National Recreational River, and its headquarters is in Yankton. These stretches still run as a river, and the park suggests paddling the Missouri as the way to see them.

In town, the headquarters runs a weekday visitor contact station with an 18-minute film and passport stamps.

10. The Yankton Trail System

The Auld-Brokaw Trail runs through the entire city and connects to the trail out to Lewis and Clark Lake, so you can ride from downtown to the state park. A few from the city's trail list:

• Auld-Brokaw Trail: 2.75 miles of wide concrete, moderate grades
• Lewis and Clark Lake Trail: 6.9 flat miles of asphalt
• Chalk Bluffs Multi-Use Trail: 4.1 miles of crushed asphalt with some fairly steep climbs
• Gavins Point Nature Trail: 1.2 miles of wood chip and dirt, with steep sections

11. NFAA Easton Yankton Archery Center

On more than 100 acres, the NFAA Easton Yankton Archery Center has three outdoor field ranges, a 3D range with a 40-foot elevated platform, two FITA ranges and a 90-meter indoor range.

For first-timers and kids, the Try Archery class runs every Saturday from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and doesn't need pre-registration.

12. Fantle Memorial Park and the Huether Family Aquatics Center

Fantle Memorial Park is built around a veterans memorial and has an 18-hole disc golf course. A 1-mile trail loops the edge.

The summer draw is the Huether Family Aquatics Center inside the park, with two fast slides, a lazy river and a zero-depth family pool with a play structure for small children.

13. Sacred Heart Monastery

Retreats are the reason to come. Sacred Heart Monastery, at 1005 W. 8th Street, is home to the Yankton Benedictines, and its Benedictine Peace Center offers private, group and overnight retreats, with seven guest rooms that each have a private bathroom. The gift shop sells handmade keepsakes and spiritual art and literature.

14. Ben's Brewing Co.

Ben's Brewing has two places to drink its beer. The downtown taproom pours 20 taps alongside a full bar, serves homemade pizza and shows most sports packages.

Ben's Brew Station is the brewing headquarters and the bigger room: 28 taps, space for 248 people, a patio and pinball machines. Go to the Brew Station with a group; the downtown taproom is the one with the games on.

15. Charlie's Pizza House

Charlie's Pizza House has been at 804 Summit Street since 1959, and its own site says Food Network Magazine voted it the best pizza in South Dakota. The state tourism office says the winning pie was the "Festus," a meatball pizza with Swiss cheese, jalapeños and sauerkraut.

16. Yankton Riverboat Days

Yankton Riverboat Days and the Summer Arts Festival are the town's three-day August celebration of art, live music and carnival games, and the festival runs a parade as well.

The festival lists no pets, bikes, coolers or motorized vehicles in Riverside Park.