Overview
Wall, South Dakota, "the geographic center of nowhere," is known best to cross-country travellers for its main attraction, Wall Drug. Advertised on gigantic billboards for hundred of miles to the west and east on Interstate 90, the gargantuan drug store has put Wall on the nation's map. There are signs all over the world telling how many miles you are to Wall Drug.
2 sights · 2 places to eat · 3 places to stay
Updated from Wikivoyage on 1 October 2026 · Something wrong or missing? Improve it on Wikivoyage
Best things about Wall
Wounded Knee Museum
Informative displays feature photos, text, graphics, music, models, and an audio tour describing the exhibits. This narrative museum tells the unforgettable stories of the 1890 massacre of up to 300 Lakota men, women, an…
National Grasslands Visitor Center
Plan your trip
Best time to visit & weather
Most comfortable: Jun–Sep. Summer highs reach about 79°F; winter lows dip to about 18°F. Cold months (Jan, Feb, Dec) can bring snow and ice; check road conditions. Wettest: May and Jun. (climate data from nearby Mount Rushmore National Memorial)
Blue bars: average daily high and low (°F). Purple columns: average monthly rain and melted snow (inches).
Getting there
- From you: to see whether to drive or fly, and how long it takes.
- RAP Rapid City Regional Airport, Rapid City — 41 mi away. Directions
- CDR Chadron Municipal Airport, Chadron — 90 mi away. Directions
Wall is on Interstate 90, about 55 mi east of Rapid City.
Full “Get in” guide ↓Budget & where to stay
No prices are listed for this place yet. See the Sleep guide ↓ for options.
Sample 1-day itinerary
Day 1
- Morning Wounded Knee Museum
- Lunch Cactus Café & Lounge
- Afternoon National Grasslands Visitor Center
- Dinner Red Rock Restaurant
Stops are grouped by area so each day needs little backtracking. Check opening hours before you go.
Food for you
Cuisine (tap to filter)
What to ask about, for your diet
Diet labels come from each listing's description and cuisine; “likely” means the cuisine usually has good choices, not a promise. Check with the restaurant. Open the food finder
Photos
Map
Every listing with a location. Tap a pin for its Google Maps link.
Understand
The town is named for the natural cliffs of the South Dakota Badlands that fall from the prairie a few miles to the south. It offers some of the nearest dining and lodging options to Badlands National Park.
Get in
Wall is on Interstate 90, about 55 mi east of Rapid City.
It is served by Jefferson Lines buses.
See
See Wounded Knee Museum
Informative displays feature photos, text, graphics, music, models, and an audio tour describing the exhibits. This narrative museum tells the unforgettable stories of the 1890 massacre of up to 300 Lakota men, women, and children at Wounded Knee Creek. The museum's gift shop features books, Indian gifts, and self-guided tour maps to the massacre site.
Buy
Shop Wall Drug
In 1931 the store's entrepreneurial owners, Ted and Dorothy Hustead, had the idea to give away free ice water for passing motorists. They started to put up signs and billboards along the highway showing the distance to Wall Drug. These signs have since been spread around the world. It is joked that based solely on the billboards, future archaeologists will probably consider Wall Drug to be the most important building on the North American continent. From this seed of signs and billboards grew the tourist attraction that Wall Drug is today: giftshops, museums, restaurants, and of course the original drug store. Get a bumper sticker while you're there; it's the mark of a true cross-country traveler.
Eat
Drink
There is free ice water available at Wall Drug.
Sleep
Camping
Go next
- Minuteman Missile National Historic Site - This ICBM launch site could rain down nuclear devastation six thousand miles away within 30 minutes.
- Black Hills National Forest
- Deadwood is possibly America's most storied small town from the wild frontier days.
- Mount Rushmore National Memorial is a short drive away, and so is the even larger Crazy Horse Memorial.
- Rapid City is a transportation hub for the region. It has a few museums, and plenty of cheap hotels and restaurants (chain and local).
- Sturgis, roughly 12 miles to the East of Deadwood, is the home of the famed Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in August.
Nearby
Minuteman Missile National Historic Site
Park · 3 listings · 6 mi away
Badlands National Park
Park · 32 listings · 21 mi away
Kadoka
City / town · 2 listings · 38 mi away
Rapid City
City / town · 37 listings · 50 mi away
Keystone
City / town · 6 listings · 59 mi away
Custer State Park
Park · 6 listings · 61 mi away
Mount Rushmore National Memorial
Park · 6 listings · 61 mi away
Hill City
City / town · 7 listings · 66 mi away
My experience
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