23 Best & Fun Things to Do in Brookings, SD

Are you considering traveling to Brookings, SD, for business or a family vacation and are curious about what interesting things there are to do?

You’re in the correct place; there’s no need to look elsewhere. You can do many enjoyable things when visiting Brookings, SD.

There are galleries, the McCrory Gardens, a children’s Museum, and other attractions.

There are always enjoyable things to do in Brookings, SD

Things to Do in Brookings, SD

1. Scoop a Treat at the SDSU Dairy

If you want a good ice cream treat, this is the best location. This ice cream is produced using a cow-to-cone process by the SDSU students.

You can also watch the making process. When ordering, you have various options, and you can add coffee, snack, or milk.

Address: SDSU Dairy Bar, 1225 College Ave, Brookings

2. Have Fun at the Brookings Summer Arts Festival

It would be a fantastic idea to schedule a trip to Brookings for early July, as this is when the city hosts its yearly Summer Arts Festival.

This juried art festival welcomes over 200 artists from across the nation, representing a variety of artistic mediums.

This event’s Edibles and Naturals section have artists selling gourmet-quality packaged cottage food items and natural beauty care items.

The Brookings Summer Arts Festival also showcases historical and antique exhibits in booths to honor the city’s past.

This festival is held in Brookings’ Pioneer Park on 6th Street and features a kids’ zone with entertaining and educational activities.

The bandshell and side stages in the park host entertainment throughout the festival.

You can likewise go to the Pioneer Cabin, constructed in the park in 1989, to commemorate South Dakota’s centennial.

3. Smell the Flowers at the McCrory Gardens

This Brookings green destination and its sibling, the South Dakota State Arboretum, are located on the South Dakota State University campus.

On more than 25 acres of tastefully designed plots, the McCrory Gardens, which are situated on 22nd Avenue, a variety of flowers, shrubs, grasses, and trees are on show.

The 45-acre South Dakota Arboretum, which can be found on the north side of McCrory Gardens, is home to a variety of trees & shrubs that have adapted to the environment of South Dakota.

The arboretum serves as a trial site for novel shrub and tree varieties to determine how well they adapt to the environment.

McCrory Gardens is pet-friendly and manages an Education and Visitor Center that offers year-round activities, lectures, meetings, conferences, banquets, and weddings.

Address: 631 22nd Avenue in Brookings.

4. Swing to the Beat of Downtown at Sundown

A five-week-long outdoor summer music festival called Downtown at Sundown takes place in Brookings from July to August.

This nightly concert series on 5th Street and Main Avenue in Downtown Brookings are free to attend.

Each evening’s events begin at 5:30 p.m. with the opening of the vendor shops, which is quickly followed by the headliner band’s performance at 6:00 p.m.

During the Downtown at Sundown festival, in addition to food and music, locals and guests can take part in shopping, yard games, inflatables, face painting, and other entertaining activities.

5. Enjoy the Outdoors at the Dakota Nature Park

This 135-acre park, which was formerly a landfill, is an illustration of a project that successfully restored the environment.6

Following its capping, the area was transformed into a park that complies with South Dakotan authorities’ requirements for environmental monitoring.

The park today has mature trees and rich plants that serve as a refuge for local wildlife.

The park’s recreational paths, which are a mixture of unpaved and paved pathways, allow visitors to enjoy natural observation and birding.

Several tiny connecting ponds are also in the park, enhancing its natural beauty.

In addition to fishing, kayaking is a great activity on these water features, which are joined by a metal bridge.

The park also has the 5,300-square-foot Larson Nature Center, where visitors can borrow outdoor equipment like fishing rods, canoes, kayaks, snowshoes, adaptive bikes, binoculars, and GPS devices.

Along with a target range with a concentration on archery and BB and pellet gun shooting, the northeastern portion of the park also has an Outdoor Learning Center.

Address: 32nd Street South and 22nd Avenue South in Brookings.

6. Watch a Game at the Southbrook Softball Complex

State softball competitions are one of the events held at this sports complex on 22nd Avenue South.

Five illuminated softball diamonds are available at the Southbrook Softball Complex for tournament play as well as adult and youth activities.

In addition to these fields, the facility features a full range of support amenities, such as refreshment stands, restrooms, and aluminum bleacher seating.

This complex is family-friendly because it has nice tables and a sizable gravel parking area.

Additionally, the complex is tucked away among beautiful trees that offer shade to both players and spectators.

Address: 22nd Ave S, Brookings, South Dakota 57006, United States.

7. Play Disc Golf at Larson Park

One of the attractions in Larson Park on 22nd Avenue is a 20-hole disc golf course that will be redone in 2020.

Each hole on the course presents a unique challenge and has a variety of pin placements and concrete tee pads.

You might need a few extra discs for a challenging point on the southeast side of the course, where you have to shoot over the lagoon of the park.

Overall, the course is simple to maneuver, and playing there will allow you to take in Larson Park’s breathtaking surroundings.

The multipurpose park offers a basketball court, a playground, a winding walking and biking track, and a disc golf course.

Additionally, Larsen Park has roomy grassy areas for a picnic or a casual game of tag football.

Address: 520 W Kirkham Ave, Webster Groves, MO 63119, United States.

8. Visit the South Dakota Art Museum

This Museum, established in 1970, includes, among other exhibits, pieces by well-known South Dakotan visual artists.

It has seven roomy galleries and is located on Medary Avenue on the South Dakota State University campus.

The centerpiece of the Museum is a 146-item collection of Harvey Dunn’s artwork, renowned for his paintings portraying the immense plains of the Midwest of America.

The Museum’s permanent collection totals almost 7,000 pieces, including artwork.

Additionally, the Museum features ceramic, sculpture, jewelry, textile, paper, and Native American art.

Address: 57007 Brookings, South Dakota.

9. Prairie Lanes

This place has a restaurant where you can grab a fast lunch, a bowling alley, a lounge area, and other amenities.

It’s yet another nice location to visit with the family.

Location: 727 Western Avenue, Brookings, South Dakota 57006.

10. State Theatre Company Office

Five movie theaters in this complex display both contemporary and vintage movies. The whole family can go & enjoy themselves.

Address: 505 ½ Main Avenue, Brookings, South Dakota 57006.

11. Pioneer Park

Another enjoyable activity can be found here in Brookings, SD.

Both children and adults can use this park for outdoor activities, including picnics. In addition, there are basketball and volleyball courts there.

Address: 525 First Avenue, Brookings, South Dakota 57006.

12. Hillcrest Aquatic Center

The aquatic complex has four large swimming pools, each with a diving board and a water slide.

Address: 1450 6th Street, Brookings, South Dakota 57006.

13. Brookings Art Council

The Brookings Art Council (BAC) promotes cross-community interaction through the arts. It has been around for more than 40 years.

Address: 524 4th St, Brookings, South Dakota 57006, USA.

14. Nick’s Hamburger Shop

Another enjoyable location in Brookings, South Dakota, is this one. Since 1929, there have been a hamburger business here.

Address: 427 Main Avenue, Brookings, South Dakota 57006, USA.

15. The SDSU Dairy Bar

You’ll likely remember the SDSU ice cream that South Dakota State University students created for you for a very long time.

The delicious, handcrafted ice cream is available.

When you stop by this pace, you can see the complete cow-to-cone process in action and sample the amazing tastes that the kids come up with.

Address: 1225 College Avenue, Brookings, South Dakota 57006, USA.

16. Riding a Bike at the Pump Park

Beginning at the southern end of the Southbrook Softball Complex, this two-mile mountain biking paradise is a respite for riders of all skill levels.

The recreational trail that circles Dakota Nature Park also leads to Pump Park.

Address: Mitchell, South Dakota 57301, 186-248 Indian Village Rd.

17. The Brookings Country Outdoor Adventure Center

The 12-lane, cutting-edge shooting range is available at this outdoor center. Additionally, it has an Olympic-sized archery range.

Only shooters over 21 are permitted access to the gun range. In addition, this climate-controlled shooting range has a state-of-the-art ventilation system.

The Olympic-sized archery range, however, has a more relaxed age restriction.

Boasts 32 lanes with a maximum distance of 30 yards, 3-D targets, and mobile, wheeled props.

The facility also lets visitors try out various weapons. The Brookings County Outdoor Adventure Center is located on 22nd Avenue, like most other intriguing locations in Brookings.

Address: 2810 22nd Ave S, Brookings, South Dakota 57006, USA.

18. Edgebrook Golf Course

22nd Avenue is the route that leads to the Edgebrook Golf Course. There are two different layouts; one is a brief 9-hole course, and the other is a complete 18-hole course.

The 9-hole configuration debuted in 2010, whereas the 18-hole layout was inaugurated in 1972 and played par 70 over 6,200 yards from the farthest tees.

The 9-hole course is frequently cited as one of the best in the region. So, this is the ideal location if you like to play golf.

Address: 1415 22nd Ave S, Brookings, South Dakota 57006, USA.

19. The Wooden Legs Brewing Company

2010 saw the establishment of South Dakota’s first brewery, The Wooden Legs Brewing Company.

Additionally, the brewery hosts a variety of regular activities, frequently referred to as open mic night.

Address: Brookings, South Dakota 57006, 309 5th Street, Suite 100.

20. Arrowhead Park

On more than 16.1 acres of land, this multi-use park on Indian Hills Road is tucked away inside a residential area.

Locals and visitors frequently use the extensive green space in Arrowhead Park to play outdoor team sports like tag football.

The park also offers a playground, tennis, and an outdoor basketball court.

Arrowhead Park is a great area to spend time with the family because it features picnic tables, bathrooms, and a recreational route for bicycling and strolling.

This route connects the Indian Hills Trail to the Brookings Trail network.

Address: 451 Arrowhead Park Road in Huntsville, Alabama, P1H 2J4.

21. The South Dakota Agricultural Heritage Museum

It is the official Museum of South Dakota and is dedicated to the state’s history, science, and rural life.

Ironically, the 1925 Stock Judging Pavilion, which houses the Agricultural Museum, is included on the National Register of Historic Places.

Numerous collections of the Museum are home to thousands of tools, machinery, and furniture from the construction industry and agriculture.

Various Exclusive and competitive goods, communications, maps, pictures, photos, and other things are also on show.

The Museum’s zoological collection was its first acquisition when it first opened in 1884. Later, it was expanded to include farming machinery produced between 1880 and 1950.

Address: 11th Street South Dakota State University.

22. The McCrory Gardens

One of the first sights visitors to Brookings notice is the McCrory Gardens, a 25-acre botanical park with a 45-acre arboretum sitting on the end of the dorm.

The gardens bear S.A. McCrory’s name, a professor at SDSU who oversaw the horticulture division from 1947 to 1964.

There are many different trees, bushes, grasses, herbs, flowers, and native plants in the main formal display botanical garden.

The vast arboretum also has plants suited to South Dakota’s environment, including trees and bushes.

Address: 631 22nd Ave South Dakota, Brookings.

23. The Children’s Gallery of South Dakota

Take children of all age groups to the South Dakota Children’s Museum to spark their sense of adventure and imagination.

Four acres of prairie and indoor exhibition space.

Every year, the Museum receives more than 500,000 visitors from all 50 states as well as other countries.

The Museum stimulates young children’s and grown-ups’ imaginations via drama, ingenuity, and realization.

The Basic Primary School, which was first constructed in 1936, served as the foundation for the Children’s Museum of South Dakota.

Both children and adults have been noted to let their imaginations run wild inside and outside the facilities.

Along with baby Max, there is also a full-size, stationary animatronic T. Rex on display called the Mama.

Address: 521 4th St. Brookings, SD 57006.