Mark your calendars for when these Sioux Falls area summer attractions open for the summer

Symmone Gauer, Sioux Falls Argus Leader
·4 min read
Employee Owen Hirsch monitors go-kart safety on Thursday, June 3, 2021 at Thunder Road in Sioux Falls.
Employee Owen Hirsch monitors go-kart safety on Thursday, June 3, 2021 at Thunder Road in Sioux Falls.

Grab your sunglasses and slip on your flip-flops because summer is just around the corner in Sioux Falls.

And that means summer attractions will be filled with families soon.

Here's when area attractions will be open:

Thunder Road

Thunder Road has all sorts of attractions, indoor and out. The indoor attractions are open year-round, but the summer ones are just getting started. Mini golf and go-karts are open now on the weekends with others opening soon, weather permitting.

Location: 201 North Kiwanis Drive

Wild Water West

The largest waterpark in the state will open for the season May 28 for Memorial Day weekend. Wild Water West has features like a wave pool, a lazy river, bumper boats and water slides in addition to non-water attractions like go-karts and mini golf. The new Flamingo Falls Campground is planned to open outside the park this July, and people can start making reservations in early May.

Location: 26762 466th Avenue, just west of Sioux Falls

Kids cool off in the water on Wednesday, June 9, 2021, at the Drake Springs Family Aquatic Center in Sioux Falls.
Kids cool off in the water on Wednesday, June 9, 2021, at the Drake Springs Family Aquatic Center in Sioux Falls.

Outdoor city pools

Sioux Falls has several public pools and water attractions that will open June 3, weather permitting.

  • Drake Springs Family Aquatic Center: 301 South Fairfax Avenue

    • Waterpark with lazy river and slides

  • Frank Olson Pool: 4101 East 16th St

    • Traditional pool

  • Kuehn Pool: 2309 Kuehn Park Road

    • Traditional pool

  • Laurel Oak: 3401 East 49th Street

    • Waterpark with slide and kid’s splash area

  • McKennan Wading Pool: 1500 South Third Avenue in McKennan Park

    • Free wading pool with spray fountain and walking bridge

  • Pioneer Spray Park: Pine Street and Jessica Avenue

    • Spray nozzles and dinosaur design

  • Terrace Park: 1001 West Madison Avenue

    • Waterpark with slides and sand play area

Pert Near Sandstone performs at Levitt at the Falls, a free concert series, in summer of 2021.
Pert Near Sandstone performs at Levitt at the Falls, a free concert series, in summer of 2021.

Levitt at the Falls

The outdoor music venue will present 50 free, live concerts this summer every Thursday, Friday and Saturday starting June 3 until September. The 2022 Levitt at the Falls will feature 10 different genres of music throughout the concert series as well as several food truck vendors and activities on the lawn. New this year is the Innoskate Festival celebrating skateboarding and invention, which will be July 7-9. The full lineup for Levitt with be announced Thursday.

Location: Falls Park West

Moonlight Movies in Downtown Sioux Falls

Moonlight Movies will show three movies this year in Fawick Park. Starting June 9, showings will be the second Thursday of each month, with the other dates being July 14 and August 11. A movie lineup hasn’t been announced yet, but the films will match the theme of each night’s sponsor; Midwest Dairy is the sponsor of the first showing in June. To stay up to date online at https://dtsf.com/.

Location: Fawick Park, 2nd Avenue between 10th and 11th Streets

Cason Evans, 2, and Lavonne Heidinger, 8, snack on popcorn during the showing of The Lion King at the Verne Drive-In, Friday, Aug. 2.
Cason Evans, 2, and Lavonne Heidinger, 8, snack on popcorn during the showing of The Lion King at the Verne Drive-In, Friday, Aug. 2.

Verne Drive-In – Luverne, MN

This theater is just a quick 30-minute drive from Sioux Falls. Verne Drive-In shows two movies back to back each night with a new selection each weekend. It’s only open Fridays and Saturdays until May 29 when it will show films every night. You can find future times and films at https://vernedriveintheater.com/.

Location: 1607 South Kniss Avenue, Luverne, Minnesota

Starlite Drive-In – Mitchell

Starlite opens May 6 with a showing of “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” The drive-in theater plays movies every Friday and Saturday and will add Sunday showings once the school year ends. Some movies are new releases and others aren’t – it all depends on licensing – and some weeks will have a double feature with movies back to back. Look to their Facebook page to see what’s playing. The May lineup for each weekend is as follows: “Spider-Man,” “Sonic 2,” “The Bad Guys,” and “Top Gun: Maverick.”

Location: 4601 North Main Street, Mitchell, South Dakota

B&G Milkyway

The locally owned B&G Milkyway is known for its summer treats such as soft-serve cones, avalanches, super dogs and picnic baskets. B&G Milkyway opened its first franchise, based on the original Milkyway Sioux Falls restaurant, in 2001 on Sycamore Avenue. The business has grown to eight locations, and all are open for the season.

Sioux Falls locations:

2410 W 12th Street

721 S Sycamore Avenue

5508 W 41st Street

3300 W 69th Street

3300 S Center Avenue near Harmodon Park

Other area locations:

124 E Annabelle Street, Brandon

200 E Brian Street, Tea

201 Cliff Avenue, Harrisburg

Plans for a location in Harford

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Here's when Sioux Falls summer attractions are opening for the season