Okoboji and Arnolds Park offer a variety of summer attractions near Sioux Falls

Okoboji and Arnolds Park are ready to welcome their summer visitors with their summer program that started with a traditional free night at Arnolds Park Amusement Park last week.

One of the park attractions, the Legend Roller Coaster, is the oldest wooden roller coaster west of the Mississippi, said Okoboji Tourism Director Rebecca Peters. She explained that the rollercoaster’s renovation has just been completed this spring.

“So, the ride of a rollercoaster is even smoother, but it’s still that same great rollercoaster that has been in there for so long,” said Peters

She said that roller coaster enthusiasts from all over the world come to Arnolds Park to ride the rollercoaster. Arnolds Park Amusement Park is located in the Town of Arnolds Park with a population of about 1,200 people.

Arnolds Park abuts Okoboji, a town of about 800 residents. Both communities are situated in the Iowa Great Lakes Area.

The centerpiece of the area is its glacially formed lakes that cover almost 15,000 acres of water in the area among its seven interconnected communities with a joint population of about 17,000 people.

Summer tourists increase the area's net population. The lakers can get boat rentals or take a public cruise, or bring their own boat, said Peters. They can also shop in stores unique to the area for the local memorabilia and enjoy free weekend concerts at Preservation Plaza accompanied by fireworks.

“A lot of people love coming to Okoboji for the on-water activities,” said Peters. “It creates a lot of really unique areas for people to enjoy,” said Peters.

A few concerts at Preservation Plaza this summer will feature Billy Bob Thornton and the Boxmasters on Jul. 4, Elle King on Aug. 12, and Chris Lane on Aug. 19.

The communities also offer a variety of local restaurants with unique options, such as blueberry lavender lemonade. Many of the eateries are located on the waterfront and offer a water view to the guests.

This year in addition to the entertainment activities at Okoboji and Arnolds Park, additional events are also planned at the Roof Garden Ballroom, which is a music and community venue located in the Arnold Park Amusement Park.

“A large facility that is just beautiful, and has a lot of character, and can hold a lot of people,” said Peters.

Peters explained that the ballroom originally built in 1923 has always been a little piece of nostalgia in the area used by a ton of famous musicians from all over the country. It was then torn down in 1988, and the community missed it so much that it was rebuilt.

A few events attracting visitors this summer also include a bike ride around a lake on June 24 that helps support local trails and fire and rescue, homecoming races on the local trails on Jul. 15, a boat and corvette show on Jul. 29, and water festival on Aug. 12.

“This community is really, really good at welcoming visitors, and it turns out that we have all of the amenities and the attractions for everyone to enjoy themselves,” said Peters.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Tourism destinations near Sioux Falls welcome visitors