Category: South Dakota

Taste of Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Post author By Laura Weers
Post date January 12, 2016
4 Comments on Taste of Sioux Falls, South Dakota

I love Fiero Pizza. I designed my pizza. I choose a white crust with chicken, pineapple, cheese, black olives, white sauce, and mushrooms. Their pizza was the best pizza I have ever eaten in my lifetime. Fiero Pizza was voted No. 1 out of the 626 restaurants in Sioux Falls.

I had a wonderful salmon dinner at the All Day Cafe. My salmon was baked to perfection. I had a salad with a balsamic vinegar dressing. The seasoning on my salmon was just right. I also liked their root beer. It had a light caramel flavor.

My friends and I ate at Mama’s Ladas. They have Enchiladas and a wine bar. I ate two chicken enchiladas. I loved the sauce on my enchiladas. It was mild with just the right amount of seasoning. Their restaurant has a warm and friendly atmosphere.

I ate a gourmet burger at Taphouse 41. I ordered a well-done burger with Swiss cheese and mushrooms on it. My burger was done just the way I wanted it done. I had some of their french fries. Their fries were not greasy. My friend’s gourmet burgers looked awesome.

We stopped at Half Baked. They have fancy cupcakes. They also serve coffee. I love the caramel lattes that they had. My friend ate a cupcake that she liked and loved the flavor of.

I was very impressed with C H Patisserie. We met Chris Hanmer the owner of C H Patisserie. He has been named one of the top 10 Pastry Chefs in America. I loved his salted caramel macaroons. Their flavor of them was out of this world. I have eaten French pastries in France, and his pies are much better. All of Chris Hanmer’s pastries are complete works of art. I had to take some of his works of art home to eat later.

We ate at Phillips Avenue Diner. It was the fifties-looking diner. It had aluminum outside the building and an old soda fountain area. I loved the fifties atmosphere. I ordered a chicken burger with Swiss cheese, mushrooms, s, and sweet potato fries. My food tasted beautiful. My friend’s hamburgers looked genuinely excellent. My friends ordered a milkshake. Their milkshakes were nice and thick.

I would highly recommend any of these great food places to eat while you are in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. I had beautiful works of art to dining at these fine food establishments.

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South Dakota Strawbale Winery

Strawbale Winery Located in Renner, South Dakota

Post author By Laura Weers
Post date November 24, 2015
1 Comment on Strawbale Winery Located in Renner, South Dakota

The South family established Strawbale Winery on their acreage in 2006. The building is constructed of compacted straw, straw bales, and wire covered with stucco. The building is a prairie-style wine cellar.

I enjoyed my tour of the Strawbale Winery. Their wines are produced, fermented, and blended on-site. They grow some of their fruit and buy the others from local markets. Their winery sits on a pleasant and relaxing acreage. I enjoyed patting their outdoor cats and looking at their chickens. I like that they have re-purposed items they use at their winery. They have a blackboard that they use as their countertop. Their wine is stored in giant plastic vats until it is ready to be bottled and corked. I found their winery to be very clean and efficient.

My friends and I tasted a variety of wines. Don, the winery owner, poured out the samples for us. I like white wines. I want wine that is sweet and very mild. I enjoyed their semi-sweet Plum, Apple Raspberry, and Apple Rhubarb wine. I also liked their sweet Burning Bog, a cranberry and jalapeno wines blend, and Pear wine. They have Dry, Semi-Sweet, Sweet, and Fortified ( 18% alcohol ) wines. I found their wine prices very reasonable in today’s wine market. I bought a bottle of their Strawberry Rhubarb Semi-Sweet wine.

Strawbale Winery has a lot of fun and exciting activities you can attend throughout the year. They have a Harvest Festival, Folk Off, Sangria Sundays, Strawbale Summer Porch, and Series. In December, they offer Twilight Flights. You will start with food and wine. Then a helicopter flight from the winery to downtown Sioux Falls to view the lights of the city and Falls Park Winter Wonderland. Return to the winery for desserts and dessert wines.

I truly enjoyed my visit to Strawbale Winery. The winery is a fun place to relax and unwind with a nice glass of wine.

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South Dakota Washington Pavilion

Washington Pavilion Located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Post author By Laura Weers
Post date November 17, 2015
No Comments on Washington Pavilion Located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota

The Washington Pavilion started as a school in 1879. The building has one classroom and a hallway, as it was when it was Washington High School. I loved looking at all the histories of Washington High School. There are pictures of former students and trophies, and more. Portions of the building are made from native Sioux quartzite and have stood for almost 100 years. The building has the original marble staircases within the 1922 building, which now houses the Kirby Science Center. The building is a Neoclassical Structure and is an architectural landmark listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The last class to graduate at Washington High School was the class of 1992. In 1992 the Sioux Falls City Commission established the Washington Pavilion of Arts and Science Advisory Board. In 1999 the Washington Pavilion became the first facility in America to house a visual arts center, performing arts center, and a science center in one building. The Washington Pavilion became a fantastic art and science center through grants, bonds, and volunteers.

I loved the Kirby Science Discovery Center, one of the region’s best hands-on science centers. I loved looking at their 65 million-year-old Tyrannosaurus Rex replica. They have a machine you can go into to feel the effects of a tornado. Your hair will get exceptionally wind-blown in the tornado machine. Children can learn about psychics, earthquakes, bees, hang gliding, etc. They have a NASA area where your child can put his head in a space suit. The Kirby Discovery Science Center is informative, educational, and exceptionally interesting for young children.

I was very impressed with their Performing Arts Center. Workers gutted the old auditorium, stage, and gym to make a unique new auditorium. The hall is six stories tall, 99 feet wide, and 160 feet long. The acoustics are exceptional. Sound bounces off of quartzite panels. The orchestra level seats 1000, the mezzanine seats 500 + and the balcony 250+.The total seating capacity is about 1900 people. They also have a Wells Fargo Cino Dome Theather that holds 172 people. Their Belbas Theater holds about 300 people. They host a variety of programs in the Husby Performing Arts Center, such as musical ensembles, lectures, and piano recitals.

The Visual Arts Center displayed Mark W. McGinnis’s works. He works primarily in black acrylic ink and watercolor. I was impressed with his Third World Ties art exhibit. I also liked his Designs of Faith Art. He put a lot of time and study into all of his artwork.

The Visual Arts Center is one of only three accredited by the American Association of Museums in South Dakota. The Community Learning Center allows students ages eight to 18 to excel in the performing arts through music and theater. The Washington Pavilion has action art and science. You can have hands-on learning experiences in science, skills, and performing arts.

The Washington Pavilion is a beautiful place to learn more about the arts and science. I highly recommend spending a day or an afternoon at the Washington Pavilion. You can watch a movie or a piano recital performing arts and learn more about science.

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Great Plains Zoo & Delbridge Museum of Natural History South Dakota

Great Plains Zoo & Delbridge Museum of Natural History Located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Post author By Laura Weers
Post date November 10, 2015
2 Comments on Great Plains Zoo & Delbridge Museum of Natural History Located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota

I was provided a ticket to the Great Plains Zoo & Delbridge Museum of Natural History to facilitate my review. All thoughts are 100 % honest and my own.

The Great Plains Zoo offers an up-close look at more than 1000 animals. The Zoo sits on a 45-acre park that offers up-close views of the animals not found in more prominent zoos. The Great Plains Zoo is one of only 13 zoos to have a Snow Monkey exhibit. The Zoo has a breeding program for 23 endangered species. The Zoo also has the Delbridge Museum of Natural History, which houses a rare collection of 100 mounted animals, including 38 vanishing species.

I enjoyed looking at the Giraffes. The Giraffes came up right next to the fence. I have house cats, and I also like big cats. I especially enjoyed looking at the Amur Tiger. The Amur Tiger was very playful, just like my house cats. The Cheetah was shyer, but she was such a beautiful big cat.

I used to have a pygmy goat named Zachary. The zoo’s African Pygmy goat reminded me of my beloved goat Zachary.

I enjoyed a close and personal look at the rare Rhinos of Africa. The Rhino is a fascinating and fun animal to watch and observe. The Rhinos were eating a lot of grass while I watched them.

The Snow Monkeys were adorable. I loved how they interacted with each other. The females are very protective of each other’s babies. Their Snow Monkey exhibit was awarded top honors in exhibit design.

The Great Plains Zoo is one of the cleanest and nicest zoos I have ever visited. All of their animals seemed happy and contented.

I enjoyed the Flamingos. I learned that the reason that they are a beautiful pink color is from all of the shrimp that they eat. They absorb the color of the shrimp into their body.

I recommend stopping at the Great Plains Zoo & Delbridge Museum of Natural History. The Zoo would make a perfect family outing that the whole family would love.

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Sertoma Butterfly House and Marine Cove South Dakota

Sertoma Butterfly House & Marine Cove Located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Post author By Laura Weers
Post date November 7, 2015
No Comments on Sertoma Butterfly House & Marine Cove Located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota

I was provided a ticket to the Sertoma Butterfly House and Museum in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to facilitate my review. All thoughts are 100 % honest and my own.

Their Butterfly House has over 500 free-flying butterflies from Africa, Asia, and Central & South America. I loved looking at the wide variety of butterflies that they have on display. I especially loved looking at the Julia, Emerald Peacock, and Blue Morpho butterflies. They have swamp milkweeds outside that the Monarch butterflies feed on. Everyone should plant swamp milkweed in their gardens or pasture to help save our Monarch butterflies.

Marine Cove has fresh, cold, and saltwater fish. My favorite fish was the Vlamingi Tang. He is a brilliant blue fish with blue lips. If he gets scared, he turns black. I also loved looking at the Yellow Tang, Flame Hawkfish, and Blue Hippo Tang.

The cold water Purple Urchin was interesting. If you put your finger out where he could touch it, he would touch your finger gently to see if it was food he could eat. I found the Sea Cucumber interesting because most of its body mass is water. The Bat Starfish was eating algae off of a rock. The Bat Star has a stomach that it extrudes while it is eating.

The Coral on display had brilliant and vibrant colors. The various fish would hide among the Coral.

I liked looking at the Shark and Stingray Touch Pool. The Stingrays can move very fast. The Sharks are nocturnal, so they were very content to sit in one spot while I observed them.

One of their aquariums has a glass bubble you can put your head in to get a bird’s eye view of the fish in that aquarium. It was fun to see them up close.

I noticed several children at the Sertoma Butterfly House and Marine Cove. There was one little girl that kept telling her mother over and over again to let me in the water. It was an excellent place for children and adults to interact with butterflies and marine life. They have a reading room. You can sit and unwind from a hectic day in the Butterfly House by watching the butterflies. I find watching fish swim back and forth to be very relaxing.

I highly recommend you and your family visit the Sertoma Butterfly House and Marine Cove. You and your family will learn a lot of exciting facts about Butterflies and Marine Life.

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Outdoor Campus South Dakota

Outdoor Campus Located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Post author By Laura Weers
Post date October 31, 2015
2 Comments on Outdoor Campus Located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota

The Outdoor Campus is a joint project of the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish, Parks and the City of Sioux Falls Park & Recreation Department. There Campus offers experiences with the natural landscape of South Dakota. The South Dakota Outdoor Campus has a 3000-gallon aquarium and two miles of walking trails. They have hands-on events and classes. The Outdoor Campus has a butterfly garden & great bird watching. They offer many different courses for different age groups. The Outdoor Campus teaches essential fly fishing, introduction to archery, GPS and Geocaching, outdoor cooking, habitat 101, and much more. All of their youth programs are free. Hunters and Anglers support their education efforts. You can learn about South Dakota Animals, why they make different sounds, and how they adapt to their environment.

The Outdoor Campus has programs for ages three and up. They offer beginning fishing, hunting, and archery classes. The young naturalist program teaches ages 5 to 7. They also provide a Jr. naturalist program. Family programs include canoeing, fishing, archery, and the basics of using a compass.

I was very impressed with all of their different animal displays. I enjoyed walking on their hiking trail. They have swamp milkweed planted to attract the Monarch butterflies. I met Lena, their resident rabbit. Lena was very friendly, and I held her for a while.

The Outdoor Campus is a beautiful place to teach your entire family about the great outdoors. Children of all ages can learn about fish and games and how to respect the different types of animals. Their list of outdoor activities is imposing and free of charge except for a material fee for some adult classes.

I highly recommend the Outdoor Campus in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to all my family and friends. The perfect place to learn about hunting, archery, animals, canoeing, and the great outdoors that God created for all to enjoy.

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Comfort Inn & Suites South Dakota

Comfort Inn & Suites Located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Post author By Laura Weers
Post date October 28, 2015
1 Comment on Comfort Inn & Suites Located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota

I was provided a two-night room at the Comfort Inn & Suites in Sioux Falls, South Dakota to facilitate my review. All thoughts are 100 % honest and my own.

My room is light and is painted with earth-tone colors. The carpet and the floors are spotless. I have an excellent sofa in my room. I am sitting in a beautiful office chair while writing this post.

The bed in my room is soft and feels exactly like the bed I sleep in at home. I have a variety of soft and firm pillows to sleep on for the perfect night’s sleep. The lighting in my room is perfect. I love that they use large enough light bulbs so that you can easily see to write or put on your makeup in the morning. I have an ample supply of soft towels in my bathroom. Comfort Inn & Suites has supplied my shampoo, conditioner, and body lotion. There is a small refrigerator and a coffee maker in my room. I have a brand new hair dryer in my room.

The receptionist and employees have gone out of their way to visit with you or ask if there was anything else you needed. One of their employees was cleaning the elevator to perfection. She was scrubbing the elevator just like cleaning things in my home.

The control for heating or central air is easy to use and in a handy location. I have been in some hotels where you could not control the heat in your room whatsoever.

I enjoyed my breakfast of scrambled eggs, yogurt, and cranberry juice. They have a wide variety of items to choose from. They have bagels, sausage, oatmeal, juices, toast, and fresh fruit. I was delighted with all of the breakfast items that they offered.

I highly recommend staying at a Comfort Inn & Suites to my family and friends. Everything in my room was sparkling clean and spotless.

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