Almost the minute we crossed the state line into South Dakota, we began to see old-fashioned billboards:
5 Cent Coffee
Every Day at Wall Drug
Free Ice Water!
Wall Drug
We were hooked. My Dad and I were sitting in the front seats of the RV and we saw every sign for the six hours it took to get to Custer. My dad got a kick out of them. “We’d better go see what this is all about while we’re here,” he said. Which is probably what every traveler heading across I-90 thinks as Wall Drug billboards break up the wide open prairie expanse.
Wall Drug seems like Emerald City after a while. You imagine that they must have everything! You’ve seen signs for Rattlesnake boots, homemade ice cream, jackalopes and bison burgers. It’s a promise of civilization; a spot where you can find everything you could possibly need or want.
Does anyone ever drive through South Dakota without pulling off the highway to shop at Wall Drug?
They shouldn’t. Wall Drug is an experience in itself. It’s a meandering maze of shops under one roof. A book shop, a boot shop, rocks, Western gear, a barber, a chapel, a shop full of t-shirts. Another shop of souvenirs, and a Native American art gallery.
There are photo ops in the hallways. There are old-fashioned amusements for the kids. And of course, there are the donuts as advertised. And the $0.05 coffee.
There’s just no reason not to stop at Wall Drug. If there’s something that speaks to you as “South Dakota,” you’ll find it there. Because Wall Drug is where it belongs.
Have you been to Wall Drug? 
Browsing The Atlas 
I secretly love the barren landscapes of South Dakota. I drove through Wall Drug on my way to Montana over the summer and fell in love with it… Beautiful pictures!
Thanks, Louisa! I love the landscape of South Dakota, too. Especially after the cornfields of Iowa.
I’ve never been to Wall Drug but the coffee is unbelievably cheap, Juliann. I would have been also hooked on that sign. Thanks for the tip!
My pleasure! We joked on the way that I would treat everyone to coffee. My daughter said she’d treat us all to ice water. 😉
Lovely. On my only trip to the States I was taken with the roadside signs that advertised businesses many miles ahead. Certainly in the UK you find many (fairly discrete) signs inviting you to turn off the main roads/motorways. I guess otherwise these small places just couldn’t survive.
Exactly. You have to cover so much space driving from one place to another in the States. Advertising how far away something is puts the travel in perspective. Sometimes it takes that advance warning to lure someone off the main road.
Love cute nostalgic places like this! They’re my favorite stops on road trips.
I love kitschy places like this, too.
The billboards seem to be placed far from the road. It feels like they almost emphasize the vastness of the Dakotan landscape.
I agree. It almost makes you think that to miss it would be foolish.
I have never been to South Dakota or heard of Wall Drug but I love places that manage to capture a sense of nostalgia. I’m so glad you and your dad had this bonding experience!
Definitely a fun stop out on the prairie.
What an interesting place to stop over on a road trip! Barber shop and chapel under one roof? That is an interesting combination haha! Did you try the 5 cent coffee?
I did try the coffee. I treated my whole family. 😉
I haven’t heard of this place before and now I’m intrigued… Did you buy anything from there?
Oh, yes. I got a t-shirt and some regional sauces, a pancake mix and a coffee cup. My daughter bought mugs for her friends. My stepmother bought two pairs of boots. And we had lunch there.
I mean I’ll take 5 cent coffee any day. Even if it’s terrible, its still coffee right?! I love South Dakota and random spots like this haha