The drive to Aberdeen, SD is beautiful. It took us about 5 hours (including 2 stops) from Central Minnesota to get there. We packed the car with lots of activities to keep the kids busy. Including movies, barbies, pens, papers, activity books, car bingo, and pipe cleaners.
We arrived at Wylie Park in the afternoon and our first stop was Storybook Land. As we enter Storybook Land the magic comes to life, as we walked around the visitor center and we are greeted with the familiar nursery rhymes, including a pumpkin from Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater. We were greeted by other characters including, Jack and Jill, Pinocchio, Humpty Dumpty, and The Three Little Pigs. My girls enjoyed reciting each nursery rhyme or story as we played at each area. In the center of the park is a huge castle surrounded by a moat, with many princesses depending on which door you go in including Snow White and Rapunzel.
The Land of Oz
We continued on and found Dorothy's house went through the tornado and landed in Oz. We stopped by Munchkin Land before following the yellow brick road. We saw the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and even the Lion.
We enjoyed the rides including the hot air balloon, carousel ride, and Humpty Dumpty Roller Coaster. They also have teacups and a small train. Which we bought tickets to ride. We then continued to the beginning of the park and went on the train. On the train, we saw the whole park, including their wildlife exhibit which included yaks, geese, and buffalo.
Inside of Storybook Land Visitor Center is a concession stand, gift shop, restrooms, and informational center. There is another concession stand with bathrooms available near the carousel. Also, there are several playgrounds throughout Storybook Land. Storybook Land has free admission.
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Wylie Park Campground is beautiful. The staff is very friendly and helpful with questions and knowledge of the area. Our Medium cabin had two bunk beds. It also included a table and chairs for four. Outside was an area to have a fire with a picnic table. We got to have a campfire outside where we roasted marshmallows and had s’mores. There was no bathroom in our cabin but it was only a short walk to the campground bathrooms and showers. The facilities were extremely clean!
Modern Campground includes laundry facilities and free Wi-fi.
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Thunder Road
Thunder Road is in Wylie park near the entrance. My kids enjoyed the bumper boats and the Euro Bungy. I loved the go-carts!
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Beach Area
We walked over to the beach. They do have paddle boats and canoe rentals. They also have a snack stand with mini donuts. Close by is a place to rent bikes. There are awesome biking/walking trails throughout the park.
Playgrounds
There are multiple playgrounds throughout Wylie Park.
We originally discovered Dacotah Prairie Museum by accident and this year it was on our list as a must-see. They have great interactive exhibits. The kids climbed on a covered wagon, played in a prairie house, planted a garden, and even washed clothes.
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Downstairs we met #bustersuperstar (Buffalo) and took a photo. We also showed the kids what an old phone and an old computer (typewriter) looked like. Of course, they looked at Grandma and I like we were crazy. They had an exhibit of many wild animals from North America, Africa, and India that were mounted, it looked amazing. They also had a gift shop.
Aberdeen Aquatic Center
The Aquatic Center was awesome. The waterpark includes waterslides, raft slide, body flume slide, a leisure pool with zero-depth entry and multi-level play structure waterslides, interactive features that dump, spill and squirt water. There is a lazy river and a large lap pool which includes one and three-meter diving board, drop slide, a variety of floatable play features.
I would recommend visiting Aberdeen with families of all ages. We have been visiting since my youngest was 3 years old and now my oldest is almost 13. In Aberdeen, all the facilities are clean and well maintained. The city has a small-town feel and I felt very safe the time I was there. There are many choices of places to eat.
*All views expressed are my own. I received compensation for my review.
