This summer my family made a classic road trip stop in Wall, South Dakota for Wall Drug photo ops. It’s one of the most famous road side attraction opportunities in the Midwest. In fact, we visited twice and the second stop was two days before the fire at Cactus Cafe and Lounge (fortunately, no one was injured).

A little backstory on the property, Ted Hustead bought the drugstore in 1931 and to increase business his wife devised a marketing ploy to offer “free ice water” for tourists making their way to the Black Hills to see Mount Rushmore. Today, the free ice water marketing continues while the property and its offerings have expanded.

I remember taking our older two children to Wall at least ten years ago. We didn’t know about Wall Drug before our drive back then but the hundreds of Wall Drug roadside signs certainly caught our attention and we decided to stop. My phone camera quality is much better today but it is the same quirky stop I recall.

Like our past visit, we browsed the shops, bought souvenirs, created flat pennies, bought Maisie a pink “preppy” cowgirl hat (yes, you can buy these on Amazon but a souvenir is more meaningful). Eventually we made our way to the the Backyard Mall is where we found the bulk of oversized, quirky photo ops.

Greetings from The Black Hills South Dakota

I wish this mini mural said Greetings from Wall Drug, but alas it says Black Hills. The reason? This backyard Mall is teeming with Black Hills themes…

Mini Mount Rushmore

Since we were on our way to see the real Mount Rushmore, it only seemed appropriate to take a picture of the famous Wall Drug photo op.

Jack-A-Lope and a Bucking Bronco

If you get one Wall Drug photo op, this is it. The Jack-A-Lope is probably the most photographed character at Wall Drug. After all, who doesn’t want to ride this shy wild, oversized beast. Below is a wild bronco. An “out West” staple.

Singing Gorilla

I was struggling to see how a singing gorilla fits into the Black Hills theme but it’s cute and quickly and a perfect Wall Drug photo opportunity. After visiting the Black Hills, I realized this was a reference to the evening night life of past.

Have you been to Wall Drug? What’s your favorite photo op?