12/2/2025
PIERRE, S.D. – Travel South Dakota is proud to recognize 38 businesses with a 2025 South Dakota Great Place designation and 65 individuals with a 2025 South Dakota Great Face designation. These tourism-focused businesses and individuals earned the designation for their outstanding hospitality and customer service.
“South Dakota continues to be a place where visitors are met with genuine warmth and hospitality,” said James Hagen, Secretary of the Department of Tourism. “But this doesn’t just happen. We are known for world-class hospitality because of the businesses and people that prioritize it and embody that welcoming spirit on a daily basis. I couldn’t be prouder to recognize each of them for their commitment to excellence.”
The South Dakota Great Place program puts a spotlight on businesses that exemplify great service by going above and beyond for guests and employees. The South Dakota Great Face program honors individuals in the tourism and hospitality industry who excel in customer service by providing top-tier service to guests. The goal of both programs is to strengthen the tourism industry in South Dakota and offer support to tourism industry members.
“Hospitality remains at the heart of what makes South Dakota so special,” continued Hagen. “Our Great Place and Great Face designees consistently go above and beyond to make every guest feel at home.”
To view the list of Great Place businesses recognized, please click here. For a list of Great Face individuals, click here.
Online application forms for 2026 South Dakota Great Place and 2026 South Dakota Great Face will open in February 2026. All are encouraged to participate. For more information about the Great Place program, click here. To learn more about the Great Face program, click here.
The department also offers an Online Hospitality Training program. The training is free, and all tourism industry businesses are encouraged to share the training with their staff. For more information about the department’s hospitality programs, please click here.
The South Dakota Department of Tourism is comprised of Travel South Dakota and the South Dakota Arts Council. The department is led by Secretary James D. Hagen.
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Media Notes: The 2025 South Dakota Great Place and South Dakota Great Face designees listed by community and organization:
2025 GREAT PLACES
Aberdeen
Wylie Park/Storybook Land
Brookings
Brookings Arts Council
The Carrot Seed Kitchen Co.
Children's Museum of South Dakota
Dacotah Bank Center
Downtown Brookings
Kool Beans Coffee and Roasterie
The Lanes
McCrory Gardens at SDSU
The Oscar Larson Performing Arts Center
South Dakota Agricultural Heritage Museum
South Dakota Art Museum
Visit Brookings
Wooden Legs Brewing Co.
Bruce
Oakwood Lakes State Park (SD GFP)
Chamberlain
Akta Lakota Museum & Cultural Center
Crazy Horse
Crazy Horse Memorial
Custer
Fort Welikit Campground
Hot Springs
The Mammoth Site
Keystone
Big Thunder Gold Mine
Rush Mountain Adventure Park
Sprockets Fun Foundry
Lake Preston
Lake Thompson Recreation Area (SD GFP)
Madison
Lake Herman State Park & Walker’s Point Recreation Area (SD GFP)
Mitchell
My Place Hotel/Mitchell Holdings LLC
Rapid City
Black Hills Adventure Tours
Black Hills Caverns
Black Hills Visitor Information Center
Hotel Alex Johnson
Sioux Falls
Experience Sioux Falls
Falls Park Visitor Information Center
McCrossan Boys Ranch
Watertown
My Place Hotels
Quality Inn and Suites
Venerts Hotel Management, Inc.
Yankton
Lewis & Clark Recreation Area
Visit Yankton
2025 GREAT FACES
Brookings – McCrory Gardens at SDSU
Varlika Ahirekar, Kathryn Bowar, Carson Hunsley, Catherine Jones, Lisa Marotz, Victoria Meier, Rose Nett, Sophie Pavelka, Lori Puetz, John Qui, Alyson Swanson, Sydney Trio, Laura Valentina Lopez Bustos
Brookings – Children's Museum of South Dakota
Loren Bauder and Bob Ullom Brookings – Visit Brookings Bridgit Burghardt, Laura Schoen Carbonneau, Kate Solberg Brookings – The Oscar Larson Performing Arts Center at SDSU Christina Castillo Brookings – Wooden Legs Brewing Company Jack Richards, Rachel Schmitz, Regan Yseth Chamberlain – Akta Lakota Museum & Cultural Center Wanda Bunker and Linnea Wright
Crazy Horse Memorial
Rebekah Bone, Skyller Coughlin, Bill Daybrest, Jim DeHaven, Joe DeRouchey, Judith Evanoff, John Hanson, Robert Knudsen, Mike Reznik, Kevin Showers, Betty Sowder, Tom Wilson
Keystone – Rush Mountain Adventure Park
Megan Jones, MiBella Ochoa, Jeremiah Shepperd
Keystone – Sprockets Fun Foundry
Tyler Cooper, Spencer Hagen, Loki Joeckel
Mitchell - My Place Hotels
Brenda Nelson
Rapid City – Black Hills Adventure Tours
Mark Barker, Mike Faust, Lisa Ficek, Carrie Gerlach, Denny Gienger, Mickey Higgins, Al Maas, Jamie McSherry, Aura Plooster, Jacki Welbig-Stenson
Rapid City – Black Hills Caverns
Isaac Cristol
Rapid City – Black Hills Visitor Information Center
Kelly Braun, Twila Ferguson, Katie Hoeke, Skip Stanec, Ed Toms, Jessica Underwood
Sioux Falls – Experience Sioux Falls
Jessica Pappas and Kristi Desaulniers
Watertown – My Place Hotels
Mamie Blanas and Dennille Goette
Watertown – Quality Inn & Suites
Traci Hanchett
CONTACT
Katlyn Svendsen, Global Public Relations & Content Services Senior Director
Travel South Dakota
Email: [email protected]