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Aberdeen, South Dakota has Plenty of Familiy Fun to Offer

Aberdeen is a city and the county seat of Brown County, South Dakota, USA, about 125 mi (200 km) N.E. of Pierre. Settled in 1880, it was incorporated in 1882. The city population was 24,658 at the 2000 census. The American News is the local newspaper.

Arts and Culture in Aberdeen, South Dakota

The Aberdeen area has several cultural organizations. The Aberdeen Area Arts Council publishes a small monthly newspaper. The Aberdeen Community Theatre was created in 1979 and performs at the Capitol Theatre in downtown Aberdeen. There are four galleries in Aberdeen: Presentation College's Wein Gallery, Northern State University's Lincoln Gallery, the Aberdeen Recreation & Cultural Center (ARCC) Gallery and the ArtWorks Cooperative Gallery located in The Aberdeen Mall. The South Dakota Film Festival established in 2007 is held annually in the fall. The festival has been host to Kevin Costner, Graham Greene, Adam Greenberg, CSA and many more stars of film and television. The festival's first feature film screened was Into The Wild, shot partially in SD. The festival is held at the historic Capitol Theatre.

Quick History Facts of Aberdeen, South Dakota

Before Aberdeen or Brown County was inhabited by European settlers, it was inhabited by the Sioux Indians from approximately 1700 to 1879. Europeans entered the region for business, founding fur trading posts during the 1820s; these trading posts operated until the mid-1830s. The first group of Euro-American settlers to reach the area that is now Brown County was a party of four people, three horses, two mules, fifteen cattle, and two wagons. Aberdeen, like many towns of the Midwest, was built around the newly developing railroad systems. Aberdeen was first officially plotted as a town site on January 3, 1881, by Charles Prior, the superintendent of the Minneapolis office of the Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul Railroad. Aberdeen had four different railroad companies with depots built in the newly developing town. With these four railroads intersecting here, Aberdeen soon became known as the "Hub City of the Dakotas". The only railroad still running through Aberdeen is the Burlington Northern Santa Fe.

3 Most Popular Attractions found in Aberdeen

Wylie Park, Storybook Land, and Dacotah Prairie Museum are amongst the 3 most popular familiy friendly attractions in Aberdeen, SD.

Wylie Park Recreation Area

Wylie Park Recreation Area features go-kart racing, sand volleyball courts, access to Wylie Lake, camping area, picnic areas, and is connected to Storybook Land. Wylie Lake is a small man-made lake, open in the summer months for swimming, lying on the beach, and paddle boating.

Storybook Land

Storybook Land is a park with attractions from several different children's storybooks. The familiy friendly park contains a castle, as well as a train that takes visitors through the park. There are two barns which contain petting zoos. Humpty Dumpty's Great Fall Roller Coaster was added to the park, summer 2015.

The Dacotah Prairie Museum

The Dacotah Prairie Museum is located in historic downtown Aberdeen. What really makes this museum stand out is the building itself and the taxidermy room. The building is in beautiful condition and is a true jewel in the middle of Aberdeen.

3 Notable people from Aberdeen

Joseph Hansen, Julie Sommars, and Tom Daschle are 3 notable people from Aberdeen. Tom Daschle (born December 9, 1947) is a policy advisor, lobbyist, former U.S. Senator from South Dakota, and former U.S. Senate Majority Leader. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Joseph Hansen (1923 – 2004) was an American crime writer and poet, best known for a series of novels featuring private eye Dave Brandstetter. Julie Sommars (born April 15, 1942) is an American former actress. She won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy for her role in The Governor & J.J. in 1970, and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress on Television for Matlock in 1990. Sommars is best known for her work on television.