Madison

Small South Dakota university city on Lake Herman, with prairie parks and Dakota State campus life.

Madison is a small city of about 7,000 people in eastern South Dakota, roughly 40 miles northwest of Sioux Falls. It sits on the shore of Lake Herman and is the home of Dakota State University, which gives it a bit more life than most towns this size on the prairie.

Lake Herman State Park, just west of town, is a pleasant spot for swimming, fishing, and camping in summer. The park includes a historic homestead cabin from 1871. Prairie Village on the north shore of the lake preserves over 40 historic buildings from the Dakota Territory era, and hosts an annual steam-threshing jamboree in July that is one of the region's more unusual events.

Guide

Things to Do

Madison is a small South Dakota prairie city with a pleasant lake on its doorstep and a state university providing a low-key cultural life. The area is best for outdoor recreation — swimming, fishing, and bird-watching around Lake Herman — rather than for sightseeing, but there are a handful of specific attractions worth knowing about.

Guide

When to Go

Madison has a continental prairie climate with hot summers, cold winters, and dramatic seasonal swings. Summer (June through August) is the best time to visit for outdoor activities: Lake Herman is warm enough for swimming, the fishing is good, and Prairie Village runs its seasonal programs. The annual threshing jamboree at Prairie Village in late July is the biggest event of the year.

Spring and autumn are pleasant but brief — the shoulder seasons here are measured in weeks. Winter brings genuine cold and snow; ice fishing on Lake Herman is a local tradition, but visitors from warmer climates will need proper gear.