Wall Drug, Tourist destination in Wall, South Dakota, US
Wall Drug is a sprawling complex of interconnected buildings in the small town of Wall, South Dakota, combining retail stores, restaurants, art galleries, and a working pharmacy under a shared roof. The compound stretches across several city blocks with covered walkways, interior courtyards, and more than a dozen themed rooms styled after the American West.
Ted Hustead opened a small pharmacy in Wall in 1931 and began offering free ice water to travelers to draw them off the nearby highway. The idea proved successful and transformed the business over the decades into one of the most visited attractions in the Great Plains.
The wooden passages and courtyards display hand-painted signs with cowboy and prairie motifs, while the retail rooms are decorated with historic saddles, horseshoes, and wagon wheels. Visitors see reconstructed 19th-century saloon fronts and can photograph themselves beside life-size fiberglass figures of cowboys and frontier characters.
The complex opens daily and offers free admission to all areas, including the galleries and exhibition rooms. Visitors find public restrooms, parking directly in front of the entrance, and can move freely even during short stops.
A collection of more than 6,000 signs advertising the business is spread along highways across the western and midwestern states and reaches as far as Alaska. The concrete dinosaur at the entrance is a popular photo spot for families and was built in 1960 as an advertising feature.
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