state capitol

The legislature was not in session so early Monday morning the building was vacant except for the cleaning crew and me. They showed me the 'blue stones. and 'surveyor brass' and were nothing but pleasant. I had visited the night before and saw the horses and fountain. The geese and ducks are neat but they do leave a mess on the sidewalks. Good visit.

Beautiful state capital that is fun to visit. Typical state capital on the inside but worth a stop, if you like touring historic-type places.

If you can make it there during December to view the Christmas trees, you will enjoy it! The trees are decorated by a variety of associations, and the decor is so creative. Small children will especially enjoy all the beautiful trees. The building itself is so beautiful, and add in all of the Christmas decorations, and it's a treat for the eyes. Feeding the geese is a fun time too. Bring spare shoes, so you can change shoes before you get back in the car. Lots of geese means lots of poo.

My wife and I visited the capitol to see the Christmas trees on display.There are a lot of very beautiful trees and it is very easy to walk around and see all of the trees..Also,the parking was close to the building.

The Pierre Capitol has a lot of history, and when the So. Dak. Congress is in session, you can sit and watch the different sessions in the House or Senate. The Capitol is especially pretty during Christmas time when they bring in lots of trees for different businesses, schools, churches, or other places all over the state of So. Dak. to decorate for the season. One other thing, when you go there, look for the blue tiles, and the heart shaped tiles in the floor, it's also great for the kids to try and find the tiles too.

The South Dakota State Capitol is SOOO Beautiful! The building is beautiful anytime of the year, but especially at Christmas. There are so many beautiful Christmas trees and the people who put them up take such care to make them beautiful. The building is full of interesting history for the State of South Dakota. The paintings of the governors are so lifelike. I liked the display of the dresses that the first ladies wore to the inarugoration of their husbands. The grounds are meticiously kept and the world war statues at Capital lake are well done. My kids love to feed the ducks, geese, and the fish. The memorials are very thought provoking and makes me appreciate the sacrifice of our public servants.

If you are in the area, take the time to visit the state capitol during Christmas when many trees r decorated in the capitol. Everything is volunteer and the place is gorgeous . SD has one of the most beautiful capitols in the nation( we have visited quite a few). There is a brochure there to do a self guided tour and see the beautiful murals, paintings and fantastic glass dome that has just been refurbished. These sights of course u can see anytime not just Christmas . Visit and you will be impressed!

Visited a couple of times during our stay in Pierre. Wanted to book a tour of this fine building but our busy itinerary didn't allow us to do it. Diud get the free guide book which was very informative, and the gift shop was very good with friendly staff. Well worth a visit.

We woke up Sunday morning and thought, oh, what the heck, let's go over to the Capitol Building before we hit the road. Boy, were we ever glad we did! That building is amazing! Just the architecture alone is wonderful...add the stained glass windows, the sculptures, the paintings, the mosaic floors, the gilded radiators, the carved marble water fountains...WOW! We were really blown away by the magnificence of this public building...and to think it was all accomplished through a very public effort! If we ever make it back to Pierre, we will plan ahead and take one of the guided tours--I am absolutely sure it will be worth the money! Next time I will also bring a better camera!

I liked this place, very nice grounds and memorialsNot very busy and I took the self guided tour which was great and well laid out Much history in the building and great to look at

Loved the historic architecture and grounds. The lake on the grounds was lovely. Impressed by the war memorials. Display of miniature dresses worn by former First Ladies of the state, impressive. Some actually made from the original fabric.

Very beautiful. There is a booklet that is available for a self guided tour. Work was being done to restore all of the stained glass. There is a small gift store on the lower floor. Friendly people!

We parked in a big lot on the north side and entered via the north door and found a rack with good self-guided tour information which we followed from entry level up two more stories. No other tourists and only a few staffers were about, the legislature was not in session. The description of the dome and rotunda were mildly interesting, portraits of governors and state supreme court justices less so. The senate and house were in renovation disarray, we viewed them from third floor viewing galleries. If there is a way to climb the dome higher than the third floor, we did not find it. We located a couple of the blue tiles in the mosaic floor. The state capitol appeared to be handicapped accessible, although the fancy men's room I used was not. The South Dakota State Capitol website was little help to tourists, no building layout or parking instructions that I could find. Our travel plans were too loose to arrange a tour three days in advance. The gift shop closed while were upstairs, we might have bought a postcard.

We found easy parking close by and walked the entire grounds. The grounds were beautiful and very well maintained. The memorials were awesome and a great experience for all.

Beautiful architecture and grounds. Self tour booklet available. Also have guided tour. Great place to walk around and explore on your own. Must see if you are in Pierre.