Literary Tourism

Literary Tourism: Storybook Island in South Dakota

Take a look around Storybook Island in South Dakota, an adorable little park for book lovers of all ages (but mostly children).

Ashley Holstrom

Staff Writer

Ashley Holstrom helps make books at Sourcebooks. She lives near Chicago with her cat named after Hemingway and her bookshelves organized by color. Newsletter: Crooked Reads. Twitter: @alholstrom.

View All posts by Ashley Holstrom

In the home state of Laura Ingalls Wilder and the Little House on the Prairie books, there’s another happy little bookish place: Storybook Island in South Dakota.

It’s a free theme park in Rapid City, open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily from Memorial Day through Labor Day.

I should have assumed it was a park for children and a common place for children’s birthday parties. But I strolled around the park, skipping toward my favorite characters and snapping pictures of the cutest figures anyway.

Here is only a sampling of the delightful friends at the park. There are so many more, and a handful I didn’t even recognize.

If you’re traveling in the area, be sure to check out Literary Tourism of the Great Plains, too.

Welcome to Storybook Island:

Storybook Island in South Dakota

Say hi to Little Bo Peep:

Little Bo Peep at Storybook Island in South Dakota

Admire Rapunzel’s strong locks:

Rapunzel at Storybook Island in South Dakota

Have a photo shoot with Winnie the Pooh’s pals:

Winnie the Pooh Pals at Storybook Island in South Dakota

Follow the Yellow Brick Road with Dorothy and friends:

Wizard of Oz at Storybook Island in South Dakota

A park dedicated to children’s books would be incomplete without a Little Free Library:

Little Free Library at Storybook Island in South Dakota