Updated for September 2026
The Best Zoos in South Dakota
How this list is ordered: by how complete our listing is — how much we hold on opening hours, ticket prices, accreditation, photographs, animals and facilities. It is a measure of our own coverage, not a judgement of the venue. We hold no visitor scores or conservation assessments, so “best” here means every zoo in South Dakota that qualifies for the list, fullest entry first.
Listed alphabetically
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Bramble Park Zoo
Zoo in Watertown
Fifteen acres hold roughly 500 animals from 130 species, making this the second-largest zoo in the state. It stays open through the year, with added measures for animal welfare in winter. Reaccreditation was refused in September 2024.
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Great Plains Zoo
Zoo in Sioux Falls
The city and a zoological society run it jointly, with the city holding the land, buildings and assets and keeping up the grounds.
More in South Dakota
View all South Dakota listingsOur ranking methodology
This is not a ranking. The 2 venues above are listed alphabetically by name, the same order used throughout this site. We do not collect visitor reviews, star ratings, ticket-sales figures or a conservation-impact score, so none of those exist here to rank by — “best” in this page’s title means every venue that qualifies for this list, not first-to-last by quality. If we ever add a data source robust enough to support an honest ranking, this note and the order above will change together.