Landing at Watertown Regional Airport in Watertown puts you at the center of a region, where glacial lakes, prairie towns, and good fishing are close by. Watertown is the hub of South Dakota's Glacial Lakes country, with Lake Kampeska on one side of town and Pelican Lake on the other. It is a practical, friendly place with a revived uptown, strong hunting and angling traditions, and sunsets that go on forever.

Experiences around Watertown: - See the original paintings at the Redlin Art Center, built for hometown artist Terry Redlin - Walk through Bramble Park Zoo, a small zoo with a surprising range of animals - Tour the Mellette House, home of the state's first governor - Fish for walleye on Lake Kampeska or Lake Poinsett to the south - Catch a show at the restored Goss Opera House uptown - Hunt pheasants in the fall, when the whole region fills with blaze orange - Bike the trail around Lake Kampeska and swim at Sandy Shore Recreation Area

Brookings, home to South Dakota State University, the South Dakota Art Museum, and McCrory Gardens, is under an hour south of Watertown. De Smet, where Laura Ingalls Wilder grew up, is about an hour southwest, and the hills around Sisseton and Big Stone Lake are about an hour north. Sioux Falls and Aberdeen are each under two hours. Order chislic, the cubed fried meat that counts as the state snack, and a slice of kuchen, the German custard cake that is the state dessert. In summer the lakes are busy, in winter they become ice-fishing villages, and either way Watertown makes a good base.