Discover Clay: Nature, Museums, and Culture

A stay in Clay can focus on nature, cultural history, and events. There are different ways to plan your trip: river and prairie habitats, trails, museums, or art in the city. Vermillion also has a municipal park system. This gives you options when deciding which themes to include in your trip.

River Landscape and Trails

The Missouri National Recreational River protects sections of the Missouri River in Clay County, South Dakota. It preserves the river’s last unchannelized and undammed stretches, as well as natural floodplain forests, floodplain wetlands, tallgrass prairie, and mixed-grass prairie. The natural setting thus encompasses both the river and a variety of floodplain and prairie habitats.

The Clay County Trail System includes the 1.0-mile Coyote Crossing Trail. The trail has a grass surface and is easy to walk. The City of Vermillion’s park system comprises nine parks covering a total of just over 90 acres. The trail length describes a single route, while the number of parks gives an overview of the municipal park system.

Clay County Park is just west of Vermillion. It offers shaded tent and RV sites, as well as hiking trails, playgrounds, picnic shelters, and a boat ramp. The park also provides nearby access to the Missouri River. Campsites are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. This gives you both specific park amenities and the campsites’ particular assignment system to consider when planning.

Museums and Cultural History

The W. H. Over Museum was founded in 1883 on the University of South Dakota campus. The National Music Museum has twelve exhibition galleries in the historic Carnegie Library. Since August 2023, the entire first floor of the permanent exhibitions has been open. The National Music Museum’s main facility on campus houses exhibitions, events, and classrooms. Accessible parking is located east of the building, and the ramp entrance is wheelchair accessible. Group tours can be booked.

The Austin-Whittemore House Museum preserves a historic family home with stories and mementos from Clay County. Tours are available by appointment. This distinction is important when planning: tours here require an advance arrangement, while the National Music Museum also has exhibition and event spaces.

Spirit Mound is a sacred Lakota site visited by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark in 1804. Six public murals in downtown Vermillion tell stories of local history, identity, and community spirit. SculptureWalk 2026–27 features sculptures on the north side of Main Street between Elm Street and the square. Wacipi is a student powwow on campus that celebrates Indigenous culture through dance, song, and ceremonies.

Events and Local Highlights

The Clay County Fair features livestock shows, live music, barbecue competitions, 4-H competitions, and chainsaw carving; a demolition derby is also held every year. Vermillion’s Oktoberfest celebrates German heritage with Wiener schnitzel, polka music, and local beer. While the fair brings together a range of competitions and demonstrations, Oktoberfest has its own focus on food and music. If an event is a deciding factor in your trip, check the current dates in advance.

Discover more destinations: Vermillion, Union, Stanley, Aurora County, Hutchinson County, Custer County, Brule County, Brookings.

For the main travel overview: South Dakota.