From Falls Park to hills towns, South Dakota leans into the season with elaborate light displays. The state's calendar fills each year with events that draw crowds from far beyond its borders.

Falls Park in Sioux Falls hosts a large winter light display.

What sets it apart

Hills towns like Spearfish and Deadwood string their historic districts. For those who know the region well, it is a quiet point of pride.

Drive-through light shows have become a regional holiday tradition.

Why it matters

What ties it all together is a distinctly South Dakota balance between the wild and the worked-over. For the crowds who return year after year, it has become a fixture of the South Dakota calendar.