For this year’s road trip, the 605 team hopped into our Sprinter Van, Vincent Van-Go, and traveled to Watertown for the 11th Annual Cookin’ on Kampeska. Over the three-day event, visitors gather together to experience live music, local cuisine, and family-friendly activities.
Throughout our trip, the team was ecstatic to explore what Watertown had to offer with its unique food, drink, and entertainment options.
ROAD TRIP ITINERARY
Recreate 605’s road trip! Check out our activities below.
BRAMBLE PARK ZOO
brambleparkzoo.com
(605) 882-6269
OH BABY O’S
Facebook.com
(605) 886-6586
GATHER
Facebook.com
(605) 878-0177
AMJ STYLE
amjstyle.com
(605) 520-0517
1906 BOUTIQUE& SALON
Facebook.com
HOT MAMMA MACK’S
Facebook.com
(605) 880-4574
WATERTOWN CONFECTIONERY / GHOST TOWN WINERY
Facebook.com
(605) 753-5249
MAKEPEACE JEWELERS
Facebook.com
(605) 886-5346
WATERTOWN BREWING COMPANY
watertownbrewing.com
(605) 878-2739
THE PROP
Facebook.com
(605) 886-7523
COOKIN’ ON KAMPESKA
cookinonkampeska.com
(605) 886-5814
BACKROADS COFFEEHOUSE & LUNCHBOXX
backroadscoffeehouse.com
THE GOSS OPERA HOUSE
Thegossoperahouse.com
(605) 753-0200
HARRY’S HAIRCUTS BAR AND GRILL
harryshaircutsbarandgrill.com
(605) 878-3311
THE SANDBAR
Facebook.com
(605) 753-9040
WHEEL INN CAFE
watertownwheelinn.com
(605) 886-4649
AN UPCLOSE EXPERIENCE
Our first stop in Watertown was the Bramble Park Zoo to partake in the VIP experience. We were greeted by zoo director Dan Miller as we hopped onto his golf cart, and began our journey to our first exhibit.
Our short ride led us to Linus, the sloth. Here we met up with zoo keeper, Olivia Wulff, who took us behind the scenes.
As we stepped into Linus’s enclosure, everyone took their rightful turn to pet him, and some of us even received little kisses from the sluggish tree-dweller, which in my opinion was the best part of the trip.
We met the zoo’s camel, Bobby Sue, and here 605’s Alana and John Snyder, and Cailyn Patterson stepped right up to feed Bobby Sue her lunch.
Our final exhibits included meeting the North American River Otters, Don, Baro, and Monty, the American Black Bears, Yoni, and Hailey, and the Snow Leopard, Maddie.
The rest of our visit was filled with taking advantage of the photo opportunities the zoo has to offer.
FACT:
WATERTOWN SITS ON THE BIG SIOUX RIVER & TWO MAJOR LAKES, LAKE PELICAN & LAKE KAMPESKA.
POPULAR PRETZELS
We piled back into our van and headed to fill our rumbling bellies at Oh Baby O’s. The soft pretzel shop has become a Watertown staple.
The local eatery offers a wide variety of menu items like pizzas, pretzel bites, hot dogs, and sweet desserts.
As we munched on our array of dishes, Oh Baby O’s began to fill up with hungry customers on their lunch break. We saw how popular the shop has become since opening 20 years ago.
DOWNTOWN DELIGHTS
After satisfying our hunger, we headed towards downtown Watertown to meet with Lindsay Stangl, director of marketing for Visit Watertown.
The team trickled into Gather—a coffee and gift shop that has become a classic stop for everyday coffee addicts, foodies, and shoppers.
We ordered an afternoon pick-me-up before sitting down and chatting with Stangl, who led us to more downtown shops: AMJ Style, 1906 Boutique and Salon, Makepeace Jewelers, Watertown Confectionery/Ghost Town Winery, and Hot Mamma Mack’s.
Hot Mamma Mack’s specializes in ready-made freezer meals, homemade salsa, spicy pickles, and more. Recently the storefront has become a station for South Dakota State University Ice Cream—a true South Dakota treat.
Next, we headed to Foundation Plaza, which allows locals to bring their kids to the new Splash Pad.
KAMPESKA: NIGHT ONE
Our next stop was The Prop—a family-friendly pub resting along the banks of Lake Kampeska.
A unique aspect of The Prop is the ceiling covered in business cards and signed dollar bills, so of course 605 Magazine had to be a part of this long-time tradition.
After our filling meal, the team headed to the first night of the annual Cookin’ on Kampeska. The three-day event consists of live music, a friendly cooking competition, and bouncy houses for kids.
Alana, John, Cailyn, and I wandered around Stokes- Thomas Lake City Park, taking in the action and talking with locals.
We listened to the music of The Johnny Holm Band before loading our van back up and heading back to My Place Hotel to get some shut-eye.
SAVE THE DATE
12TH ANNUAL COOKIN’ ON KAMPESKA
JULY 18-20, 2024
FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT:
COOKINONKAMPESKA.COM/EVENTS
A HAUNTINGLY GOOD TIME
The next morning, 605’s Greta Smith joined us as we headed to our first stop of the day: Backroads Coffee House & Lunchboxx. The staff welcomed and served us an abundance of food and drinks.
What our team enjoyed most was the beverage flight with three of Backroads’ signature drinks: Cookies and Cream Cold Brew, S’mores Latte, and Ultra Violet.
We left with drinks in hand and headed to the building in the heart of downtown, The Goss Opera House. Jamie Mack, executive director, guided us through the facility.
The Goss Opera House serves the town as an event space for concerts, weddings, and corporate events.
Mack told us of the legendary ghost story of traveling performer, Maud, who burned to death in a boarding room in 1936.
We continued our tour, but not before John told us of hearing a whisper in his ear, where we stressed it was the ghost.
He, to this day, believes it was one of our staff members, who were nowhere near him at the time of said whisper.
As our tour concluded, we wandered into Maude’s Mercantile, the neighboring boutique full of goods and wondrous curiosities.
A NOSH & A CUT
The 605 team met up with the rest of the Visit Watertown team at Harry’s Haircuts Bar & Grill to catch up and enjoy comradery.
Harry’s, a family-friendly sports bar, serves a large selection of hamburgers, in-house smoked wings, salads, wraps, nachos, tacos, and appetizers.
On top of the extensive food menu, the bar hosts 36 beers on tap and a full liquor bar. But what most visitors don’t expect is that you can get a fresh haircut during your visit.
In the same building is an upscale hair salon specializing in men’s haircuts and beard trims.
John was eager to get a haircut, so as our team sat munching on appetizers and sipping on a flight of beers, John was getting a fresh new ‘do.
KAMPESKA: NIGHT TWO
We stopped for dinner at The Sandbar—a restaurant nestled on the shore of Lake Kampeska.
As we waited for our meal, Greta and I walked around in the water, while Cailyn desperately tried to lure a seagull her way.
Once we headed back out for the second night of Cookin’ on Kampeska, we spent time roaming around, checking out the People’s Choice Chislic Competition, and watching the KXLG Radio Boat Parade.
A line of boats soared across the water while families watched, played in the water, and enjoyed live music from Breaking Bob.
KILLING KARAOKE
Next, we headed back to Harry’s for a night of karaoke. Located above the main floor is a speakeasy atmosphere with a stage, full bar, and arcade games.
Greta, Cailyn, John, Alana, and I all took the stage, performing a song or two for the small group of customers in the bar.
The night ended with a jam session on the way back to the hotel, celebrating a successful road trip.
PLAN YOUR TRIP
USE THE HASHTAG #605ROADTRIP & #VISITWATERTOWNSD WHEN VISITING THESE DESTINATIONS!
BREAKFAST BITES
One more stop remained on our itinerary: Wheel Inn Café.
The family restaurant is open seven days a week, serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The staff prides itself on good service and home-cooked food. We sat down with Stangl and ordered a hearty breakfast.
Once we finished our plates of eggs, sausage, bacon, and pancakes, the team said “see you soon” to Stangl before heading back to Sioux Falls.
