South Dakota is one of those places that's just pure, unexpected awesomeness. What some folks might (incorrectly) describe as a "flyover state" (nooooo) is, in fact, an amazing place with so many things to do, see, and experience that one could probably miss a few things in even a lifetime of exploration.

Of course, a lot of the time, exploration costs money - but not always. After all, there are plenty of fun, free things to do in South Dakota that won't cost you a dime but WILL enrich your mind, like the nothing-short-of-epic Museum of Geology, which is hiding in two buildings on the South Dakota Mines campus and just WAITING to be discovered.

You can discern which buildings the museum is hiding in because, well, once you're on campus it's no longer a hidden secret. Instead, the campus celebrates it, with big, colorful banners outside beckoning us all to come inside.

And come inside we should, because this place rules. I'm pretty sure this is the coolest thing to do in South Dakota for free, but I could be biased thanks to my minor obsession with earth science. Here, you'll find the fossils and skeletons of numerous critters that used to live right here in the Mount Rushmore State, like marine reptiles, some mammals, fish, and plenty of dinosaurs; you'll learn about the amazing processes that made and/or preserved them.

It's not every day you come face-to-face with dinosaurs... unless you come to the museum every day... in which case, I don't blame you.

So, which buildings should you keep your eye out for? The exhibits and public programming are on the third floor of the O'Hara Building, and collections and laboratories can be found in the Paleontology Research Laboratory.

Sure, we can't time travel, but places like this can get us at least a little closer to understanding and being immersed in our own natural history. My favorite thing about the whole place is that all of these creatures, big and small, called South Dakota home at some point over the last 500 million years - how cool is that?

If you call ahead (605-394-2467), you can schedule a guided tour of the museum, which is always an awesome time. There's always something cool going on around here, like the popular Night At The Museum event in the fall and the beloved Dinosaur Eggstravaganza in the spring. In the summer, high schoolers can enjoy a fabulously fascinating geology or paleontology field camp. There's something amazing here for everyone.

For more information about the museum, including the most up-to-date hours and event schedule, be sure to visit the official Museum of Geology website. If you're planning to visit South Dakota and need an affordable place to stay, I think you'll love the deals you can find with our friends at Extended Stay America.

Need some more ideas? Check out some other awesome things to do for free in South Dakota.