Great Plains Zoo Opening New Splash Pad

The Great Plains Zoo is getting ready for a hot sunny summer. They're gearing up to open the newly constructed splash pad on Monday, May 27 - Memorial Day!

Now kids can stop for a bit and cool down between visiting all the animals. Splash Pad access is included with zoo admission or membership.

Courtesy Great Plains Zoo Facebook and Canva

The Splash Pad will have different areas for children ages zero to two, for toddlers, and for older kids too.

Accessibility was top of mind when they were designing the splash pad and it will have a family restroom with a "fee-based dryer, so kids can dry off after they splash" and an adult-size changing table.

Every day the splash pad will open 30 minutes after the zoo does and stop 30 minutes before the zoo closes.

Beginning Memorial Day the zoo will have new summer hours, staying open until 7 PM on "Wild Wednesday" nights with games, giraffe feedings, and cafe specials too.

35 Movies That Take Place in South Dakota

When it comes to South Dakota and Hollywood, we've seen our fair share of films that have used our state as the backdrop for a number of productions over the years. They may not have always filmed here, but movie folk love to set stories here.

We're all familiar with the blockbusters like 1990's Dances With Wolves, 1959's North By Northwest, and more recently, 2007's National Treasure: Book of Secrets. But our state's life on the big screen goes back nearly 100 years.

According to IMDb, it all started with Courtin' Wildcats, a 1929 film which, like so many of the 29 films on this list, is a Western set in the time before South Dakota became a state in 1889.

Gallery Credit: Jeff Harkness/B1027.com

11 Things You’ll Only Understand After Living in South Dakota

From soda to pop to sloppy Joes, different parts of the country have their local quirks and language. Simple phrases can have totally different means, local events may seem weird, and food may go by a unique name.

If you're new to South Dakota here is a sort of translation guide for some odd things you may see or hear.

Gallery Credit: Ben Kuhns

Source: Great Plains Zoo Opening New Splash Pad