The town of WALL , eight miles north of the Badlands, may look like nothing special, yet thanks to Wall Drug , begun modestly in 1931 as a pharmacy and veterinary supplies shop on Main Street, it's known around the world. You'll learn about Wall Drug's presence long before you reach town. Over five hundred billboards along I-90 tout its wares, including the free ice water that was its original sales gimmick. By the time you get to exit 110 (the one with the 85ft Wall Drug dinosaur), you'll be compelled to pull off and see what all the fuss is about.

Behind the hype lies a kitschy emporium that serves up to twenty thousand visitors per day. You can fill up on steaks or cakes in the 520-seat café-cum-Western art gallery, or just enjoy the wall-to-wall collection of photos, memo-rabilia, animal trophies and mechanical automata like the Cowboy Orchestra and the Chuckwagon Quartet. The merchandise runs the gamut from quality (an excellent Western bookstore and a complete trail outfitters) to junk (anyone for a rattlesnake mold?). Most compelling, though, is the crackpot cornucopia atmosphere of this ultimate family store, a downmarket, down-home Disneyland wallowing in nostalgia. Beyond the Wall Drug billboards lie the impressive Buffalo Gap National Grasslands , an empty and remote portion of South Dakota so bleak it's almost beautiful. The National Grasslands Visitor Center , at 708 Main St (daily 8am-6pm), makes a good jumping-off point and will provide maps.

There's absolutely no reason to spend the night in Wall, but if you're stuck try the Best Western Plains Motel , 712 Glenn St (tel 605/279-2145; $75-100), or the slightly less expensive Super 8 across the road at 711 Glenn St (tel 605/279-2688 or 1-800/843-1991; $75-100). The Cactus Café and Lounge on Main Street (tel 605/279-2561) offers a mixed menu of reasonably priced Mexican, Italian and American food.

Wall

• Wall

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