Shopping

The Famous Wall Drug Store -- You'll see the signs offering "free ice water" at the Wall Drug Store, 510 Main St., Wall, about 8 miles north of Badlands National Park on S. Dak. 240 and I-90. And you'll see them almost everywhere you go throughout the Black Hills region, all telling you how many miles it is to the small town of Wall and its eponymous drugstore. In fact, there are now more than 3,000 of these signs, all over the world. The advertising gimmick saved a small-town drugstore in an isolated community from bankruptcy during the Great Depression. Dorothy and Ted Hustead's marketing also turned their little establishment into a block-long Old West emporium that draws crowds from all over the United States and the world. You can buy pancakes or doughnuts (some of the best in the state, in fact), American Indian crafts, books, jewelry, and Western apparel, and watch the animated "cowboy band" perform every 15 minutes. Do you want a "genuine" jackalope? Yes, they've got those, too. Oh, and the ice water is still free. There's free entry to this 76,000-square-foot icon. Want to know more? Go to www.walldrug.com. Open 6:30am to 10pm.