darn, I was just up in Vermillion a few months ago. Thank you for the pictures, they're so neat.

I can see taking a special trip (not that far away).

(i really like the house organ (it's huge))

I really appreciate how you posted the descriptions. WELL DONE

Thanks very much for the photos. Very nice post.

Hmmm... I attended medical school in Vermillion (a long time ago) and lived on Clark Street not too far from the museum. But I never knew about the museum. My mind was elsewhere. I will be retiring in SD in 2011 and will make a point to visit the museum when I'm back.

Direct flights to South Dakota do not exist. Generally you must fly through either Minneapolis (Delta Airlines) or Salt Lake City (Delta) or Denver (United). The best way to get to Vermillion is to fly to Sioux Falls, SD which is about a 50 mile drive to Vermillion. You can also fly to Sioux City, IA which is about 40 miles from Vermillion. There is no airport in Vermillion.

Vermillion is a small university town not far from the Misssouri River breaks. The University of SD is a full time campus with about 5,000 to 6,000 students.

Vermillion is about 400 miles from Rapid City and the Badlands where you will find the major tourist attractions of SD (Black Hills, Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse Monument, Wind Cave, etc.). The Sturgis motorcycle rally is held annually in Sturgis, SD about 25 miles from Rapid City. That usually attracts about 500,000 people for a week in the Black Hills.

I will be retiring in Rapid City, my hometown, in 2011.

Rod Michael,

Thank you for the details about getting to Vermillion, I'd wondered what the best approach was.

I mentioned the idea of taking a PWPF group through and got a great response from the nice folks at the Museum.

I also hinted that we would like some pianos to play as well (I believe the museum pianos are hands-off, unlike the pianos at the Fredericks Historical Piano Collection).

One of the curators said that shouldn't be a problem as there are plenty of pianos on campus.

Could be a fun way to spend a day.
Tour the museum
Plays some pianos
Meet for dinner somewhere

Something to consider.

Very Nice ...

Thank You ..

Excellent museum. I visited two years ago. It's a natural stop on the way to the Corn Palace (in Mitchell, SD) or Wall Drug (in Wall, SD) or even Rapid City, SD.

Thank you for sharing the photos from the collection at Vermillion. Since I may never be able to see the collection in person, it was nice to see the photos. I've just read a section about the collection in the book "A Splintered History of Wood" by Spike Carlsen, in case no one had mentioned that connection yet.

John in South Carolina (but originally from Nebraska)

Thank you or these great piano photos! Amazing collection!