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Perhaps the city's biggest sporting event comes in the second week of March, when The Summit League, an NCAA Division I conference with its offices in the city, holds its men's and women's basketball tournaments at the city's largest (and newest) sporting venue, the Denny Sanford Premier Center. For each tournament, eight of the 10 member schools converge on Sioux Falls, playing for the league's automatic bids to the NCAA men's and women's tournaments. Despite the Summit being very much a mid-major conference, both tournaments draw large and enthusiastic crowds. Attendance for the women's tournament final regularly tops all other NCAA Division I women's conference finals—even those of "power conferences".
More than 200 collections dedicated to preserving and interpreting the history and cultures of the Northern Plains. Free admission, but freewill donations are appreciated.
Open seven days a week, hours vary by season. More than 500 animals, from penguins to tigers to baby rhinos, inhabit the grounds. Admission is $7 for adults, $4 for children ages 3 to 12.