Straggling along the east bank of the Missouri River at the center of South Dakota, PIERRE is the second smallest and by far the least sophisticated of all the US state capitals. With none of the plush hotels or fancy restaurants catering to power-broking politicos that you find in other capital cities, Pierre (pronounced "peer") is instead a typical South Dakota town, whose 15,000 residents do their best to ignore the fact that it's the seat of state government.

Apart from the black-domed Capitol itself, which sits in a pleasant park at the northeast edge of downtown and is open for tours (daily 8am-10pm; free), there's not a lot to detain you here. One exception is the worthwhile Cultural Heritage Center (Mon-Fri 9am-4.30pm, Sat & Sun 1-4.30pm; $3), located high on a hill, half a mile north of the capitol, and modeled on traditional Plains Indian dwellings. Repository for the usual barrage of pioneer implements and prehistoric artifacts, the museum is one of few to do more than pay lip service to the state's significant Native American cultures.

Pier 347 , 347 S Pierre St (tel 605/224-2400), offers creative bagels and lattes, while the fast-food chains line up along Sioux Avenue, which also holds the bulk of the town's motels , including the clean and comfortable Governor's Inn , 700 W Sioux Ave (tel 605/224-4200 or 1-800/341-8000; $50-75). Rollins Library at 1000 Church St near the Capitol has internet access. The visitor center is at 108 E Missouri St (tel 605/224-7361 or 1-800/962-2034, ).