We all have those airports we love to visit. However, it could be pretty shocking when you visit smaller cities with airports barely the size of a parking lot.

For those who think Sioux Falls Regional Airport is one of the smallest airports in the country, you may be a bit surprised. Based on 5,080 public airports in the country, according to Statisa.com, it is somewhere right in the middle.

So if the  Sioux Falls Regional Airport is not one of the smallest airports, are there any really small airports in South Dakota?  If so, where are they located?  Furthermore, has a South Dakota airport been named as one of the best small airports in the country?

Get our free mobile app

So many questions, so little time to answer them.  Well for starters, there are two airports in the state of South Dakota that are considered to be a few of the smallest airports in the United States.  In fact, one airport in the state is the third smallest airport.

Any guesses?  Drum roll please...Watertown Regional Airport is the third smallest airport in the country.  Two airports smaller than Watertown are the Middle Georgia Regional Airport in Georgia and Buchanan Field Airport located in California.  The airport located in Pierre, South Dakota (Pierre Regional Airport) is listed as one of the top 20 smallest airports in the country sitting at number 17.

The second question: Has a South Dakota airport been identified as one of the best small airports in the nation?  Well, not quite.  However, there is an airport in Iowa that is listed as one of the best small airports.

An article from USA Today 10 Best ranked the top ten best small airports in the country.  The airports on this list service less than 10 million passengers a year!  Just making the top ten on the list is...the Des Moines International Airport in Des Moines, Iowa at the number ten spot. The top five best small airports based on USA Today 10 Best include:

  1. Myrtle Beach International Airport - Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
  2. Huntsville International Airport - Huntsville, Alabama
  3. T.F. Green Airport - Warwick, Rhode Island
  4. Long Island MacArthur Airport - Islip, New York
  5. Piedmont Triad International Airport - Greensboro, North Carolina

No matter what the size of the airport, the art of flying is truly one of the greatest inventions of all time!  Thanks to Wilbur and Orville Wright, any day is always a great day to fly!

Diverging Diamond

More From KXRB