I'm going to be honest, I haven't spent a whole lot of time in this South Dakota city since I was in college. Go ahead, I'll pause for the jokes.

Back then it was a very romantic place to be. Not because of the city itself, but because of who you were with, where you would go, what you would do. Those were the things that made it romantic.

But on its own- -Vermillion- -the most romantic city in South Dakota? Who says so? Livability does. It is a travel and lifestyle website that explores small and medium-sized cities to find what makes them special, or, livable, or, in this case- - romantic.

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I've already admitted that I haven't spent any quality time in Vermillion, since I was at USD (University of South Dakota). But I do have some very sweet memories from that time.

Sharing a cup of java at The Coffee Shoppe on Clark Street across from Slagle Hall could be a fairly romantic experience. The shop was in what we thought was probably a historic home of some sort, and of course, it is sadly, no longer there.

They would serve coffee in these giant red-ringed white cups, which you literally, had to hold with both hands, and there were saucers for the cups. Just like grownups would use. A rainy or snowy afternoon spent in there was delicious!

And don't get me started about sharing a hot, smoky pizza from R-Pizza, with someone you were crushing on. But even the worst piece of R-Pizza was better than a sloppy kissing session with a sophomore percussion major. (Sorry Mark!) Thankfully R-Pizza lives on! That is how good that place is!

I still say that the Wine & Del was one of the best restaurants, (romantic or not) ever! The delicatessen concept was very new back then, so a restaurant that served one of the best pastrami sandwiches in the world (truly), while sitting on Main Street in Vermillion, South Dakota, was remarkable.

It was also the first place I'd ever been in that let you eat peanuts and throw the shells on the floor. The music was low and so were the lights, aided only by candles on the tables. So you had the romantic ambiance, you just had to add the romance.

That, however, was long ago. This is what Livability has to say about Vermillion's romantic status now:

Vermillion has garnered a handful of unique little titles and catchphrases, like being “the spirit of South Dakota” and “close to everything, far from ordinary.” But my personal favorite is “the Miami of South Dakota.” So what about it earns it these awesome titles? Well, there’s the fact that it sits between two big highways, which essentially means you have lots more opportunities open to you. If you can’t find exactly what you’re looking for in Vermillion, you can take a short drive to where you can. But within the city, you can see live shows, shop in its downtown district and visit tons of beautiful parks!

Agree? Disagree?

Source: Livability

Good Earth State Park-South Dakota

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