Deadwood - shootouts worth it?

I have two boys ages 7 and 11 and thought Deadwood would be a good stop mainly because of the western shootouts. Unfortunately, the shootouts are suspended during our time in the area due to an event (Kool Deadwood Nites).

I could flip my trip and do this area first but we are arriving quite late (fly into Rapid City around 9:15 p.m.) on our arrival day and so I planned to start at Hill city. We are staying at Spearfish Canyon lodge for our last two nights to see the northern Black Hills area and Devil%26#39;s Tower. Is it worth rearranging our trip to avoid the festival and see Deadwood in it%26#39;s usual mode? While we are not likely to do a repeat trip to this area we will likely come upon another %26#39;western town%26#39; opportunity in the future (e.g. Grand Canyon area).

Deadwood - shootouts worth it?

Whether you rearrange your plans is up to. You said you%26#39;re staying in Hill City for six nights? I would consider two trips to Deadwood. A half-day trip from Hill City to Deadwood while you%26#39;re staying in Hill City would allow you to catch the shootout on one of the days before Kool Deadwood Nites starts. Honestly--it%26#39;s not going to take you a lot longer to get to Deadwood from Hill City than Spearfish Canyon Lodge anyway. Then come back and check out Kool Deadwood Nites. I would guess your boys might get more excited about Deadwood with all of the classic cars.

With all of the casinos, I wouldn%26#39;t say Deadwood%26#39;s ';usual mode'; gets changed all that much during Kool Deadwood Nites. Deadwood has great architecture in a great setting with historic events and features, but it%26#39;s not like you%26#39;re walking onto the set of the HBO show when you%26#39;re there. While historic, it%26#39;s not like it was in 1876.

You also might want to check into the shootout that they have in Hill City. I don%26#39;t know the particulars but I do know that they have some sort of shootout. A storekeeper mentioned it to me when I was in Hill City a couple weeks ago. Try contacting the Hill City Chamber for info: http://www.hillcitysd.com/

Deadwood - shootouts worth it?

Thanks so much Accomodator for all your info and ideas! It sounds like we could make a late afternoon into dinner run to Deadwood one evening from Hill City?

I would not rearrange my trip to watch actors shoot at each other. If your kids don%26#39;t know about it, they won%26#39;t even miss it. They probably would have just as much fun playing mini golf, or fishing, or playing in a creek or taking a hike!!

Have a fun trip.

Whole thing lasts about 10 minutes and was very cheesey and poorly acted. The actual ';shoot out'; part took place way up the street away from ANY of the people watching. They did take a couple shots up in the air closer up. The blanks they use are enhanced with some stuff like Crisco for more smoke and flash so perhaps when shooting horizontal there are safety issues.

All that said the actors got all the kids involved (and sworn in as little deputies) and before and after they did photo ops with the crowd...Wild Bill being particularly popular.

While on way to Devils Tower if via I-90 just over the border at Wyoming exit 199 look for the tepee on the right just before the exit. This is the Vore Buffalo Jump and is very interesting. Free but they ask for a donation to support research and part-time guides. You can take this road north on a nice loop to DT as well.

A late afternoon/evening trip to Deadwood from Hill City isn%26#39;t a big deal but it%26#39;s a good 45 minutes each way. It%26#39;s a nice drive--not the most scenic you will have in the area but pretty enough. It%26#39;s not a terribly tough drive at night as 385 is one of the straighter highways in the Black Hills.

Doesn%26#39;t sound like it%26#39;s worth the extra trip out? I guess we%26#39;ll take a peek during our stay in Lead. Neither of my boys are car buffs (they would have preferred the cowboys) so I will only brave going in if the crowds are not bad.