I am thinking about taking my 3 kids (13, 10 and 2)on a road trip tomorrow to South Dakota- just the 4 of us because my husband is going camping with his friends-YIKES! Originally I thought we%26#39;d go next weekend (and he still wouldn%26#39;t be able to go because he has to work), but the weather is supposed to be nice this weekend, and there%26#39;s a 60% chance of rain forcasted for next weekend. I just want to get in one last road trip while the weather is still warm! Plus, we%26#39;ll be moving away from this area, probably back east, early next summer and I%26#39;m having a baby next March, so I kindof think this will be my last chance to see anything out west. :(
We would be driving from the suburbs of Denver. What is the best route to take? Mapquest and Google give different directions. I%26#39;m thinking we would leave as soon as school lets out tomorrow and drive up there, so we%26#39;d have all day Saturday, but only half a day Sunday. However, I think I may let the kids play hookie on Monday, so we%26#39;d have an extra day. It would be an educational experience, right?!
What are your ';must sees?'; I know I%26#39;d like to go to Mt. Rushmore and to the Badlands, other than that I don%26#39;t know. All the little cheesy stuff like storybook island (for the 2 year old) are closed already. I was also thinking of staying at the La Quinta WaTiki waterpark place because the kids would love it! I know there are other interesting things to see, but with our time constraints would it be worthwhile to try to drive further out to do some other things? As a child, my family took a trip out to SD and I remember going to the Corn Palace (but we were driving from the east- definately not an option for us this time), Mt. Rushmore, we hiked in the badlands, went to Wall Drug, and we drove through some wildlife park and a moose came up and licked our car window! It was a fun family time for me as a kid and I want my kids to have a good time, too. Thanks!
Rapid City area this weekend with 3 kids- what should we do?You really won%26#39;t have much time for exploring, so I%26#39;d try to keep it simple. The Badlands will eat up quite a bit of time, unfortunately. I don%26#39;t know if I%26#39;d do it with your short time in the area. Your children would probably enjoy spending time at Custer State Park. You can drive the Wildlife Loop, where you will see bison, wild burros, pronghorn, deer, prairie dogs, etc, and maybe check out Sylvan Lake. The kids would enjoy climbing on the rocks and walking around the lake.
Your kids might enjoy Bear Country %26amp; the Reptile Gardens on Rt. 16 right outside Rapid City. Bear Country is a drive through zoo with a small viewing area for animals at the end of the loop, and the Reptile Gardens has shows and several indoor exhibits.
Also of interest would be Wind or Jewel Cave. The tours are very educational; the rangers always do an excellent job providing information on the formations and some of the history of the caves.
I wouldn%26#39;t schedule anymore than these things with your limited time. If time permits, I know you can always find additional activities. The opportunities are endless in the hills.
Have a good time.
Rapid City area this weekend with 3 kids- what should we do?Spend 1 full day going to Mount Rushmore and as much as Custer State Park as possible--especially the Needles Highway. Also drive Iron Mountain Road to Mount Rushmore. This is the Buffalo Roundup and Arts Festival weekend in the park. The actual buffalo roundup is Monday. This is a big event so there will be a lot of stuff going on and a lot of people in the park. www.sdgfp.info/Parks/Regions/Custer/round.htm
Spend what%26#39;s left of your second day going to the Badlands. Then you can either go home or spend the rest of the day with some kid-friendly activities around Rapid City like Bear Country or Reptile Gardens. Don%26#39;t miss Dinosaur Park and Skyline Drive.
For a route to get here, you can take I-25 up to Orin Junction and then go to Lusk and take US18 to the Black Hills. You can also go up through Nebraska by taking I-76 out of Denver and then going through Sidney and Alliance. I prefer the Wyoming route but the Nebraska route is nice if you%26#39;re trying to avoid I-25 traffic leaving Denver on a Friday night.
Thanks for the info! I will take the Wyoming route and hopefully won%26#39;t get caught in too much traffic since I%26#39;m picking up the kids from school and heading straight out at 2:30. We will be staying 3 nights and the kids will be playing hookie from school on Monday. So, hopefully we can get up early Saturday and do Mount Rushmore, then go to Custer and still be back at the hotel early enough for the kids to have a few hours at the water park (they don%26#39;t close till 10, so if we%26#39;re back by 6, we should be ok.) Then spend Sunday at the Badlands and maybe do Bear Country Monday morning, have lunch, and then head home. If the Badlands doesn%26#39;t take all day Sunday, maybe we could do putt putt or something. Anyway, I have reservations and loose plans and I think we%26#39;ll have fun! I didn%26#39;t know anything about the buffalo roundup so I am working that in. Will that be fun for the kids? Thanks again!
We took the route from Denver to Mt. Rushmore this summer. We flew into Denver from Atlanta, got our rental car and headed north on I25 toward Lusk, Wyoming and then on to Mt. Rushmore. There is nothing on the road between I25 and Mt. Rushmore area except Lusk. We stopped there for gas and a bathroom break. It is a long drive-about 7 hours!!!
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