deadwood and custer

we are coming out in midJune, my mom, me and 3 kids--9yrs, 7 yrs, 18 months.

We are staying in Deadwood first and have plans to do--Devil%26#39;s Tower, Alkali Ike bus tour, and the Trial of Jack McCall. We were also told to go to the Chubby Chipmunk if we can, as well as Lead.

Any other roadside attractions up there or is that enough for a Tues, Wed, part of Thurs time there?

then we head south to Custer, with plans for the Mammoth Site, Wind Cave, Mt Rushmore, and Bear Country.

Other don%26#39;t miss sights there?

I am especially asking about sights that are free or cheap, since we have already paid for the above attractions, in addition to the Badlands Park pass, either on the way in or out of town.

thanks!

deadwood and custer

Batmom,

Lead has a place called President%26#39;s Park. It%26#39;s a sculpture garden of all of presidents. (presidentspark.com) Admission is $8 per adult %26amp; $6 per child. The Adams House %26amp; Museum are nice. Our daughter was 8 at the time of our visit, and we had a wonderful docent at the House. He still keeps in touch with us!!

A drive through Spearfish Canyon is beautiful, and free! Very nice waterfalls!

Be sure to include Custer State Park while staying in Custer. The Wildlife Loop is a must drive for the kids, along with a picnic by Sylvan Lake. Iron Mountain Road and the Needles Hwy are also terrific. You will enjoy seeing Mt Rushmore framed in Iron Mt Rd%26#39;s bridges. If time permits, I would add a tour of Jewel Cave (both Wind %26amp; Jewel Caves are really must sees, imo), Crazy Horse, and Reptile Gardens, which is practically next door to Bear Country.

A good free site is called Everything Prehistoric in Hill City. Everything Prehistoric includes a huge dinosaur shop and some great exhibits of dinosaur skeletons and stunning gems such as amythest. This is really worth if it your kids enjoy dinosaurs. If you are including Mammoth site, it sounds like they do.

If you haven%26#39;t seen it, you might want to check out blackhillstv.com. It%26#39;s a pass you can buy that saves you on many attractions in the Black Hills.

Enjoy your trip.

deadwood and custer

I agree that Spearfish canyon and Sylvan lake are great stops with kids. Sylvan lake as a 1 mile trail around it that is partly stroller accessible (fully if you can carry the stroller up and down some steps). If you do the wildlife loop, it%26#39;s best either in the morning or evening. During mid-day my kids found it boring.

New for this year, Everything Prehistoric is charging admission - $5 for adults, $3 for youths, 9 and under free, so still a good deal.

Rapid City has some fun free things to do: Skyline Drive road has some giant dinosaur statues, Museum of Geology on the campus of the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, South Dakota Air %26amp; Space Museum on the air base north of town, Storybook Island park, Chapel in the Hills and in the downtown area, statues of many of the presidents. Spearfish (near Deadwood) has the D.C. Booth Fish Hatchery for free.

Some that aren%26#39;t free, but fun - Roo Ranch in Deadwood has kangaroos and wallabies, Old MacDonald%26#39;s Petting Farm on Hwy 16 near Bear Country, and Flintstones Bedrock City Theme Park in Custer.

Lil,

Thanks for letting me know that Everything Prehistoric is now charging admission. You are right; it%26#39;s still a good deal! We had a great time there and left a donation.