We have decided on a last minute road trip to take our 13 yr old to Mt. Rushmore. Will be leaving Kansas City either afternoon Thursday or Friday morning. From what I can figure, we would probably stay in Sioux Falls for the first night and then drive through to Rapid City. Can anyone advise a good hotel/motel in Rapid City? We would like to also see Crazy Horse, and my husband remembers someplace from when he was a kid where you could drive through and see Bears and wildlife. Would it be a good idea to stay in Rapid City to see these attractions, or would some other location be better suited. This will only be a 3 to 4 day trip, so any help would be greatly appreciated.
need some advice for last minute trip
We will also be in the Black Hills Sep 4-6.
We have been here a few times and we like staying in Hill City.Very central to all, and has the Alpine Inn for dining.IMO a must for dining, get there early it will be packed to the rafters.Rapid City to far away from most things you will want to visit and you won%26#39;t want to drive back at night with all the wildlife on the road.As for the Bears and wildlife your husband mentioned,that would be Bear Country located on Rt16
a few miles from Hill City.We were there 2 years ago
and really enjoyed it.The Comfort Inn and Holiday Inn in Hill City are real nice for lodging.
Make sure you stop at the visitors center in Chamberlain when departing from Sioux Falls.The view from there overlooking the Missouri river and the roving hills
of South Dakota breathtaking.Also take a few minutes to check out the Lewis %26amp; Clark exhibit.
Don%26#39;t miss this stop...
Custer State park great, come in thru the Needles highway and depart by Iron Mountain Road.
Slow but well worth the drive.
Make sure to visit Crazy Horse.We paid admission in 96 but now stop and see it from the highway.
This Monument will take forever to be completed.
One of the real good thing we liked about Hill City was going early to dine at the Alpine Inn and then head out to the Evening Lighting Ceremony at Mt Rushmore.
Bring a jacket and don%26#39;t miss this Ceremony, watch out for wildlife when coming back.
Much more to see as you will find out..(Wind Cave,Wild Horse Sanctuary and on and on...
The Black Hills of South Dakota awesome,you guys will have a great time...
Never enough time here.....
need some advice for last minute trip
If you want to stay in Rapid City, may I suggest the Lake Park Campground and Cottages(www.lakeparkcampground.com). They have very nice cabins and there is a motel next door if you rather (some rooms face the lake). It is very centrally located to get anywhere in the Black Hills. It is easy to get to from the Badlands or the freeway (just off Hwy 44 west). There is a lovely little lake there as well as a great golf course within a few blocks (if you%26#39;re interested). We stayed there this summer and will definitely go back there.
Wow! Thank you for all the great advice. Looks like Hill city for us.
I would also recommend Hill City or even Keystone as a base. We stayed at the Roosevelt Inn in Keystone in 2006 and liked it very much. The hotels mentioned by Joeman get good reviews on this site. The Holiday Inn Express looked quite nice from the outside when we visited in %26#39;06.
The place your husband remembers sounds like Bear Country. You drive through the first part to see bears, big horned sheep and other wildlife, and there%26#39;s a small zoo at the end of the drive where you can get out and walk around. It was a cute park, but I think your 13 yo would enjoy the Wildlife Loop in Custer much more (although you probably won%26#39;t see any bears there).
Wind %26amp; Jewel Caves are really neat to see and close to Custer SP and Crazy Horse.
You have to see Crazy Horse once. It IS a monumental task to complete, and unfortunately, I don%26#39;t I will see it finished in my lifetime, but it%26#39;s history is really fascinating!! I actually found the story behind it even a little more interesting than Rushmore. The sculptor, Korsczak (sp?), was a most determined and stubborn individual who didn%26#39;t always work with everyone well, but his dedication to the Crazy Horse project, along with his family%26#39;s perseverance, are certainly commendable. The Native American exhibits are of interest there as well.
With 3-4 days, I would focus on Rushmore, Custer SP, Crazy Horse, and the caves. If you find yourself with time on your hands, you could always consider a daytrip to Badlands National Park or a daytrip out to Devil%26#39;s Tower/Deadwood/Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway. You also have Bear Country and the Reptile Gardens in Rapid City. I%26#39;m not sure if you 13 yo would be bored with them, however. (Of course, I enjoyed both and am in my early 40%26#39;s--LOL! Our daughter loved them both, but she was 8 when we visited.
Have a wonderful time!
We just returned from an 8-day trip to the Black Hills. We moved our base around because of the greater duration of our trip but Hill City or Keystone are both central. Keystone is more %26#39;touristy%26#39; but closer to a greater number of eating places. Hill City had some great %26#39;boutiques%26#39; for browsing and is closer to Crazy Horse.
Crazy Horse has an evening ceremony in the form of a music and laser show. We also attended the Rushmore lighting - it%26#39;s pretty lowkey - one ranger talks for a bit ,sings the other verses of the national anthem and has all armed services personnel come to the stage (this last part is very moving) and then Rushmore is simply lit up. The Crazy Horse ceremony has a little more lights, color and action - we enjoyed them both.
We also enjoyed Reptile Gardens more than Bear Country. It%26#39;s a bit hit or miss at Bear Country with how active the animals are - we went around 9 am and many were sleeping. Alot of the bears were also in a fenced off area from the drive through. Reptile Gardens has an impressive collection of reptiles (one the world%26#39;s largest), informative shows, and beautiful gardens (no one specifically mentions this point but I guess that%26#39;s why it%26#39;s called Reptile Gardens).
If you enjoy art, you would appreciate the tour at the Borghlum Center in Keystone about the sculptor%26#39;s life and works.
Other highlights for us included a chuck wagon dinner through Blue Bell Lodge (you have to like singing to really enjoy this activity), a trail ride with Rocking R Stables (right next to Crazy Horse beside Heritage Village), walking around Sylvan Lake and driving the Needles Highway. We also enjoyed the western atmosphere of Deadwood and Devil%26#39;s Tower but I don%26#39;t think you will have time for these destinations.
There is a wonderful store in Rapid City, Prairie Edge, that has a beautiful collection of Indian artwork. It%26#39;s on the main strip.
Good restaurants: The Powderhouse (Keystone), Desperados (Hill City), Alphine Inn (Hill City - though I wouldn%26#39;t wait a long time to eat here and that%26#39;s usually the issue with this place), Sage Creek Grill (Custer), Firehouse Brewery (Rapid City).
Would we be able to do Rushmore and Deadwood? Is there a lot to do in Deadwood?
Deadwood is about 45 minutes north of Hill City. We used it as a base to tour Devil%26#39;s Tower, Deadwood, Lead, and Spearfish Canyon. If you are strapped for time, I don%26#39;t know if it%26#39;s worth rushing to. It is a casino town but it does a good job of %26#39;hiding%26#39; the casinos behind western facades. The gunfights are very short but we did enjoy the Trial of Jack McCall - a small local western play. There are two good restaurants: The Deadwood Social Club (northern Italian and steaks) and The Deadwood Thymes Bistro (limited hours for this one). We also enjoyed the tour at the Black Hills mining museum in Lead.
It depends on your interests. If you prefer animals/nature then Bear Country and Reptile Gardens would have more appeal, if you like local western history then the Deadwood trip might be a better option.
In the Custer area you can do Jeep tours (our kids enjoyed the ride but we actually didn%26#39;t see alot of animals except for our ride through a herd of buffalo which was pretty neat and some off-road trips), chuckwagon dinners (it is in the early evening and we did see alot of animals), horseback riding, outdoor recreational activities (fishing, boating, swimming).
What I enjoyed most about Rushmore and Crazy Horse is the story of how they were created and about the sculptors.
Oh, and we ate way too much good pie!
Also wanted to add that if any of you are interested in paleontology then you may want to consider a trip to Hot Springs to visit the mammoth site. Hot Springs is an hour south of Hill City. Restaurant recommendation: Flatiron Grill. In Hot Springs you will find a museum that has been built over an actual in-process dig site. Also, in Hill City, attached to the Everything Prehistoric gift shop is the Black Hills Institute Museum - it%26#39;s small but very interesting. They are the ones who found %26#39;Sue%26#39; - the most complete T-Rex which is now in the Field Museum in Chicago. You can also see %26#39;Stan%26#39; which has the most complete T-Rex skull.
Thanks for all the advice and info. This last minute trip was my dh%26#39;s idea.
Last month we were in the Virgin Islands and he still has about 13 more days vacation time left, so rather than just stay around the house he is insisting we take a short road trip.
This is way too much last minute for me, but sometimes a spontaneous trip might be kind of fun.
I know it%26#39;s a short amount of time to try to see everything we want, but hopefully it will work out.
Once again, thank you all for the input, I have made lots of notes and look forward to this road trip.
I would do Deadwood on way back to KC.We visited there (OK) but not like a Western town like Tombstone.If you visit stop at the Mount Moriah Cemeterey and visit the grave site where Calamity Jane and Wild Bill Hickock are buried side by side.I would then take a 77 mile ride out to Devils Tower N.M.Good stop here.
This is a great way to wrap your trip up.
An adjustment I would make in your trip is that I would stay in Mitchell instead of Sioux Falls.It is only a little over an hrs drive.This way in the morning after stopping at Chamberlain you will have time to do the Badlands and a quick stop at Wall Drug
and still get to Hill City late in the afternoon and maybe catch the Lighting ceremony that night.
This is our plan Pa to Morris IL, 730 miles
Morris IL to Mitchell 625miles
Mitchell to Hill City 300 miles
A lot of driving first 2 days ....
but now everywhere we head out further West shorter driving time..
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