budget summer vacation... Black Hills or Smokeys??

[verlee]

We are looking into a cheap summer vacation (as cheap as we can make it). We are leaning toward the smokey mountains, TN or the Black Hills, SD. We want to be able to bring the puppy and mostly relax, no amusment parks. Anyone have any opinions or experience with these two areas. I have been to the Black Hills when I was a kid (I enjoyed it) but have never spent any time in TN. We are in WI and we are driving and would prefer to keep it under 12 hrs. We would consider camping but DH would prefer not to. He likes his free coffee and breakfast.

 

[ilovejack02]

The smokeys are gorgeous , spent many happy years there. It can be pricey , but it is what you make it to be. If you spend time in the tourist traps, heck yes it is expensive. If you enjoy the fresh air , trails, picnics and all the free activities , yes there are tons of them then it is a pretty cheap vacation. : )

 

[verlee]

Thanks, I am sure we will be sucked into a round of mini golf or two but we are hoping to just enjoy nature. I had not heard much about the free activities there besides the Nat. park? Any suggestions.

 

[mdrob214]

I lived in SD as a kid (HS) so I'm biased--The Black Hills area is beautiful! It's under 12 hours (or close, depending on where in WI you are) and there are many things to do that are free--Mt. Rushmore is free (but parking isn't), Badlands are free. Free Ice water at Wall Drug lmao:you have to make that drive across SD to understand that joke), Dinosaur park and Storybook Island in Rapid City are free. I'm sure I could come up with more. There are many lodges and hotels to choose from, depending on whether you prefer to stay in town or in the hills. If you like hiking, I recommend a drive to Sylvan Lake and a hike from there up to Harney Peak. Beautiful! That does require Custer St. Park fees, I believe--not sure what they are these days.

 

[verlee]

I lived in SD as a kid (HS) so I'm biased--The Black Hills area is beautiful! It's under 12 hours (or close, depending on where in WI you are) and there are many things to do that are free--Mt. Rushmore is free (but parking isn't), Badlands are free. Free Ice water at Wall Drug lmao:you have to make that drive across SD to understand that joke), Dinosaur park and Storybook Island in Rapid City are free. I'm sure I could come up with more. There are many lodges and hotels to choose from, depending on whether you prefer to stay in town or in the hills. If you like hiking, I recommend a drive to Sylvan Lake and a hike from there up to Harney Peak. Beautiful! That does require Custer St. Park fees, I believe--not sure what they are these days.

Ds8, who is home with the flu today, and I just watched a show on travel channel on wall drug and the free ice water. I thought most of the activities in SD were pretty reasonable. It was $15 for a day pass at Custer St park and $28 for a yrly pass. So go more then one day and yrly is the way to go. Thanks for the suggestions. I did not know the dinosaur park and storybook Island were free. We love to hike!

 

[Ericandjenng]

I live very close to the Smoky Mountains. There are tons of things to do in the area--some are free, some are cheap & some will cost you... There are multiple tourist guides & info you can request. Google: Pigeon Forge, TN; Gatlinburg, TN; Great Smoky Mountains National Park; Townsend, TN; Cade's Cove; Sevier County, TN. That's all I can think of for now.

 

[ccgirl]

We are looking into a cheap summer vacation (as cheap as we can make it). We are leaning toward the smokey mountains, TN or the Black Hills, SD. We want to be able to bring the puppy and mostly relax, no amusment parks. Anyone have any opinions or experience with these two areas. I have been to the Black Hills when I was a kid (I enjoyed it) but have never spent any time in TN. We are in WI and we are driving and would prefer to keep it under 12 hrs. We would consider camping but DH would prefer not to. He likes his free coffee and breakfast.

LOVE...LOVE...LOVE...the Smokey's. We own timeshare there and go in July. While there are some expensive things, there is also a lot of free things; hikes and such. Have fun!

 

[Butwhyistherumgone?]

Never been to the Smokeys but we LOVE the Black hills! Custer state park is awesome! We saw big horn sheep, elk ( they were harder to find but we found them one evening , a herd of about 20 bulls), and of course antalope and buffalo.
We stayed just right out side of Custer(the town) in a cute as can be cabin. The owners even had us over one evening to see their elk.
Lots of wildlife in Cuter State park and huge rocks to climb. My kids loved that!!

 

[mdrob214]

Ds8, who is home with the flu today, and I just watched a show on travel channel on wall drug and the free ice water. I thought most of the activities in SD were pretty reasonable. It was $15 for a day pass at Custer St park and $28 for a yrly pass. So go more then one day and yrly is the way to go. Thanks for the suggestions. I did not know the dinosaur park and storybook Island were free. We love to hike!

In the Rapid City area is the Stavkirk (sp?) church (It looks much like the one in Norway in Epcot) that is also free. Some of the caverns might be free, too. There are some waterfalls in the Spearfish Canyon area that are just beautiful, and free. Crazy Horse isn't free, but is not terribly expensive. There's an attraction called Cosmos that was always a favorite of kids. Adults pay, but kids are free. Angustora reservoir has a small fee. Same with Sheridan Lake (state park areas) but not super expensive. Also, check out Pactola reservoir. There's the 1880 Train from Hill City to Keystone. A beautiful ride, but a little pricey. Hot Springs has an indoor hot spring-heated pool w/ waterslide. There's the Mammoth Site, which charges, but is cool and educational, too.

 

[Butwhyistherumgone?]

Pretty sure the $15 cost for Custer is for the week ( 1-7 days). I remember only paying once and we were there for 3 days.

 

[hinodis]

Another vote for the Smokeys! We did a budget trip there last year. We spent under $1000 for four of us and had a blast! And that included the gas driving from Michigan. There is a lot to do there for free.

 

[OhMari]

I'm from Wisconsin and the Smokey Mountains are exactly 12 hours away. The only thing I didn't like was the traffic once we got to Knoxville. The minute you turn off, it is back-upped traffic. I'm sure on a Friday afternoon at 3 wasn't the best time to arrive. A new Wilderness hotel just opened, like the one in Wisconsin Dells or it was Kolahari-I don't remember.

My pick would be the Smokey's, but I love the Black Hill too. The only thing about the road trip is the price of gas going up.

 

[sksjasams]

I'm from Wisconsin and the Smokey Mountains are exactly 12 hours away. The only thing I didn't like was the traffic once we got to Knoxville. The minute you turn off, it is back-upped traffic. I'm sure on a Friday afternoon at 3 wasn't the best time to arrive. A new Wilderness hotel just opened, like the one in Wisconsin Dells or it was Kolahari-I don't remember.

My pick would be the Smokey's, but I love the Black Hill too. The only thing about the road trip is the price of gas going up.

It is a new Wilderness hotel...Wilderness at the Smokeys. We stayed there for 4 nights last spring when my son's Destination Imagination team had a competition in Knoxville. We loved it - very nice comfy rooms, plus the kids had the waterpark to enjoy when they weren't competing.

We are also from Wisconsin! We drove down through Illinois to Bloomington, and then cut over to Indiana and continued down. The drive was boring until you get to Kentucky, but then Kentucky and Tennessee are absolutely beautiful! It was amazing to see the mountains. I didn't think any state could be as pretty as Wisconsin, but they are. We didn't get too much time for sightseeing, but we did take a drive on one of the many free autotour roads up into the mountains, and the views were just breathtaking.

Wherever you decide, drive carefully and enjoy your trip!

 

[verlee]

Wow! Thanks everyone for the information. So much to think about.

 

[3boymthr]

We drove from MA to CA and along the way we drove thru WI and SD. We stayed at Custer State park when we were in the area. Absolutely amazing. Loved the wildlife loop and the feral donkeys.

In addition you are not far from Badlands National Park, Wall Drug (loved it - the free ice water is funny). If driving you'll also want to hit the Corn Palace on the way out or on the way back. It only takes an hour or so to view it but is one of those road side attracations that is not to be missed - just so you can say you saw it.

When in the Black Hills you're also not far from Devils Tower.

 

[aandjmama]

I live in Rapid City, SD and of course would have to vote for the Black Hills!!! All of the previously posted ideas are exactly what I would have suggested as well. Custer State Park then to Mt. Rusmore via Iron Mountain Rd. is incredible! There are several tunnels that are carved out so that when you drive through them, Mt. Rushmore is "framed" at the opposite end. Spearfish Canyon (an hour west), Wall Drug (an hour east) and the Corn Palace in Mitchell (a couple hours east) are fun. Wall and the corn palace are silly little touristy places, but fun and cheap! Be advised that hotels are much more expensive during the summer, and be sure to avoid visiting during Sturgis Rally week (usually the first week of Aug)!!!!!

 

[griswalds]

I grew up in SD, went to college in Rapid City. For the past 20 years I've lived outside Atlanta about 3hrs from Smokies. I have been to both plenty of times and love each of them. If it's wildlife you want to see then I vote Black Hills, as pp's have stated you'll see big horn sheep, have to stop so buffalo can cross the road, have donkeys eat out of your car, experience prairie dog towns and not to mention all the antelope and deer on the side of the road. I personally think BH's are a little less 'touristy' and less expensive.

BUT...
For stunning views and beautiful hikes I vote Smokies. There are plenty of hiking trails, a lot of them pass by waterfalls. Lots of quiet walkways to stop and see blooming wild flowers. It is absolutely beautiful in spring when Mt Laurels and Rhododendron are blooming. It's still very lush and green all summer long. If you go at July 4th, Gatlinburg has their parade at 12:01am so they are the first in country to have a parade. Last year was our first year doing that and my kids loved it, all the floats were lit up and very patriotic. I do find we spend more money here though.

Hope this helps. Don't worry about your decision because you'll have a great time at either.

 

[verlee]

I grew up in SD, went to college in Rapid City. For the past 20 years I've lived outside Atlanta about 3hrs from Smokies. I have been to both plenty of times and love each of them. If it's wildlife you want to see then I vote Black Hills, as pp's have stated you'll see big horn sheep, have to stop so buffalo can cross the road, have donkeys eat out of your car, experience prairie dog towns and not to mention all the antelope and deer on the side of the road. I personally think BH's are a little less 'touristy' and less expensive.

BUT...
For stunning views and beautiful hikes I vote Smokies. There are plenty of hiking trails, a lot of them pass by waterfalls. Lots of quiet walkways to stop and see blooming wild flowers. It is absolutely beautiful in spring when Mt Laurels and Rhododendron are blooming. It's still very lush and green all summer long. If you go at July 4th, Gatlinburg has their parade at 12:01am so they are the first in country to have a parade. Last year was our first year doing that and my kids loved it, all the floats were lit up and very patriotic. I do find we spend more money here though.

Hope this helps. Don't worry about your decision because you'll have a great time at either.

Thank you for the comparison. Very helpful!!

 

[shortbun]

I think the Smokies would be harder to keep to a budget. I haven't been to the Black Hills but we've done the Smokies 3X and we loved the National Park acitivities but we were pulled by the carnival that Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg have become-spent lots of money.

 

[mom2t]

Cades Cove is one of our favorites - Lots of hiking and trails. We take a picnic and drive over from Pigeon Forge.