My family SD trip

[rajak73]

same people that own Firehouse Brewing.

Ahhhhh: Mystic Beast from Firehouse brewing

In hill city, if you like wine, Prairie Berry Winery, The Rhubarb wine and the Rhubarb/ Strawberry wine is really good. Also, there is a old time photo place there, might want to check that out. Have fun!

 

[EACarlson]

I missed a day, you will understand at the end.

Day 6: We had tickets on the 1880 train from Hill City to Keystone, two and a half hours in Keystone and then return. The train wasn't quite what I expected, it moves incredibly slowly. The narration is intermittent and was not all that interesting. Keystone was alright, although I was not feeling my best. I don't know if it was the hotel breakfast, the train ride, the heat or some combination thereof but I had to excuse myself to find a bathroom a couple times in Keystone. We had lunch at the Ruby House, directly across the street from the train station. The food was good and it's a very interesting place just to look around. Lots of pictures from the late 1800's on the walls.

After getting back to Hill City we went to the Museum @ the Black Hills Institute. They had some really cool dinosaur bones and some local stories about the mining boom and bust in the Black Hills. It's a fairly small place, we spent about 40 minutes and actually went around it twice. My kids were all over it, but they are also into just about anything dinosaur.

Drive back to Rapid City and I'm not feeling well, I needed to lie down. Took about an hour and a half nap and felt better. We tried to go to Sickies Garage for dinner, half empty parking lot and were told it was going to be a 45 minute wait. We decided to go to Philly Ted's Cheesesteak downtown since my older kid just wanted a good hot dog, I had no idea how much I was going to be able to eat. Food was pretty good, large portions, we all brought some of ours back to the hotel.

After dinner we were going to go back to the dinosaur park for our last night in town. My five year old begged to go back to Storybook Island, so we did, they close at 7 so we still made it to Dinosaur Park for a while. My wife found a Black Hills Gold bear charm on clearance at the Dinosaur Park gift shop, and we let the kids pan for gems and fossils. The view from the top of Dinosaur Park with the sun setting and a storm coming in were phenomenal. I'm really glad that's how we ended up our time in SD.

We get back to our hotel and find out that the AC has stopped working in our room, this was just the kicker we did not need out of our hotel on this trip. The pool heater was broken the entire time we were there, so the pool was about 70 degrees, the hot tub was out of commission the entire time. The internet worked our first night there but not since, all of my updates have been done using my phone as a hotspot. I tried twice to eat the breakfast, once was biscuits and gravy that were too salty to eat, and once made me sick. Not even an acknowledgement from the front desk when I asked about these things. This morning I went to the desk to check out and spoke with the GM. It wasn't made right, but it was made acceptable. She ended up taking about 40% off of our cost for the week. But I really wish I would have just spent the extra money and booked a Hilton property so I could have made use of my Gold status and I felt there would have been more accountability.

Day 7: After talking to the hotel manager we were out the door at about 7:30 this morning to start driving home. We did nothing touristy, just drove and got to our stopping point in MN just before 4. We found a playground for the kids to play at and went swimming to tire them out. Fast food for dinner and we are only about 4 hours from home tomorrow whenever we get going.

I'll post one last update tomorrow or Sunday with my final thoughts on the trip as a whole.

 

[elgerber]

I missed a day, you will understand at the end.

Day 6: We had tickets on the 1880 train from Hill City to Keystone, two and a half hours in Keystone and then return. The train wasn't quite what I expected, it moves incredibly slowly. The narration is intermittent and was not all that interesting. Keystone was alright, although I was not feeling my best. I don't know if it was the hotel breakfast, the train ride, the heat or some combination thereof but I had to excuse myself to find a bathroom a couple times in Keystone. We had lunch at the Ruby House, directly across the street from the train station. The food was good and it's a very interesting place just to look around. Lots of pictures from the late 1800's on the walls.

After getting back to Hill City we went to the Museum @ the Black Hills Institute. They had some really cool dinosaur bones and some local stories about the mining boom and bust in the Black Hills. It's a fairly small place, we spent about 40 minutes and actually went around it twice. My kids were all over it, but they are also into just about anything dinosaur.

Drive back to Rapid City and I'm not feeling well, I needed to lie down. Took about an hour and a half nap and felt better. We tried to go to Sickies Garage for dinner, half empty parking lot and were told it was going to be a 45 minute wait. We decided to go to Philly Ted's Cheesesteak downtown since my older kid just wanted a good hot dog, I had no idea how much I was going to be able to eat. Food was pretty good, large portions, we all brought some of ours back to the hotel.

After dinner we were going to go back to the dinosaur park for our last night in town. My five year old begged to go back to Storybook Island, so we did, they close at 7 so we still made it to Dinosaur Park for a while. My wife found a Black Hills Gold bear charm on clearance at the Dinosaur Park gift shop, and we let the kids pan for gems and fossils. The view from the top of Dinosaur Park with the sun setting and a storm coming in were phenomenal. I'm really glad that's how we ended up our time in SD.

We get back to our hotel and find out that the AC has stopped working in our room, this was just the kicker we did not need out of our hotel on this trip. The pool heater was broken the entire time we were there, so the pool was about 70 degrees, the hot tub was out of commission the entire time. The internet worked our first night there but not since, all of my updates have been done using my phone as a hotspot. I tried twice to eat the breakfast, once was biscuits and gravy that were too salty to eat, and once made me sick. Not even an acknowledgement from the front desk when I asked about these things. This morning I went to the desk to check out and spoke with the GM. It wasn't made right, but it was made acceptable. She ended up taking about 40% off of our cost for the week. But I really wish I would have just spent the extra money and booked a Hilton property so I could have made use of my Gold status and I felt there would have been more accountability.

Day 7: After talking to the hotel manager we were out the door at about 7:30 this morning to start driving home. We did nothing touristy, just drove and got to our stopping point in MN just before 4. We found a playground for the kids to play at and went swimming to tire them out. Fast food for dinner and we are only about 4 hours from home tomorrow whenever we get going.

I'll post one last update tomorrow or Sunday with my final thoughts on the trip as a whole.

You’re in my neck of the woods tonight

 

[EACarlson]

You’re in my neck of the woods tonight

Not yet, IIRC you're north of the Cities, I'm in Albert Lea tonight. I will be in Brooklyn Center next weekend for softball.

 

[elgerber]

Not yet, IIRC you're north of the Cities, I'm in Albert Lea tonight. I will be in Brooklyn Center next weekend for softball.

You’re in the same state . Brooklyn Center is closer. It’s been dang hard to get to the last couple weekends though with freeway closures

 

[EACarlson]

Closing out the trip now. We got home yesterday afternoon and I really wanted to think about what I wanted to say in closing. I'm very glad we did this trip when we did, I think we all had a great time, although for each of us we had different parts that were our favorite. One memory really sticks with me and I think will always be the ultimate moment for me on this trip. On our last night in Rapid City, as we are leaving the dinosaur park as darkness is rising, my five year old turns to me and says "Daddy, I can't wait until I can bring my kids here in 30 years." That moment made everything else worthwhile.

 

[flowergirl45]

Thank you for taking the time to share. Really enjoyed reading about your experiences!

 

[Minnesota!]

Closing out the trip now. We got home yesterday afternoon and I really wanted to think about what I wanted to say in closing. I'm very glad we did this trip when we did, I think we all had a great time, although for each of us we had different parts that were our favorite. One memory really sticks with me and I think will always be the ultimate moment for me on this trip. On our last night in Rapid City, as we are leaving the dinosaur park as darkness is rising, my five year old turns to me and says "Daddy, I can't wait until I can bring my kids here in 30 years." That moment made everything else worthwhile.

That made me choke up. Thanks for taking us along with you! We have always talked about heading out there, but Sioux Falls is as far as we have made it.

 

[OrangeBirdGirl]

Closing out the trip now. We got home yesterday afternoon and I really wanted to think about what I wanted to say in closing. I'm very glad we did this trip when we did, I think we all had a great time, although for each of us we had different parts that were our favorite. One memory really sticks with me and I think will always be the ultimate moment for me on this trip. On our last night in Rapid City, as we are leaving the dinosaur park as darkness is rising, my five year old turns to me and says "Daddy, I can't wait until I can bring my kids here in 30 years." That moment made everything else worthwhile.

Awww, adorable from your child. So many great memories made. My husband went out to that area as a kid and now 30 years later he still talks about the various things they did.

 

[disny_luvr]

Thank you for the reminder, we headed there after dinner tonight and the kids loved it. Since we spent so much time in the car they needed a chance to run around and just play. I wish we had something that cool where we live.
Very little of the Jeep Safari was on the actual wildlife loop, half of the roads we were on were open to the public but it would be pretty easy to get lost in there.

Day 5: We were out the door early again for a drive to WY and Devil's Tower. We got there just after 9am and there were quite a few people there already. I loved seeing the prayer and offering bundles on trees all around the Tower. We hiked the two mile trail all the way around the Tower, it was impressive. Not overly difficult but there were some elevation changes along the trail, there were some amazing views both of the Tower and of the surrounding landscapes. At one point you can look down and see the entrance to the park, this was about 10am and the line was probably 20 vehicles deep waiting to get in, at 9 there was no wait. We finished the trail and were going to go into the visitor center to check it out. About that time two tour buses full of seniors dropped off and about half of them headed right for the visitor center. They are still limiting the amount of people allowed in at one time so it would have been a half hour to 45 minute wait to get in, we decided to call it a morning and head out.

Since it was still relatively early we made the snap decision to check out Deadwood since we were there. Tip for Deadwood, park in the lot near the information center and walk from there. Traffic is more congested there than just about anywhere else I've ever been. We had ice cream at the bar where Wild Bill was killed and checked out some chainsaw carvings. This is another place where if we didn't have the kids with us it would have been more interesting. There was a brothel history tour that had a minimum age of 16 that looked interesting. Apparently there was an operating brothel in Deadwood until 1980.

After Deadwood it was back to Rapid City and the hotel for a nap and the wife and kids to work on the Mount Rushmore Lego set they picked up yesterday. Early dinner at Que Pasa, a good mexican restaurant that is owned by the same people that own Firehouse Brewing. The brisket enchilada was really good, but too big for me to eat in one sitting, rarely a problem for me.

After dinner we hit up Storybook Island. This is a park operated by the Rotary Club of Rapid City. It has little statues and play houses from many of the fairy tales and fables that we all know. The best part for me was showing my kids the kinds of playground equipment I remember from being a kid, the old metal pipe rockets and slides. There was a fire truck that had a control panel from Pierce fire equipment, one of the largest fire truck manufacturers in the world and made just up the road from us in Appleton, WI. The kids liked seeing that, they always comment when we drive past the factory.

Now it's just relaxing the hotel letting the kids play with all of the stuffed animals they've bought on this trip. Tomorrow is our last full day in town, we are heading to Hill City for a ride on a steam train and a trip to the Museum of the Black Hills Institute where they do dinosaur digs, including Sue the T-Rex at the Field Museum in Chicago.

Is the hike around Devil's Tower necessary? We are stopping there on our way from Rapid City to Cody, WY and I'm not sure we'll have time for a two-mile hike.

 

[EACarlson]

Is the hike around Devil's Tower necessary? We are stopping there on our way from Rapid City to Cody, WY and I'm not sure we'll have time for a two-mile hike.

I was incorrect it was a two kilometer hike, not a two mile hike. It's not necessary, you get to see it pretty well while driving up and from the base. I thought it was interesting but completely understand that some or even most people won't.

 

[Kirby]

I've enjoyed your trip report! I've always wanted to travel to that part of the country and now I want to take my GK's too.

 

[Monykalyn]

OMG you did almost the same trip we did last year after stuff started loosening up a bit. I was born in ND and spent many many many weekends in SD-it was my parents go to spot when they wanted to get out of town (that or north over the border to Canada). Decided to take the kids on tacky roadside stop tour on way to Black Hills-Corn Palace is underwhelming but we had fun at Wall drug. And yes-free ice water and 5cent coffee. It had been over 35 years since I had been there.. we live in SW MO now

Rapid City that even came close to what the Grandstay offered me.

We stayed there for 2 days. Had no issues but hotel was maybe 15% full? We moved to a Best Western in Hill city that has part of it that used to be residential apartments-we stayed in a 2 bedroom with a full kitchen. We had five of us so space was great. Glad they tried to make things right, but that sucks for kids when swimming is out.

We stopped next at the Minuteman National Historic Site. If we were a few years older I'm sure it would be amazing, but neither my wife and I are quite old enough to have really experienced the Cold War and the fear of nuclear weapons. It was too packed for a small space for us, this would be a theme for the day. We considered going to the actual missile silo but neither of our kids were into it, so we skipped it to get to Badlands National Park sooner.

The silo is cool. My dad was missile tech as a civilian when he got out of air force. I vividly remember drills where we hid under desks. Now I had a sense of how big the missiles were, heard dad and others talk about if missiles launched we would be among first targets (Minot, ND) so even as a kid knew the desk thing was stupid.

did an Ojibwe Tobacco offering to the spirit of my father (whose funeral was today in WI)

What a neat way to honor him. so sorry for your loss. I hope the trip was a step in healing for you and your family. That Crazy Horse monument has been going on for so long.

The ice cream is supposedly Thomas Jefferson's recipe, from 1790, and really really good

It really is.

We had lunch at the Ruby House, directly across the street from the train station. The food was good and it's a very interesting place just to look around. Lots of pictures from the late 1800's on the walls.

-good spot. We ate here and Lunch Spot. There is a soda wagon on the corner of that porch that has hand crafted sodas. Was son's favorite spot-he loved being able to mix up various flavors-and finally got to experience "sarsaparilla" after us dragging him to Carousel of Progress in MK...

Is the hike around Devil's Tower necessary? We are stopping there on our way from Rapid City to Cody, WY and I'm not sure we'll have time for a two-mile hike.

Already answered but no. It is an easy trail, paved with places to stop and rest.
Sometimes the base parking lot by visitor center gets full and you have to park at bottom. When we went last year the visitor lot was being paved-so we hiked UP to the base (1.5 UP a trail that winds around) before walking around the base, then back down.

OP-if you go back and boys still into the dinosaurs-in Hot Springs there is an active mammoth dig site-it's super cool as they are still working in this pit, you can watch them work.
The bison are pretty fun to watch as they amble around too.
And for those going-in Custer there is a restaurant called "Denial". go to the back patio. Local owned. Owner including grand son often around sitting out there too. And if you happen to be there on July 4th-just outside that back patio is City hall-and the parking lot is the perfect spot to watch the city's fireworks with locals.

Sounds like the family had a really great trip!