Summer vacation to the Black Hills, SD, any thoughts?

[mrsklamc]

Probably about ten years ago a friend and I went and went to a small park with alpine slides? Maybe a local can help with the name an if it's still there?

 

[Stitch's O'hana]

Probably about ten years ago a friend and I went and went to a small park with alpine slides? Maybe a local can help with the name an if it's still there?

Hi,

I live in the Rapid City area( have lived here for going onto 4 years now).

Is this the place you are talking about? http://www.rushmorealpineslide.com/

I have not done this alpine sildes there, but it looks like a lot of fun!

Keystone is also a great place to walk around and look around in all of the shops!

 

[Stitch's O'hana]

Hi! I'm from Bemidji! I don't mean to hijack your thread, but my family has considered just a quick, long-weekend type of vacation here and I am curious what people think the highlights are when there are only a couple of days to spend here. Thanks.

Hi,

I have been living in the Rapid City area now for going onto 4 years, we are from MN though!

For sure you have to do Mt. Rushmore, Bear Country, one of the caves here( there a bunch of them, just do a google search to find the names of all of them), Keystone is always fun to walk around and go into all the little shops too! There is a ton of things to do out here, it just depends on what you are into doing and seeing!

Another thing that would be awesome to is( at least I want to do this), take a Helicopter ride over the Mt. Rushmore area! I know they do this, but not sure how much it is and what the time frame is for it. But if any of you guy's are interested in doing this, I can do more digging to get you all the info. you need!

 

[Stitch's O'hana]

Here is a link, that you can go to, to find places to eat in Rapid City~http://www.visitrapidcity.com/WhereToEat/

And here is another link to dining near Mt.Rushmore~ http://www.mountrushmoredining.com/

I hope this is somewhat of help to those of you coming out to the great Black Hills area and Welcome!

Let me know if I can be of anymore help!

 

[Stitch's O'hana]

One more thing, I just thought of.
If you have young children, then they might really enjoy going to the Storybook Island park, which is free park( but they have a place to leave a donations, if you would like too give them something). Here is the website for it~
http://www.storybookisland.org/

 

[StephMK]

Hi! I'm from Bemidji! I don't mean to hijack your thread, but my family has considered just a quick, long-weekend type of vacation here and I am curious what people think the highlights are when there are only a couple of days to spend here. Thanks.

We did a quick Memorial weekend trip last year. We drove across SD & stopped in the corn palace - loved it, neat place!, and went to Crazy Horse Memorial but the laser show was fogged out. Lots of neat artifacts & a movie. Next day we went to Mt. Rushmore - again fog limited the view but we saw it before it got totally blocked. If you have kids, I recommend the Jr. Ranger program. It taught us all a lot about the site & the kids loved getting their badges.

We drove from there through the south end of Badlands & spent the next morning driving through there & doing their Jr. Ranger program too. That was our favorite place - just amazing. Lots of animals, tons of pics, the kids just got antsy on the way home from too much car riding.

It was a lot for a weekend & we hope to go back when we have longer to spend. Be prepared for lots of driving if you want to hit several places but totally worth the trip.

 

[3boymthr]

We did two days in the area several years ago on our way thru to Yellowstone.

We hit some really great places:

Wall drug - Kids absolutely loved the "panning for gold" though - it's not really panning for gold - you buy a bag and they can sift thru looking for special rocks. This can take a while. My kids came home with enough rocks to fill a gallon ziploc.

We also did the corn palace.

Loved the Badlands - so scenic.

Most amazing was the animal loop thru Custer State park. We saw more Bison here than we did in Yellowstone.

 

[LadySiren]

This is going to sound so pathetic but, Stitch's O'hana, do they still have the tic-tac-toe playing chicken attraction? I remember wanting to stop and give it a go during every trip I took to SD, but the first ex-Mr. Siren never wanted to let me do it. Meanie.

 

[mafibisha]

We did two days in the area several years ago on our way thru to Yellowstone.

We hit some really great places:

Wall drug - Kids absolutely loved the "panning for gold" though - it's not really panning for gold - you buy a bag and they can sift thru looking for special rocks. This can take a while. My kids came home with enough rocks to fill a gallon ziploc.

We also did the corn palace.

Loved the Badlands - so scenic.

Most amazing was the animal loop thru Custer State park. We saw more Bison here than we did in Yellowstone.

Wow that could've been written by me! Two days were more than enough and thats almost exactly what we did on our way to Yellowstone, where you NEED a full week! Or at least 4-5 nights.
All very cool. We also made quick stops at Lead and Devils Tower National Park.
It was plenty of time in the area. Our kids saw billboards for the other touristy stuff but it was all too similar to the touristy type stuff we can do in day trips around here.

 

[mrsklamc]

Hi,

I live in the Rapid City area( have lived here for going onto 4 years now).

Is this the place you are talking about? http://www.rushmorealpineslide.com/

I have not done this alpine sildes there, but it looks like a lot of fun!

Keystone is also a great place to walk around and look around in all of the shops!

Yes, that's the place! It was so fun but even more than that I remember how pretty the garden was at the top and the view of Mt.Rushmore. It wasn't as spectacular as close up but I enjoyed it all the same.

 

[mlaw]

Love, love, love the Black Hills. Have been there several times with our children. If you like steak, you absolutely have to eat at The Alpine Inn in Hill City. Your only dinner choice is a small ($8.95) or large($10.95) bacon wrapped filet mignon which includes a salad, baked potato, and texas toast. The line for dinner starts forming about 30 minutes before they open for dinner. We always get there early and they fill the place as soon as the doors open. There was a kid's hotdog (I think) besides the steak. There is no dinner choice but for that price we always order dessert which are supposedly made on site. There are over 20 desserts to choose from and we have never had one we did not love. Dinner one night at The Alpine Inn has become our family tradition whenever in the Black Hills.

I also agree with the recommendation of Bear Country. It seems like it will be cheesy but we always enjoy our time there. Don't feeled pressured to drive fast. Just pull over to the side when the people who can't relax need to pass you. It is NOT a race. I figure we paid a lot of money to get in so we are going to take our time and really enjoy watching the animals.

 

[Wilsonfamily4]

Love, love, love the Black Hills. Have been there several times with our children. If you like steak, you absolutely have to eat at The Alpine Inn in Hill City. Your only dinner choice is a small ($8.95) or large($10.95) bacon wrapped filet mignon which includes a salad, baked potato, and texas toast. The line for dinner starts forming about 30 minutes before they open for dinner. QUOTE]

thank you fo rthis. We are heading to Yellowstone with a side trip to the Black Hills. I have now started to look at great places to eat and this is just the kind of thing I like to see. Plus we are staying in Hill City so this is even better!

 

[Wilsonfamily4]

We are coming in on Hwy 16 from Thermopolis to Hill City. We saw there is a Four Mile Ghost Town. Anyone been? We were planning on seeing Jewel Cave along that route as well but someone else said that is a skip.

Thanks. This has been a great thread for my family, Thank you to the OP.

 

[AllesonWonderland]

This is going to sound so pathetic but, Stitch's O'hana, do they still have the tic-tac-toe playing chicken attraction? I remember wanting to stop and give it a go during every trip I took to SD, but the first ex-Mr. Siren never wanted to let me do it. Meanie.

Wow, your post gave me a vivid flashback of trips taken to the Hills when I was a kid. I remember the chickens, they were suppressed deep in my subconscious! LOL

 

[Stitch's O'hana]

This is going to sound so pathetic but, Stitch's O'hana, do they still have the tic-tac-toe playing chicken attraction? I remember wanting to stop and give it a go during every trip I took to SD, but the first ex-Mr. Siren never wanted to let me do it. Meanie.

Sorry, but I have never even have heard of that one before(but then I have only lived here for going 4 years, so I have yet to see and do everything here). So I have no idea. Where was this at? I can try to do a search and see what I can find out.

No wonder why I had no idea about, as it was at Reptile Gardens! I hate snakes and I am scarred to death of them, so you would never get me to go there!
But it looks like a group of people is trying to put it to an end~
http://www.upc-online.org/winterspring06/reptilegardens.html

 

[Earstou]

Nobody has mentioned my childhood favorite, Dinosaur Park in Rapid City! It's a free hilltop park with huge dinosaur statues. I remember climbing all over those things as kids!
It's a little cheesy, but I loved it as a kid.
http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/10514

 

[LadySiren]

D'oh! I feel badly for even wanting to go see these poor chickens now...poor things. It always struck me as funny whenever I'd see the billboard advertising "Play tic-tac-toe with a chicken!" If it's as bad as they say for the chickens, I do hope they put an end to it.

No wonder why I had no idea about, as it was at Reptile Gardens! I hate snakes and I am scarred to death of them, so you would never get me to go there!

But it looks like a group of people is trying to put it to an end~
http://www.upc-online.org/winterspring06/reptilegardens.html

I'd forgotten all about this - it's definitely a lot of fun for kids and adults. I remember going to see this way back when...it was a hoot.

Nobody has mentioned my childhood favorite, Dinosaur Park in Rapid City! It's a free hilltop park with huge dinosaur statues. I remember climbing all over those things as kids!
It's a little cheesy, but I loved it as a kid.
http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/10514

 

[Plucker001]

Hi everyone. I have been obsessively planning a trip to the Black Hills for over a year now ( I can't help it-once I became a Disney trip planner it has invaded the rest of my vacation planning!) I was trying to set up a trip out to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and had actually found a guide who lives there and gives tours. In your opinion, would this be appropriate for younger children or would they find it too boring or too mature content (Wounded Knee, etc)?

Thanks!

 

[rockin_rep]

We loved the Badlands! And also Mt. Rushmore! Custer State Park was super cool with an amazing number of bison, way more than we saw in some of our many trips to Yellowstone Nat'l Park. But we only stayed in the black hills area a few days as we wanted to see more national parks and Major League baseball games around the country. There's just so much to see and experience out west!

OP i would take time for Devil's Tower, as its a national park and very unique. Our kids love arcades and all that touristy stuff too but frankly, they get tonzzz of that here in town, at birthday parties and such, and also at grandpa and grandmas They have used so many of their national park trips and experiences in school, and they're all so unique and super memorable.

Have a great time OP and others going west! As much as we love WDW, we love love LOVE the national parks and the great WILD WEST!! Going again this summer, too!

We've basically been to all of the NPs (over 12 years) and most of the MLB ball parks, so if anyone needs any specific planning help, please PM me. I LOVE planning trips west!

 

[decaff38]

Mouse in Mn - I am also from Bemidji. Funny if we know each other -HA! Hubby and I are going through SD and Mt. Rushmore in June on our way to Colorado for a family reunion. THis will be our first vacation without children. Been married 23 years. Kids are big and busy. Looking forward to the trip and goofy stops along the way. Thinking Wall Drug, Corn Palace, Maze and Deadwood sound good. We will be just taking our time and no big plans. It should be a nice trip. I am a teacher in the District.