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South Dakota Vacation Recommendations

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Gary_ISU

Active Member
Apr 12, 2006
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My wife and I are planning a family vacation to South Dakota this summer. We have 3 girls that will be 10, 8 and 6 this summer. We are looking for a vacation rental in the Black Hills area. Ideally, we are looking for something with at least 2 bedrooms and a kitchen/dining area to eat and cook meals. We will probably stay 4-5 nights. A cabin would be great.

We would really appreciate recommendations on a place to stay as well as any must do things in South Dakota. I went as a kid growing up but that was a long time ago.

Thanks!
 
Needles highway....pull over and soak it in.
I know this is obvious....but the jaunt into Wyoming is more than worth it for Devil's Tower....the ultimate selfie opp.
I would hike Harney Peak....it is just hard enough for kids to always remember, but not too hard.
Hill City is my favorite, but all the towns have quality opportunities.
 
dirtyninety said:
Needles highway....pull over and soak it in.
I know this is obvious....but the jaunt into Wyoming is more than worth it for Devil's Tower....the ultimate selfie opp.
I would hike Harney Peak....it is just hard enough for kids to always remember, but not too hard.
Hill City is my favorite, but all the towns have quality opportunities.
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Yes Yes and Yes.

Don't waste your time at "Wall Drug" even if the 15 gazillion signs tell you to go there...
 
CycloneNorth said:
When I was young we used to go out to the Black Hills and stay at the Rafter J Bar Ranch. They have an outdoor pool and all you can eat pancake breakfasts in the morning.

Rafter J Bar Ranch
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I would second that. We stayed there in 2008 in our previous motorhome. It's a beautiful RV resort. The cabins looked like they were very nice and there are a lots of things for kids to do.

There are lots of KOA's in the area also that have cabins but I haven't stayed at any of them. Camping, Campsites and Campgrounds | KOA Campgrounds
 
ImJustKCClone said:
Yes Yes and Yes.

Don't waste your time at "Wall Drug" even if the 15 gazillion signs tell you to go there...
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Those signs are ridiculous! There is literally one every half mile. But honestly as a kid one of my best memories at S. Dakota was going to Wall Drug. That was when I was about 8 or so. Been a while. We camped at Custer St park and it was amazing. Definitely should check out Mt Rushmore. Going to Devils Tower is worth it as well.
 
If your girls are at all interested in Little House on the Prairie you could think about visiting De Smet (west of Brookings on east side of the state). Not sure if you had plans to hit other spots or just the Black Hills. I've never been there, I've just had friends stop there on their SD trips. I haven't made it past Sioux Falls since my own family vacations 25-30 years ago.
 
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Me State said:
Stop by Bear Country. It is along the road to Mt. Rushmore.
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We had a moose lick our car window when we went through bear country. Seeing a moose up close was really cool. There used to be a huge maze to walk through on the way to Mt Rushmore. It was touristy, but kids are suckers for that kinda stuff. I'd go through it again if it's still there.

For the love of God, don't waste your gas getting off the interstate to visit the corn palace. I still give my dad a hard time about that 30 years later. Also, a coworker of mine said there is an alpine slide up there. I went to one in Colorado last year and it was fun. My 6 year old loved it too. It's another good outlet to keep your kids' interest.
 
CycloneNorth said:
When I was young we used to go out to the Black Hills and stay at the Rafter J Bar Ranch. They have an outdoor pool and all you can eat pancake breakfasts in the morning.

Rafter J Bar Ranch[/QU
A 3rd for this. We stayed there last summer with a group of 9 kids aged 13-8. Cabins were nice, clean, and air conditioned and very convenient for all area activities.

Take extra time coming or going to get out and hike in the Badlands.

And as touristy and cheesey as they are you must do Wall Drug and the Corn Palace.
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Don't waste your time or money at Crazy Horse. You can see it if you drive by, and any South Dakotan will tell you they are always "building" it just to get tourists to come in and take your money. Mount Rushmore and Bear Country are fun. Go on a wilderness drive and a hike.
 
Gary_ISU said:
My wife and I are planning a family vacation to South Dakota this summer. We have 3 girls that will be 10, 8 and 6 this summer. We are looking for a vacation rental in the Black Hills area. Ideally, we are looking for something with at least 2 bedrooms and a kitchen/dining area to eat and cook meals. We will probably stay 4-5 nights. A cabin would be great.

We would really appreciate recommendations on a place to stay as well as any must do things in South Dakota. I went as a kid growing up but that was a long time ago.

Thanks!
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Man, I am old. It's been 25 years since we did a big family vacation to South Dakota but our family was the same age as your kids. Probably longer than your trip as a kid. But since I am not one to not offer my expert opinion on just about anything.....

We didn't do a lot of the commercial stuff when we went. Part of that was because we had done a massive 3 week driving trip to Disney the summer before, so my parents felt like we had seen enough kid stuff.

We didn't stay in one place, but made stops throughout the week or so. Obviously, Mount Rushmore and the Corn Palace. The Corn Palace is stupid, but you have to see it. If your daughters have read (and they SHOULD) Little House on the Prairie, go visit De Smit and the Laura Ingalls Wilder stuff. I loved, loved that at age 9. You have to see Wall Drug (again stupid, but you can make a game of the billboards). One of our favorite parts was driving through the Badlands and seeing the Donkeys come right up to your car. I remember enjoying 'panning for gold', and I think I still have the vial they gave us with the gold in it. We saw Crazy Horse, which I think is getting much closer to being finished. We went to some Mammoth site where they were digging up bones. I remember that being very cool. We drove to Devil's Tower in Wyoming one night and that was neat to see, plus it added another state to where we had been.

It's a great trip (one I've wanted to go on again) and if you want to get away from the amusement park type stuff, it is an easy trip to do that. (And I recommend taking a few trips like that with kids. It's good for them.)
 
ImJustKCClone said:
Yes Yes and Yes.

Don't waste your time at "Wall Drug" even if the 15 gazillion signs tell you to go there...
Click to expand...

As an adult, don't waste your time, but it is kind of a fun thing for kids even though they know it is stupid. Make a game out of the signs you see.
 
Gary_ISU said:
My wife and I are planning a family vacation to South Dakota this summer. We have 3 girls that will be 10, 8 and 6 this summer. We are looking for a vacation rental in the Black Hills area. Ideally, we are looking for something with at least 2 bedrooms and a kitchen/dining area to eat and cook meals. We will probably stay 4-5 nights. A cabin would be great.

We would really appreciate recommendations on a place to stay as well as any must do things in South Dakota. I went as a kid growing up but that was a long time ago.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Devil's Tower from the KOA Campground, summer 2012:
 
jsb said:
We saw Crazy Horse, which I think is getting much closer to being finished. )
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NOT

I second the other poster that said to skip Crazy Horse. Just look at it from the road. Going in costs a LOT and it's not worth it at all. And no, they are not getting "closer to being finished." At least not in the concept of actually being anywhere near finished. Yes progress has been made over the last 40 years, but at the current rate, it will be done in the year 2500 +/- 300 years. That place is primarily about raising money for the owners and much less about making any real progress.

Now here's my constructive comments -- Go to Rushworth via Iron Mountain Road..... goes through some great scenary, tunnels, etc... with several views of the monument (take some apples to feed and wild horses/donkeys). Absolutely take the Needles hwy and visit Custer State Park (eat a buffalo burger). Yes, yes, yes to Devils Tower. Plan to spend the day and watch the climbers. Skip Deadwood unless all you want to do it hit casinos. Don't stop at any prairie dog attractions -- you'll see hundreds of them once you get off the interstate and drive through the badlands. Visit the Big Pig Dig in the Badlands (google it). As others said skip the Corn Palace and Wall Drug unless you are OK with wasting some time.
 
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