ProudGrandma Posted August 5, 2014 Share Posted August 5, 2014 we have 3 kids (10, 12, 14) and we want to go to the Badlands/Mt. rushmore area this fall and we are wondering what things are a must? There is so much...many caves, many chuckwagons, etc....but we are on a limited budget...so we have to pick the best 3-4 things to do and see. We also want to camp....so looking for great places to consider...thinking about Custer State park. Is there any reason NOT to do that? thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted August 5, 2014 Share Posted August 5, 2014 We just did that area in June. We LOVED the Badlands. We did the scenic loop. There are several very nice and easy trails just inside the park on the east side. We could have spent more time there. The visitor center was nice and we saw lots of Buffalo. My kids enjoyed Custer state park, esp. the wildlife loop. We didn't see too much (fall might be better) but we DID get to see the wild burros and pet them and feed them carrots. That was the biggest thing the girls wanted to do. We did have to ask at the visitor center about 1/2 way through the loop where to find them and thankfully they were just about 1/2 mile back down the road on a side road (obviously they move around freely through the park so the rangers know where they were last sighted). We tried Mt. Rushmore but got all the way up there and it was fogged in so we didn't even pay to park.........just a note, the monument is free but you have to pay a private company to park there so any national parks pass you get won't help you out there. We did Crazy horse and enjoyed that. It helped that dh is Native American and the rest of us are part Native-----and NA get in free with a tribal ID. We tried the Needles loop and other scenic loops but it was very very foggy and we turned around as the roads are narrow and twisty with few guard rails............just something to note if you are hauling a camper, check before hand if you will be able to get through a few of the narrow spots---in some spots bigger pick up trucks won't fit and it is a LONG ways back to go around. We stayed at Shady Rest in Custer, SD. It was NOT fancy at all but homey and run by a nice family. We had a place with 2 double beds in one room, kitchenette and bath in the middle and queen bed in the other room. I wish we would have taken more time to explore the badlands. I don't know if it is along your route or not but a friend with kids similar ages to yours said they loved Dobby Village in Alliance, NE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jelbe5 Posted August 5, 2014 Share Posted August 5, 2014 We did Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse and Custer State Park. Definetly one of the best trips ever! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Lulu* Posted August 6, 2014 Share Posted August 6, 2014 Crazy Horse is a must! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teresa in MO Posted August 6, 2014 Share Posted August 6, 2014 We are actually leaving Sunday to see my dd and her family in Montana. We plan on staying in Rapid City on Sunday night and Monday night. We plan on seeing Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, and Custer State Park. It will just be a quick trip but we are excited. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idnib Posted August 6, 2014 Share Posted August 6, 2014 Did all of the above, also stayed at Shady Rest in Custer. I was glad to support another homeschooler and to be off the main drag by a couple of blocks. We enjoyed the Custer SP chuck wagon but it was expensive. If you do go, be sure to get Cowboy Keith's wagon. He's there 7 nights/week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denise in IN Posted August 6, 2014 Share Posted August 6, 2014 We were just there a few weeks ago! We stayed in Hill City. We only had two days in South Dakota, but we loved it! There is much to do there, fortunately many things are low cost (state/national parks) or free. We went to Wind Cave NP & Custer. We did not do the cave tour since our time was limited and we've been in other large caves, but it definitely seemed like it would be worthwhile. You can drive through Wind Cave NP to view wildlife and then straight into Custer to do the Wildlife Loop. We saw bison, the burros, and pronghorn in Wind Cave/Custer. And prairie dogs, of course! Drive the Iron Mountain Road from Custer to Mt. Rushmore - it is beautiful and you get good views of Rushmore as well. I think it was $11 to park at Mt. Rushmore; that is the only cost there. I think Mt. Rushmore is a must, unless there's bad weather and you can't see it! We also drove the Needles Highway into Custer. It was absolutely beautiful. We were in a minivan; so the drive was not a problem. I would have loved to stop at Sylvan Lake for a while, but our time was limited. I loved Custer SP and would have loved to spend more time there! We did not go in to Crazy Horse, just saw it from the highway. Devil's Tower National Monument is about 2 hours northwest of Custer, in eastern Wyoming. It is so unusual, worth a day trip if you have plenty of time. I believe the entrance fee is around $10. I wanted to go to the Booth Fish Hatchery in Spearfish, but we didn't have time. It looks interesting - I think Ottakee may have gone there. I don't think there are any fees there. We also loved Badlands NP, so unique. You can easily spend a day there between driving and hiking. The visitor center there is excellent. Wall Drug is free - we didn't spend much time there, but when you drive the loop through Badlands NP, you end up in Wall. So it's a convenient stop. Oh, another thing that was free and very good - the Minuteman Missile Historic Site. The visitor Center is at the same exit as the main entrance to Badlands NP. They have a tour of the launch control facility that is excellent. You have to get the tickets (free, but timed tour) at the visitor center, and they are given out on a first come, first serve basis. We thought we wouldn't be able to get tickets since we couldn't get there until late morning, but they still had tickets for afternoon tours. So you shouldn't have a problem in the fall. I've heard that the Black Hills Playhouse is good, and chuckwagon suppers are fun, but we didn't do either of those. If you like national parks, Theodore Roosevelt NP is about 4 hours straight north of Rapid City. It is beautiful, a badlands area but very different from Badlands NP. There are bison there and wild horses. Just an idea! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smudge Posted August 6, 2014 Share Posted August 6, 2014 Custer SP is great, visit Wall Drug, and also the Minuteman Missile Exhibit, now a Natl Monument. Deadwood is also fun, and Wind Cave and Jewel Caves. About Crazy Horse, yes the monument is cool, however, you can see it from the road and if you stop you are essentially paying to get in and walk around a souvenir/bookshop. If you are pressed for time, you may just want to admire it from the road. That being said, I was there in Sept 2010 so maybe it is different now? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
City Mouse Posted August 6, 2014 Share Posted August 6, 2014 My son and I did that trip in June. The above are all good suggestions. Reptile Gardens was one my DS11's favorite parts of our trip this summer. We also took a tour of the Homestake Gold mine near Leads. The gold mine was especially interesting to me, because I had toured it about 15 years ago when my DD was little and it was still a working gold mine. The gold mining has stopped, but now the underground tunnels are being developed into an underground science research facility. We stayed at the KOA campground right near Mount Rushmore for a few days. Then we stayed at the KOA between. Deadwood and Leads. Since it was just my DS and I on this trip, we stayed in the cabins. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VeteranMom Posted August 6, 2014 Share Posted August 6, 2014 Bear Country USA, Crazy Horse, and Watiki indoor water park were the biggest hits with my family. We stayed at the hotel adjacent to Watiki. I found it to be pretty reasonable in price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denise in IN Posted August 6, 2014 Share Posted August 6, 2014 We also took a tour of the Homestake Gold mine near Leads. The gold mine was especially interesting to me, because I had toured it about 15 years ago when my DD was little and it was still a working gold mine. The gold mining has stopped, but now the underground tunnels are being developed into an underground science research facility. This is interesting - we almost did the tour there, but I decided we didn't have time since we were driving to Cody and planned to stop at Devil's Tower on the way. I've been wondering what that tour was like (and what I missed)! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erin Posted August 6, 2014 Share Posted August 6, 2014 Trap's family all lives in the Rapid City/Badlands area, so we go regularly….And we usually hit Watiki. lol Our (read: Buck and Trap's) absolute favorite touristy thing is the 1880 Train. (Runs between Hill City and Custer). I would also recommend Homestake at Lead. It's not as hokey as some of the others. The Journey museum in Rapid is definitely worth a see. Seriously. Make time for this one if you're at all interested in Western history. I've been watching Crazy Horse being carved for my entire life and have never bothered to "go in." I'd be surprised if there were something at the visitor's center that told me more than what I've learned elsewhere. If you're going to Montana, you could probably catch Devil's Tower on your way west/north. But TR park is kind of out of the way… It's in North Dakota. (Though if you go straight north of the Hills, and skip Devil's Tower, you could end up in western ND, catch TR and then head west into MT…Not sure if you're aiming for the northern or southern part of MT…?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProudGrandma Posted August 8, 2014 Author Share Posted August 8, 2014 thank you for all of these ideas. I have no idea what we will do yet, but you have given me a lot to consider. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LatteMama Posted August 8, 2014 Share Posted August 8, 2014 We went when DD was almost 3yo. We spent 3 days at Old McDonald's Farm. She loved it! It is a big petting zoo where the tickets are good for three days. If she was older we would have probably went to Bear Country. Also a free favorite was Dinosaur Park. Just giant green cement dinosaurs. My DD kept kissing their tails. We have wonderful memories of those dinosaurs. Also went to Wind Cave. It was fun to walk and see everything and not too hard to do for the whole family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veritaserum Posted August 8, 2014 Share Posted August 8, 2014 I loved Jewel Cave when we visited the Mt. Rushmore area almost 20 years ago. Wall Drug was fun, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happi duck Posted August 8, 2014 Share Posted August 8, 2014 I thought I remembered Crazy Horse being partly a museum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Lulu* Posted August 8, 2014 Share Posted August 8, 2014 I thought I remembered Crazy Horse being partly a museum. There was when we were there (mid 90's). There was also a film showing the progression, and several interesting exhibits. Yes, you pay to get in, but the money goes toward the completion of the monument. Unless something has changed, the Crazy Horse monument is being built without any government money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.