Family Fun in South Dakota, part two

(continued from last week)

You can’t go to the Black Hills without seeing Mt. Rushmore.  Honestly, it was probably the one place I was the least excited to see.  It was on the list because I felt like I had to see it.  But once we got there and I was walking down the avenue of flags and got my first glimpse of the presidents, I was overwhelmed with pride and emotion.  Quite a moving experience.  There is a very nice museum on-site with some fun interactive activities for the kids.  If possible, I recommend visiting at least twice.  During the day when the sun is high is a great time for taking close up pictures.  You can even hike around a bit.  In the evening there is a nightly lighting ceremony which we all really enjoyed.  In the end, we ended up visiting or driving by Mt. Rushmore 5 different times that week, and I couldn’t look away each time.  We were there during the 4th of July holiday and seeing the fireworks over the mountain was amazing.

Crazy Horse Memorial– this is another must see, in my opinion.  Although nowhere near completion, it is a huge project that one family has dedicated their whole lives to.  You can learn more about it during the short film shown on a loop in the main building.  There is a very nice Indian museum and a gift shop where you can buy locally made pottery.  Every night there is a laser light show set to music which the kids loved.  Well worth the admission/donation price.  There is also a snack shop and ice cream counter.  We were there for about 3 hours.

Bear Country USA– Great place to take photos of animals you may not have a chance to see anywhere else up close.  While I have mixed feelings about these type of places, I believe the animals here are well cared for looked healthy.  Along the 3 mile drive through experience you will see grizzly and black bears, reindeer, mountain lion, buffalo and more.  At the end there is a wildlife center where you can see smaller/younger animals.  The bear cubs seemed to be having a great time playing and chasing each other around.  There is a HUGE gift shop at the end.  Allow 1-2 hours (depending on how much you like to shop !)

Circle B Chuckwagon Supper and Show(outside of Rapid City).  A well run family establishment.  Mom, Dad and grown children run the place and cook, clean and even entertain you while you eat.  What else could you ask for ?  There are things for the younger kids too; gold panning, target shooting, pony rides and a cowboy gunfight in the middle of “town”.  Dinner is served “chuck-wagon style” and is much different than anywhere else I’ve ever eaten.

Custer State Park & Needles Highway.  You will need a smaller vehicle for the drive through Needles Highway.  It is a beautiful drive up the hills with hairpin turns, wooden bridges, gorgeous vistas, tunnels carved in the rock, and scenic look outs.  If you get nervous on narrow roads or overlooking drop offs…this may not be the drive for you !  Near the end of the highway is the beginning of the Custer State Park wildlife loop.  Here we saw hundreds of free roaming buffalo.  At times we had to stop the car in the middle of the road and wait for them to move off of it.  They really are majestic creatures and being there it wasn’t hard to imagine what it would’ve been like a century and a half ago when they roamed the entire west.

Though not as wild or unique…there are a few other local places of interest for the kids such as Reptile Gardens in Rapid City,  President’s Alpine Slide in Keystone, Rushmore Cave in Keystone and Black Hills Maze in Rapid City.

As you can see, you could spend weeks just in the Black Hills area alone.  One other thing I wanted to mention was that my mom came with us for this trip and at times she used a wheelchair or cane and didn’t have any problems using them at any of the places I have mentioned.

Happy Camping,

~Shannone