Our Visit To The Black Hills
The Black Hills of South Dakota is a fabulous vacation spot that a lot of people don’t seem to consider when trip planning. We have visited twice now and I will be the first to tell you how much there is to do! It is rich in history and in beauty and there truly is something there for everyone.
Spanning 1.2 million acres in western South Dakota and northeastern Wyoming, the Black Hills are forested mountains. Ever heard of the motorcycle rally held in Sturgis every year? Sturgis is in the heart of the Black Hills and with the scenic, winding roads, it is no wonder this is such a spectacular area to host a bike rally! There are also multiple atv and snowmobile trails for those seeking off-road adventures.
The Black Hills is best known as the home to Mount Rushmore, the historic western town of Deadwood, and where Dances With Wolves was filmed. Millions of people visit this area each year, which is very impressive for a state with a population of less than 900,000!
Where To Go and What To Do (Especially With Kids)
- Visit Mount Rushmore National Monument.
Mount Rushmore. You know, the Presidents’ faces blasted into the side of a mountain? It is majestic and so special. If you have never been, you probably have not put much thought into just how amazing it is. See it in person and you will know how glorious this work of art truly is. You can learn more about the artist, his inspiration, and the lengthy process from start to finish, here.
We have now visited Mount Rushmore twice. The first visit was in early November and we were blessed with fabulous weather, and no crowds. We were lucky there was someone else there to snap a family photo for us! (I suggest bringing a selfie stick or a tripod so you can take a nice photo that will capture the sculpture in the background- and not get your worst angle. You’re welcome.) We walked the Presidential Trail, learned a lot in the Lincoln Borglum Visitor Center, visited the gift shop, stood in awe of the Avenue of the Flags (what a view!!), and dined in the Carver’s Cafe. This was pre-Covid by almost 4 years, so everything was open and we had an fantastic visit!
Our second trip to Mount Rushmore was in late July. We decided to do an evening visit and stay for the lighting ceremony. South Dakota did not shut down at all (unlike every other state), but certain locations such as Mount Rushmore took special precautions as far as social distancing and limited options in the cafe and limited hours in the gift shop. It was crowded, but not completely unmanageable (and we have a major crowd-hater in our family, plus 4 kids!). We were able to find a nice woman who offered to take our family photo, though it is not nearly as beautiful as our original 4 years ago. We went to the Visitors Center, and got ice cream from the cafe. It was worth it but very pricey. I got the classic vanilla, which is Thomas Jefferson’s original recipe and has a delicious homemade taste. I really appreciated the ambiance of seeing the monument at dusk on a summer night. The lighting ceremony really wasn’t all that special, but just being there in the sweet summer air, hearing the crickets chirping, united in a crowd bonded by experiencing the same thing was pretty neat.
2. Visit Reptile Gardens.
Reptile Gardens is a zoo that has mainly, you guessed it, reptiles. It has more reptile species than any other wildlife zoo or park in the world! I have to admit that this was at the bottom of my to-do list when planning our trip, as it just did not peak my interest much. However, my husband and our kids were very enthusiastic about the idea of going, so we went. It definitely exceeded my expectations and did not disappoint! It was HOT, but we still had a wonderful time. There are a few parts of the zoo that they could put a little more money into, but you can tell they put a lot of heart and thought into every aspect of each exhibit. We were able to get up close and personal with giant tortoises, see a multitude of some of the deadliest snakes on earth, fed the alligators, and tried really hard not to step on all the super cool lizards running around inside the lizard dome! Reptile Gardens also has a snack shop and a very cool gift store!
3. Visit the historic towns.
Two of the most touristy towns in the Black Hills are Deadwood and Keystone. Deadwood is definitely more adult-friendly, and it is hard to decipher whether a business is a casino and bar, or has a family-friendly restaurant. FYI, most of the casinos/bars are family friendly until a certain time of day, so stop in for lunch! We decided to use the trolley and ride from our hotel to downtown Deadwood in order to avoid finding parking. We enjoyed window shopping and we did go into a few souvenir shops. If you walk a block or two out of downtown, you will find a really neat glass blowing facility combined with a coffee shop, as well as a couple museums.
Keystone is minutes from Mount Rushmore and designed for families. It is very touristy and has tons of cute restaurants and gift shops. We did not spend as much time there as we should have, but we did enjoy a trip to Big Thunder Gold Mine and had an absolute blast at the Mirror Maze!
4. Visit Spearfish.
Spearfish was a welcome change from being in the middle of the Hills. The drive from Deadwood is still beautiful, but it is a quaint little modern town that we should have spent more time at. We went on a rainy day and checked out the D.C. Booth Historic National Fish Hatchery. They raise rainbow trout and have them separated by size in different ponds. You can buy food to feed them, and there is an underwater viewing area. They usually have a small museum/visitors center and an old train car you can go inside, but they were closed due to Covid.
After the hatchery, we went next door to the most amazing playground! My kids were in heaven. Both the park and the hatchery are free, so that made it even better. The kids did not care about a little rain as they played their hearts out on all the different play structures. They didn’t want to leave!
We tried to get Dough Trader pizza, but of course the only day they are closed is the day we were in Spearfish. The reviews are great, and the photos look to die for, so I would definitely get a pie from here!
Unfortunately, it started raining harder so we had to skip Spearfish Canyon. This will definitely be on our list for next time!
5. Visit Tatanka: The Story the Bison.
I’m not sure how many visitors Tatanka has each year, but it should be more! Tatanka is a history museum with magnificent sculptures out back depicting how the Native Americans hunted bison. Tatanka was founded and is still owned by the actor Kevin Costner. While filming Dances with Wolves, he fell in love with South Dakota and the Black Hills and the story of the Native Americans and their relationship with the bison. He originally had hopes to open a hotel there, but plans for that fell through and the vision for Tatanka was born.
This museum has specific areas to visit in order, so they like for you to start off viewing a short film on how Tatanka came to life. You then can check out the artifacts and listen to a Native American speaker tell his story and answer questions about his history and bison. This was so interesting and we all learned so much! This was the perfect homeschool field trip- I just wish it was closer to home! After that, you are invited to walk around the grounds and see the bronze bison and Native American sculptures. They’re gorgeous! The view of the Black Hills is really pretty, too. There is also a small rock yard you can dig in for arrowheads. You can leave them if you want, or you can buy them for $1 each. They also have a very nice gift shop.
6. Drive through Bear Country USA.
Bear Country USA is a drive through park that allows you to see bears, wolves, elk, reindeer, mountain lions, and other North American mammals. After your drive, you can get out and walk around another exhibit and get pretty close to the bears! This is a must see for any wildlife lovers.
7. Custer State Park; Wind Cave National Park; Jewel Cave National Monument
Sadly, we did not have time or energy to visit these places! The caves inside Wind Cave National Park were closed due to elevator maintenance, and Jewel Cave was not open due to Covid and it being an enclosed space. Custer State Park was just outside of our driving zone, as we had already spent a lot of time driving and the younger ones were not appreciative of that fact! We skipped the park, but if you have time and are able, I would suggest visiting. We hear this is a very scenic drive and a great way to see the native animals in the wild.
Where You Should Stay
We stayed in Deadwood both of our Black Hills trips. Our first visit, we stayed at the Springhill Suites. All my mommy brain remembers is that it had a really cool pool!
Our second visit, we decided to stay at The Lodge at Deadwood. We chose lodging here because the accommodations looked nice and they have a casino and a restaurant, a gift shop, and a small waterpark. We were pretty happy here! I suggest trying for a room on the ground level so you can have a ‘porch’ area and easy access to the outside! It did not give me the ‘motel’ feeling like it may sound like. It actually was very convenient to have that door, rather than have to walk through the entire hotel to get outside. If you have a room on an upper level, however, I believe you still get a balcony! The restaurant food was delicious, and the kids had so much fun at the waterpark each night.
Where To Eat
We spent a total of four days in the Black Hills, so we had to dine out quite a bit. We chose to eat at our hotel restaurant, Oggie’s Sports Bar, three different times- once for breakfast, twice for dinner. The food was really good.
Jacob’s Brewhouse is a new restaurant in Deadwood. The menu is small, but very unique and delicious. Our waitress was terrific! The atmosphere is very nice, and the structural details are beautiful. They also have a unique grocery store attached.
The Powder House Lodge is a cozy restaurant in Keystone with good comfort food. It has the highest Trip Advisor rating, and was a very nice place to visit.
Tacos near the Mirror Maze in Keystone. I really don’t think this place even has a real name. They just advertise tacos and burritos upstairs. We went looking for an Indian/Nepalese restaurant but found that it was no longer there, and this taco joint took its place. We were starving and didn’t know where else to go, so we stayed. When I say they advertise tacos and burritos, I mean they have tacos and burritos, and nothing else! This restaurant is fairly new, and the owner may add other menu items, but his tacos and burritos were delicious! He put the spicy sauce on the side, and I am glad he did, because the kids would have caught fire…but it was so good. There is a little Chihuahua running around cleaning up scraps, but she was not a fan of our toddler, so I would keep your distance.
One Final Thought…
We have now visited the Black Hills of South Dakota twice, and enjoyed it both times. We will definitely go back, and each trip has and will evolve as our kids grow. There is so much to do and see here, so plan your time wisely, and prioritize the type of experience you want to have. You can be as involved in nature as you want and hike and camp, or you can be a total tourist and hit up all the shops and choose a hotel. No matter what, you will find that the people and places of South Dakota are a real treat!