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SOUTH DAKOTA · USA - June 2023

  • chrissihuf
  • Jun 9
  • 5 min read

Updated: Jun 10





Brief History/Information

South Dakota is known for its Great Plains landscapes, Native American heritage including the Lakota Sioux, Dakota Sioux, Nakota Sioux, Cheyenne, and Arikara, agriculture, and iconic landmarks such as Mount Rushmore National Memorial and Badlands National Park. It is the 40th state as of November 2, 1889.

Natural features:

  • Black Hills

  • Missouri River

  • Badlands National Park

  • Wind Cave National Park

Fun Facts

  1. Mount Rushmore National Memorial features the carved faces of four U.S. presidents:

    • George Washington: Represents the nation's founding and the Revolutionary War.

    • Thomas Jefferson: Represents the nation's expansion through the Louisiana Purchase.

    • Theodore Roosevelt: Represents the development of the country and the conservation of its natural resources.

    • Abraham Lincoln: Represents the preservation of the United States during the Civil War.

  2. Wind Cave National Park is one of the world's longest cave systems.

  3. Pierre is one of the smallest state capitals in the United States by population.

  4. The annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is one of the largest motorcycle gatherings in the world.

  5. The state nickname is "The Mount Rushmore State."




Deadwood, South Dakota is one of the most famous frontier towns in American history. Located in the northern Black Hills of South Dakota, it became legendary during the 1870s gold rush and is closely associated with Wild West figures such as Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane. Today, Deadwood is a preserved historic town, and a National Historic Landmark. In 1878, a major fire destroyed much of the business district, but the town rebuilt using brick and stone structures, many of which still stand today.

We drove from Little Bighorn, Montana to Deadwood, South Dakota (about four hours) and stayed at the Bullock Hotel. Yes, this is the hotel that Seth Bullock started in 1896! It was really cool and right on the main road. For a small, old town, there’s a lot to do here.

Fun Facts

  • Deadwood was named after the dead trees found in the gulch where it was founded.

  • During its first years, the town had virtually no legal government.

  • The legend of the "Dead Man's Hand" originated in Deadwood, after the hand that Wild Bill was holding

  • The town inspired numerous books, films, and the acclaimed television series Deadwood.


Places of Interest Walking Tour w/ Bar Crawl

BARS/RESTAURANTS/SITES

  • Adams Museum: open daily 9-5, after Mount Moriah Cemetery, we walked here. Very cool museum.

  • Belle Joli Winery Tasting Room: cute little winery

  • Buffalo Bodega: South Dakota’s oldest bar

  • Bullock Hotel: this is where we stayed for a few nights, had a very good breakfast

  • Celebrity Hotel: cool hotel with lots of celebrity memorabilia, came for a drink on the rooftop.

  • Deadwood Alive/4:00 Shootout: get there early for a good place to see

  • Deadwood Pizza Factory: a great place for pizza

  • Franklin Hotel:

  • Gem hotel: steakhouse for dinner

  • Jacob’s Brewhouse: had lunch here, good food

  • Madame Peacock’s: it’s a bar; it’s a shopping boutique; it has everything for everyone, including $3 Schlitz beer

  • Mavericks: came here for a steak dinner, but the wait was too long, so we left

  • Mount Moriah Cemetery: it was a short walk from our hotel, there’s a $2 fee to enter the cemetery

  • Mt. Rosevelt Memorial/Friendship Tower: this was a nice quick hike

  • The Original Site/No. 10: this is the bar where Wild Bill was killed. We drank a ‘cocksucker’ (good). This location was originally Nuttal & Mann’s (the saloon where the actual shooting occurred, later renamed No. 10). While the original 1876 building burned down in 1879, this specific spot operates today as a bar (currently known as the Wild Bill Bar/Trading Post). The owners offer docent tours of the basement level, which was the actual street level before the 1883 flood.

  • The Old Style Saloon No. 10: this is a great bar! It has the chair that Wild Bill died in.

  • Pump House at Mind Blown Studio: walked here from our hotel for breakfast, very good

  • Sick-N-Twisted Brewery: came here for a drink, bad wine, bad service

  • Spearfish Canyon: located in the Black Hills of South Dakota. There are three easily accessible waterfalls: Bridal Veil Falls, Spearfish Falls, and Roughlock Falls. We did Roughlock Falls-A stunning, multi-tiered cascade. We then went to the lodge and had some amazing corn cakes.

  • Stockade: came for a drink




Rapid City serves as the primary gateway to the Black Hills region. Construction of Mount Rushmore National Memorial began in 1927 and ended in 1941. Many often use Rapid City as a base for exploring Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Crazy Horse Memorial, Badlands National Park, Custer State Park, Wind Cave National Park, and Jewel Cave National Monument.

We left Deadwood and drove one and a half hours to Rapid City. We stayed at Double Diamond Ranch, these are adorable cabins close to town. This is a very convenient place to stay to explore the many different areas. Again, there’s so much to do here, we didn’t get a chance to do everything we wanted to do. Since we had a cabin, we ate our breakfasts and dinners here… it was nice to have a home-cooked meal.


Places of Interest Walking Tour w/ Bar Crawl

BARS/RESTAURANTS/SITES

PARKS/SITES

  • Badlands National Park: ($30 per car, open 24 hours). The Badlands are like no place I’ve ever seen… looks like you’re walking on top of the moon (but a lot hotter!). I feel like this is more of a ‘forgotten’ place to visit, but it’s truly remarkable.

    • Notch trail- This has a ladder to climb up, we were there the beginning of June and it was EXTREMELY HOT and the ladder was even hotter (wear gloves if you can)

    • Window Trail

    • Foot Trail

    • Loop Road

    • Big Horn Sheep

  • Crazy Horse: $35 per car, open 9-5. I try to stay positive on this blog, but I also have to be honest… This is a very expensive place to visit and I don’t think it’s worth it. You can actually see this perfectly outside of the park and not miss anything.

  • Custer State Park ($20 per car)

  • Mt. Rushmore: This is a pretty cool and unique place. The carving of the mountain was from 1927-1941 (a long time).

    The Four Presidents

    • George Washington: Represents the nation's founding and the Revolutionary War.

    • Thomas Jefferson: Represents the nation's expansion through the Louisiana Purchase.

    • Theodore Roosevelt: Represents the development of the country and the conservation of its natural resources.

    • Abraham Lincoln: Represents the preservation of the United States during the Civil War.

  • Wall Drug: This is a MUST DO! It’s not just your typical drug store… it’s a town with an enormous store that sells just about anything you want. They even have a pretty good restaurant!

  • Wind Cave National Park:  go straight to the Bison Visitor Center and the rangers will tell you exactly where the Bison are (that way you’re not driving all over the park)

    • Wind life loop- buffalo

    • Wind cave tour- (fees for cave tours only). This is such an amazing cave and should be on your bucket-list! This cave alone, has 95% of all boxwork formations on Earth. Boxwork is a very rare geological feature, it is distinctive for its calcite fin formations. It is one of the longest caves in the world and creates a wind as air pressure changes.


HILL CITY

WHAT WE DIDN’T DO BUT WANTED TO


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