Travel Suggestions for the Black Hills in South Dakota

hi. i live in sd and this is sad to say i don't have alot of experience with that area. one place i would suggest visiting is a place called reptile gardens, located in rapid city,if they are still open. i haven't been for a lonnnng time. i think they also have a zoo. another place would be mt.rushmore. i agree though if you go in august, specially during STURGIS you are not going to find a room and if you do the prices are going to be extremly high. i used to work for a call center making reservations for SUPER 8 and a room that would normally cost $60-$70 was priced way over $120.00 just for one night. any ways happy early anniversary and good luck.another place to go for ideas about things to do is www.travelsd.com
also wanted to mention that if you like MT.Rushmore and fire works come visit over the fourth of july. they put on a awesome firework display.
S. mom to 2 wonderful boys 4 and 1.

We went out there for our honeymoon even though we live in SD. We stayed in Hot Springs at a bed and breakfast and it was really great, I think it is right next to a place called Evans Plunge Water park. There is all sorts of stuff to do, Cosmos (which my hubby really enjoyed), Bear Country, Reptile Gardens, Mt Rushmore, Badlands, Jewel Cave (some of the caves aren't great so check them out before going), and just driving around. But like the others said check the calendar for Sturgis it gets crazy out there during that time.

Hi Laura,

Don't really have a lot of advice about where to stay...we went several years ago with our two teenage children, and had a ball. We, also, went in August, and was really surprised when we couldn't find a motel to stay in for awhile because of the Sturgis Motorcycle Ride that goes on there in August, so you might want to check out the dates for that before you make your plans. We took out one night from the Iowa State Fair, and didn't end up getting a motel until the next evening after we had driven clear across the state of South Dakota...talk about tired. Luckily the Sturgis thing had ended the weekend before, and everyone was headed home, so the rest of the week it was pretty easy to get a room. You might want to make your reservations soon, but I would want to make sure it wasn't for the same time as the Sturgis Ride, even if you could get a room....I think it would be way too busy to go then.

Have Fun!

C.

I agree with the previous poster.. we actually attend the Sturgis motorcycle rally every year and it is chaos. This year it starts on the 3rd of Aug I believe and lasts until the end of the next weekend.

There are so many amazing things to do in the Black Hills, it is one of my fav places to be. Mt Rushmore, Crazy Horse, there are caves all over the place, Needles Hwy. It is all so beautiful and I am just in awe every time we go. Have a great time!

Definitely stop in the badlands area - we pretty much drove through it and stopped to look, so not sure what all is there to do, but it's pretty amazing to look at. Drive through Custers to see the animals roaming around. The prairie dogs are fun to watch. And of course Mount Rushmore is worth the visit, along with Devil's tower and Crazy Horse.
One of my favorite research websites for any traveling we do is tripadvisor.com. You can type in an area, or a specific hotel to look at ratings and comments. We were in the Black Hills area many years ago and I don't remember where we stayed (sorry!). With a baby in tow, find something that you can get your stuff in and out easily - not lots of walking, steps or elevator rides and long hallways. Another place to look for lodging is on vrbo.com, it's a vacation rental by owner - maybe you can find a cute little cabin to stay in. Either way, plan for lots of car time, it's a lot of driving around.