Crystal Zimmerman

My husband and I are planning a driving trip to ND/SD in August.
We are thinking about starting in Minneapolis, then to Fargo, Grand Forks,Minot,Bismark, (Pierre) to Rapid City, SD.We are interested in sightseeing, history, seeing the Red River Valley, etc.
We would appreciate any advice or suggestions including weather conditions and mosquitos?
Many thanks for any and all tips.

Maria

Great trip. My boyfriend and I went across country years ago and made our way along a similar route (once we got to the mid-west from NJ. Anyway, if you're going into SD and don't see the Badlands, you're insane. I don't know what you've heard of them, or if you've seen pictures, but nothing could do that beauty justice except seeing it with your own eyes. It's amazing. Also, I don't know what you've seen of wild buffalo, but they have them in Custer State Park in the Black Hills. We camped in the Bismark area. There were some interesting Native American historic sites there if I recall and its a quaint little town.

I don't remember a big problem with mosquitos.

Have fun!

Cheryl Z.

Hi Crystal - I was born in Fargo, actually grew up in Abercrombie, little town South of Fargo. And just two weeks ago, returned from a trip there to visit my 97 yr old grandma still on her farm on the Red River, and lots of other relatives. And I'm here to tell you to be prepared for the mosquitoes!We had to fight them off at both farms we visited on the nice days. But the day it was windy, no problem. Didn't notice so much in the little towns or in Fargo.
As far as things to do? Not much right in that area - If you do go South of Fargo along the river, stop in the museum and fort though at Abercrombie. Very interesting (a side note - my grandfathers picture is in the museum from the late l800's, early l900's with a group of the founders and a great grandfather's dog pelt coat is on display). Definetly see The Badlands. Also Mt.Rushmore in SD. Is your husband a baseball fan? He can see the small Roger Maris museum in the mall in Fargo. (This was a must for my Yankee fan husband from NY. This was his first trip back to see where I hail from, by the way, and he survived.) Weather should be hot, don't remember about tornadoes that time of year.
And if you're Harley Davidson kinda folks, theres a BIG get together in Sturgis, SD in the summer, but don't remember when.
Have a good trip and say hi to my relatives.

jeff

The Badlands are a must in South Dakota. Mount Rushmore must be seen at day and at night, as the nighttime view has massive spotlights on the faces and patriotic music, as I recall. The Crazy Horse Monument is also an interesting stop. It is a work in progress for over 50 years now. I saw it seven years ago and wonder how it's progressed since 1991. I don't remember bugs but it was quite hot (nearly 100) when I was there in July. Hotel and motel accomodations are available in Rapid City and aren't cheap in the summertime, their peak season. Watch out for deer, too. I saw a car hit by one en route to Deadwood, SD from the Mount Rushmore area. Deadwood is a neat little casino town but someone told me that it has changed since then. Also nearby are the geographic center of the United States and Devil's Tower National Monument, across the border in Wyoming.
As for North Dakota, I have never been there but am travelling there in August to the Theodore Roosevelt National Park in the western part of the state. Maybe our paths will cross in the Dakotas in a few weeks. Have a great (and safe) trip!

Susan

Don't miss Spearfish Canyon at Spearfish, SD. It is the most spectacular view for miles and miles. The top speed is 35 MPH.

There are great museums in Bismarck, ND. Going west from Bismarck, there is an old Abby in Richardton, ND that is beautiful and monks still make their own bread and also wine.

We have spent a week in the Black Hills and not seen everything, so pick and choose when you get there. There are good information spots along the way, so stop and ask.

If you go north to the Peace Gardens, the closest place to find a motel would probably be Bottineau. I would call some of the chain motels and ask.

Enjoy your drive! North Dakota has striking changes in landscape as you go east to west. Both of the units of Theodore Roosevelt Part (north and south) are beautiful. Take bug repellant!

Carol

We did a quick drive thru SD in May. Custer State Park was a great discovery -- saw more wildlife there than anywhere, especially a lot of prairie dogs. That's adjacent to Wind Cave Natl Park, with similar scenery and a neat cavern. Definitely see Badlands! Skip Wall Drug -- tacky tourist stuff. The Battle Creek Lodge in Keystone, SD (next to Mt. Rushmore) is a low-cost gem.

andrea

We went to SD last August. There is a ton of stuff to do and good advice from previous posts. May I add some other terrific ones? Get audio tapes for the drive through Custer State Park and Devil's tower. They will add to your experience immensely. The Larry King Show if you like Country music! It was top notch entertainment! Located in the town right by Mt. Rushmore (do see that day and night). There is a museum outside the park that tells the story of Rushmore quite well. My kids loved Wall Drug and you will need a break on the way back from Badlands. Passion Play is very popular. Trout fishing. We enjoyed Deadwood. We happened upon it on the day of their annual parade. Casinos are nothing like Vegas, but we enjoyed a little time in them. One of the highlights of the trip that we will always talk about is the hike to Harney Peak. I am surprised no one has mentioned it. HP is the tallest point between the Rockies and the Alps. (elevation a bit over 7,000 I think). It is a very challenging hike (at least we thought so). The view from up there is breathtaking! Go prepared (lots of water, snacks, good shoes, binoculars, film,etc.) Roundtrip must have taken 3-4 hours as I remember. Enjoy!

Nancy

My grandparents lived in the Bismarck area - there's lots to see around there:

First - when driving across ND on I-94, stop and see the World's Largest Buffalo in Jamestown. There's a pioneer town by the buffalo, too.

Bismarck area - visit where Custer camped for the winter before heading out to Little Bighorn. It's really interesting to go through - there's a replica of his home as well as some of the barracks, etc.

Bismarck area - visit Fort Abraham Lincoln - it's interesting driving up through the hills and seeing the blockhouses where they defended the fort against the Indians. There's also an area that I think is part of the same park where they have indian dwellings built into the ground - they look like little hills.

Don't miss Teddy Roosevelt National Park and the Medora area. There's an outdoor theater there that is really nice.

Have fun on your trip!

Dee

I was through that area last October and I hope to be returning this September. If you love beatiful scenery and interesting meseums, I don't think the Dakotas will disappoint you.
In Bismark, be sure to visit Fort Abraham Lincoln outside of Bismark. The hill-on-a-slant village is a reproduction of Mandan Indian ruins from the area. The Mandan people were a branch of the Souix nation that lived in underground shelters due to the extreme temperatures and their agronomy based culture. It is a definate must see that does not take a long time. Another word of advice in Bismark is to stay away from the 'mexican' food. Coming from Southern California, I have eaten a lot of mexican food in my life. I'm not sure what it was that I ate there, but it wasn't mexican food.
If you have time in Rapid City, make a stop at the Journey Museum. It is an interactive museum that takes the visitor through the geologic and human history of the black hills. The museum allows you to tour around at your own pace while 'talking sticks' (provided by the museum) tell you about each exhibit as you stand near the exhibit (which activates the stick). The 'talking sticks can be set to transmit the message in either the English or Lakota language. When we visited, we accidentally got there an hour before they opened, but the friendly museum staff set things up and allowed us to enter early. It's definately not a place to miss! I saw most of the other usual tourist sights in the black hills area and there were all must see as well. Hope you have a great trip!

darlene spinnie

My husband and i want to take a vacation to south dakoka especially the blackhills. i have asthma and need to known what time of the year is best to goe to those areas. please e-mail me and let me know . we are retired and can travel at anytime. thankyou. look forward to hearing from you. darlene spinnie

Greg Jones

Hello Crystal,

A must see while your in South Dakota is the Missouri River. There is a new buisness called Missouri River Expeditions that will take your family out seakayaking and provides all the equipment and food. All you need to bring is a sleeping bag. They operate in the Pickstown to Sioux City area.

I've never had bannanas foster and red wine camping before! These guys can really cook!

monique

I must add also, a must would be spending time on the missouri river in South Dakota! I have traveled all over the world and I am still amaized how beautiful a sunset is on the river!!There is also so much history with Lewis and Clark, Wildlife, (fishing and bird watching etc.) you'll love it!!

Bill Irving

People have mentioned Deadwood, but nobody has mentioned the Boothill type cemetary there, which is really full of Western history, including the graves of Wild Bill Hickok & Calamity Jane. Also if you interested in South Dakota gold, Leeds is the place to go, where they mine it & create jewelry.