Visiting Mt. Rushmore in 3 weeks
 

My family is going to SD in 3 weeks. Want to see Mt. Rushmore, Wall Drug, the Badlands,
and Rushmore Cave. Can you suggest
1. a place to stay
2. good resturants
3. points of interest especially for 2 boys
ages 8 and 11.
Should I make reservations or will I be able to get accomodations in the 3rd week of June?
Thanks for any suggestions.

One word of advice: RESERVATIONS! Remember that school is over and you will not be the only family seeing America.

Go on Google and check out restaurants and chain hotels and points of interest. Be well read and planned, never, never, never go on a summer vacation, especially with 2 boys, without a complete game plan.

check this out:

http://www.travelsd.com/events/index.htm

Not having reservations in the summer in the Black Hills is a good way to end up sleeping in your car or in some really third-rate digs. If you don't mind paying the "high season" rate, your kids will love the Ramada in Rapid City. Heck, I LOVE IT TOO! :) It's got a big indoor water slide. Check it out at:

http://www.ramadamtrushmore.com/

For lower cost offerings in the general area, I've sometimes used the Kelly Inn in Spearfish -- not fancy, but it always seemed well-maintained and a decent value.

A great place to eat:

Firehouse Brewing Company, 620 Main Street, Rapid City (Telephone: 675-348-1915). Located in downtown Rapid City, the Firehouse features an unusual menu and a selection of excellent beers that are brewed on premises in an affectionate re-use of the city's historic old firehouse. This is a really wonderful and entertaining choice for dining and you may also find live music on hand -- but you can check that in advance, if it's important to you.

Check out particulars at:

http://www.firehousebrewing.com/

We especially enjoyed the upper deck dining area with a great view of the activity below and the proprietor proudly provided us with a tour of his micro-brewing process. Truly a special place.

Have a great time in the Black Hills! Despite the tourist trappings, it's STILL a classic family vacation.

Mt. Rushmore is truly awesome! Take a drive through Custer State Park on the wildlife loop....you will see Buffalo, Prairie Dogs by the thousands, antelope and some absolutely beautiful scenery! Also the Reptile Gardens ($10/per adult and I'm not sure about the kids.....somewhere between $5-8).
DO MAKE RESERVATIONS!!!

Your kids might enjoy Jewel Cave NM or Wind Cave NP as well.

Be sure to go back to Mt. Rushmore for the nighttime lighting ceremony. It will be well worth it.

Just got back yesterday with wife and 11 YO son. Here's what he liked and didn't.
Liked:
Mt. Rushmore, esp night lighting ceremony
1880 Train in Hill City
Wind Cave
Reptile Gardens
Air and Space Museum
Trial of Jack McCall in Deadwood
Passion Play in Spearfish
Broken Boot Gold Mine
Panning for gold
Chuckwagon Dinner
Swimming at the hotel

Didn't like:
Thunderhead Falls - I'll never hear the end of it
Old Fort Meade

Favorite restaurant was Sannford's both in Rapid City and Spearfish. Fun place with tons of stuff on walls and ceiling, huge menu with lots of fun food, also 100 different kinds of bottled beer or Dad.

The Alpine Inn in Hill city is a great place to eat for steak. All they serve is Filet Mignon ("same menu for 30 years"). Excellent food at a reasonable price. Make sure you order one of their 30 home made deserts.

Do a search on this site for advice. There should be tons as there have been many discussions on the Black Hills.

Have a great trip.

Oops. I just noticed the date on the original post. It's a little late for advice.

I just got back from SD, not to late to post you should be getting ready to leave.
We stayed in a cabin in Hill City, at the Mountain view lodge. Cooked our own meals on a grill and the owners had smores by the campfire at night, the 2 nights it wasn't raining. Alpine Inn was always crowded so we skipped it altogether.
Ft. Hayes chuckwagon supper was GREAT.
We did not enjoy the wildlife loop at Custer but did enjoy Needles Scenic Byway, you can see the same wildlife at much shorter traveling distance (the wildlife loop is 20+ miles) at Bear Country just south of Rapid City
My guys enjoyed the Flags and Wheels indoor go carts and paintball complex in down town Rapid City.
your guys may enjoy reptile gardens.
Badlands was great, take water with you and Wall Drug was interesting, I found LOTS of bargins.
We stayed at the Knights Inn in Wall and checked in at 12pm without reservations, the Elk Inn restaurant was on the property and we had a free breakfast. We had pizza at the CAVE across from Wall Drug and had to eat it in the bar.
I hope you have resrvations by now even though there were lots of vacancy signs up during the week, the weekends were full. I had made resrvaations in Hill City in April.
i hope you weather is better thatn ours was. Don't miss Crazy horse and the Sioux warriors dance.

You've got to see Crazy Horse. It won't be completed for decades-- but my family and I got a kick out of watching history in the making. The Crazy Horse Monument is awesome from a physical standpoint-- The entire Mt. Rushmore monument will fit in just the arm of the Crazy Horse. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Went on Badlands tour late May prior many "attractions" opening and found that the lack of crowds made up for the truely awful restaurants and shabby lodging. We, did, however (4 adults) give high marks to the Roosevelt Inn in Keystone and the Comfort Inn in Custer.
The Alex Johnson in Rapid City was a neat hotel and the dinner was wonderful - the only good meal we had in a week. Wall's Drug Store is a waste
of gasoline. Do the driving tours and check out a cave or two. See Rushmore. Go to Deadwood and play penny slots and stay at the Bullock Hotel. Go over to Wyoming and see Devils Tower. We had a blast - the scenery is fabulous and the varmits were too cute.

The July/August 2003 issue of Budget Travel has an excellent article on South Dakota. Buy, borrow, or steal a copy before you leave on your trip!