6 Best Bars in Rapid City and the Central Black Hills, South Dakota

Expect a family crowd in the day and a rowdier bunch at night at the Bodega and Big Al's Buffalo Steakhouse Stockade. Most evenings you can listen to live country or rock music; the entertainment moves outdoors in summer, when bands play in the stockade section. The Bodega has a rough past; from the 1890s until 1980, the upper floors were used as a brothel. The rooms now sit empty, although the secret buzzers and discreet back doors were removed only in the 1990s.

Sprawling over half a city block at the top of Main Street, and including the historic Franklin Hotel across the street, the Silverado is among Deadwood's largest gaming establishments. Although the wood paneling and brass accents around the bars recall Deadwood's Wild West past, the red carpets, velvet ropes, and bow-tie-clad staff give the place modern polish.