Black Hills Attractions
Black Hills Attractions
 | 1880 Train Hill City, SD • 506-574-2222 Located near Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse Memorial is, for train fans, the biggest thrill in the Hills. The vintage steam engine chugs and whistles during two-hour round-trip treks between depots at Keystone and Hill City mid-May through early October. Best For: Tots (0-2)•Kids (3-6)•Kids (7-9)•Tweens (10-12)•Teens (13+) |
 | Badlands National Park I-90, exit 131 Badlands National Park, SD • 605-433-5361 Imaginations will run wild in this park with its otherworldly landscape. You'll want at least two hours to drive the Badlands Loop Road and check out the stunning views of carved, jagged red cliffs, buttes, knobs and valleys that stretch across 244,000 acres. There also are five trails to hike, ranging from a quarter of a mile to eight miles. Get your bearings at the visitor center, then ask for a junior ranger workbook for kids to complete as they go through the park. Best For: Kids (3-6)•Kids (7-9)•Tweens (10-12)•Teens (13+) |
 | Black Hills Museum of Natural History 117 Main Street Hill City, SD • 605-574-4505 This Hill City museum looks modest, but the staff here made a colossal discovery in finding a T-Rex named Sue in Faith, SD. They lost the battle to keep Sue (who was purchased by Chicago's Field Museum), but they have the original skeleton of Stan the T-Rex, along with dozens of locally excavated dinosaurs, fossils of mammals, fish and reptiles, plus an impressive collection of minerals, agates and meteorites. Kids will love its Everything Prehistoric shop. Best For: Tots (0-2)•Kids (3-6)•Kids (7-9)•Tweens (10-12) |
 | Crazy Horse Memorial 12151 Avenue of Chiefs Crazy Horse, SD • 605-673-4681 A nice complement to Mount Rushmore visit is a trip to Crazy Horse Monument and its well-done Native American art museum. While it has decades to go before completion, you can see Crazy Horse's haunting face and the outline of his horse in progress. There also are nightly laser shows here. Best For: Tots (0-2)•Kids (3-6)•Kids (7-9)•Tweens (10-12)•Teens (13+) |
 | Custer State Park 13329 U.S. Highway 16A Custer, SD • 605-255-4464 At close to 71,000 acres and with everything from bighorn sheep to bison and prairie dog towns, this state park could rival many national ones. It's also an ideal place to stay and enjoy special outings such as Jeep safari rides, trail ride at Bluebell Stables or rock climbing at Sylvan Lake. Don't miss the Wildlife Loop that cuts across swaths of prairie and be prepared for traffic jams near bison herds or the park's infamous begging burros. The burros are not at all shy about sticking their heads into mini-vans looking for chips, cookies or any other handouts. Best For: Tots (0-2)•Kids (3-6)•Kids (7-9)•Tweens (10-12)•Teens (13+) |
 | Harney Peak SD For a top-of-the-world rush, hike the six-mile trail to Harney Peak. It starts near Sylvan Lake Resort and climbs to the historic stone fire tower at 7,242 feet above sea level. It's the highest point east of the Rockies and the stunning view sweeps across four states. Just hold on to your hat as the wind rushes across the mountain. You also can enjoy a gorgeous (and less strenuous) view from Mount Coolidge, another historic fire tower. It's off Highway 87 and up a 1.7-mile gravel road suitable for most vehicles. The view from here (6,000 feet in elevation) or the nearby Heddy Draw picnic area stretches east and encompasses the Badlands on a clear day. Best For: Kids (7-9)•Tweens (10-12)•Teens (13+) |
 | Jewel Cave National Monument U.S. Highway 16 Custer, SD • 605-673-8300 Jewel Cave ranks as the nation's second largest cave with 151 miles explored as of June 2010. Just 13 miles from Custer State Park, itâs worth the extra ride to see it, as well as Wind Cave National Monument, the nation's fourth-longest cave. Both offer a variety of tours of escalating length and difficulty. Wind Cave's most unique feature is itâs delicate boxwork, but Jewel Cave will impress kids more with its glittering calcite crystals on the walls. Other features to intrigue budding scientists include moonmilk and hydromagnesite balloons. If you have squirmy toddlers in tow or infants in carriers, thereâs an easy 20-minute Discovery Talk and chance to see one of the caverns. Older kids can handle longer cave explorations, which include a 105-minute lantern tour (ages 6 and up). Best For: Kids (3-6)•Kids (7-9)•Tweens (10-12)•Teens (13+) |
 | Mammoth Site 1800 West Highway 18 Bypass Hot Springs, SD • 605-745-6017 Kids ages 4 to 13 get the best deal at this ancient graveyard where more than 100 mammoths died in a sinkhole about 26,000 years ago. Each summer, they can do a simulated bone dig within view of the real bones and archaeologists who continue to excavate them. The hour- to 90-minute long program includes a lesson in careful excavation and the chance to identify what they find. Because the program's so popular, reservations are highly recommended. Younger children can excavate mammoth teeth (they look like upside-down sneakers) for free in a sandbox-like display at the visitor center. Best For: Kids (3-6)•Kids (7-9)•Tweens (10-12)•Teens (13+) |
 | Mount Rushmore National Monument Highway 244 & Highway 16A Keystone, SD • 605-574-2307 Plan to spend about two hours admiring one of America's most impressive and iconic monuments. Younger children will love the museum's pretend detonator that blows up rock on a screen while older kids can earn their Junior Ranger badge and appreciate why each of the four presidents was chosen. A nice half-mile boardwalk loops around the impressive amphitheater and below the monument before circling past the sculptor's studio. The gift shop and cafe are good places to dine or grab souvenirs. If your kids can stay up for the 9 p.m. nightly program, it's worth returning for the dramatic lighting and stirring patriotic program. Best For: Tots (0-2)•Kids (3-6)•Kids (7-9)•Tweens (10-12)•Teens (13+) |
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