12 Attractions In South Dakota

If you are heading to South Dakota you probably already know some of the main places you want to visit. Chances are you are going to Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, and Devils Tower. As these are the highlights of the trip, there is a little gem in the Black Hills that is worth the stop. Custer State Park is located in South Dakota, not too far from everywhere you are already going. It is an amazing location! Here is a list of 10 attractions in South Dakota worth taking the time to visit.

1. Custer State Park

Want to get a feel of a National Park without the crowds of a National Park? Custer State Park is the place for you. If you are anywhere near Custer State Park located in Custer South Dakota you have to swing and take a look around. This park that covers approximately 71,000 acres is nothing like any other State Park I have been too.

 I can tell you I easily could have spent 3 days in this park alone. We did not have time to do any hikes but in the future, I will be back to this park and will hike some of the trials. However, we did enjoy driving through the park looking at all the buffalo grazing in the fields.

Speaking of the fields, the views that you experience here are breathtaking. I did not realize this park was so amazing. We had heard about Custer State Park, but I honestly could consider this being a National Park at some point, and it should be.

 It will cost you a small fee to enter the park but it is worth every cent of the entry fee.

Traveling through the park was breathtaking! Looking out to the Black Hills, experiencing the open fields filled with what seemed to be hundreds of Bison grazing in the fields. My kids loving every second of that. Watching the heard walk around and chase each other.

I never really did understand why they call the black hills by that name. Not until we visited and I realized that the mountains stretching thousands of feet in the air, are layered with pine trees.
These pine trees are Ponderosa Pine and they give the appearance of the hills being black. It almost looks charred from a distance.

Seeming like there was a massive forest fire covering all the land. Fortunately, that is not the case. Just a beautiful environment and one I look forward to spending more time at in the future.  Looking over the map that you will receive when you enter the park, you can see that there are different “loops” for you to drive and enjoy.

 Every loop is unique and every loop has multiple places to pull over and take some great pics. We will work through these loops, you can do as many or as few as you would like. I think to get the most out of your time and energy, you might as well enjoy them all.

2. The Wildlife Loop

The wildlife loop is the first loop we took, it is the loop that will let you enjoy all the scenery of the buffalo. These buffalo will get up close and personal, normally right alongside of the road. Keep an eye out for goats, deer, turkeys, black bears, coyotes, mountain lions, and prairie dogs.

There are some donkeys in the park that are sure to bring a smile to the face to the entire family. The “Begging Burros” are semi wild donkeys living within the park. They are known for approaching the cars begging for food or crackers. The kids will get a kick out of this if you choose to partake.

Of course, I would never encourage anybody to ever try and feed or pet any wild animal. I just thought this was a fun story to add. With that being said please remember all the wildlife in the park, including the fluffy cows knows as buffalo or bison, are wild and will not hesitate to put the hurting on you if you get too close. Enjoy the wildlife, just do it from a safe distance.   

The wildlife loop is a very easy 18-mile drive and can be taken in a RV. Try to keep your speed no more than 25 mph, and enjoy the 1-2 hr. drive to complete this loop. There is no hurry here, just enjoy.

3. Needles Highway

Needles Highway is another loop within Custer State Park. This is a 14 miles drive that is a must do when visiting Custer State Park.

DO NOT attempt this in a RV. There is many narrow roads and tunnels that go through rocks in the hills. You will not be able to get through there.

We had a rental car that we were in so we could experience this breathtaking road. When we decide to head back to this park. I will defiantly drive this road again in the Jeep with the top and doors off, that would be a unique way to experience this.  Needles Highway will take you past meadows, forest, mountains, and Sylvan Lake. During the drive there are many places to pull over. Get breathtaking views and pictures, take your time, watch the hairpin turns and enjoy the experience.

4. Iron mountain Road

Iron Mountain Rd is a very unique road located with over 300 curves, 14 switchbacks, and 3 tunnels. With all that being said, this is not a drive you want to take in a RV. Leave it at the campsite and enjoy the drive in a rental, a dingy, or a motorcycle. Iron Mountain Rd is a 16-mile road that will take about 60 minutes to drive. Twice that if you stop and take photos, which I highly recommend. Once again DO NOT try to drive this in a RV.

 The views and driving experience are one that most would lust after. If you have a motorcycle, this is the ride you have been dreaming about. One of my favorite and most memorable view from Iron Mountain Rd is the views of Mt. Rushmore.

You get a one of a kind views from the side of Mt Rushmore. I felt that was more memorable than the view we have when we paid to go to Mt. Rushmore overlook….and this one you did not have to pay to view.

Our experience with Iron Mountain Rd ended with a scary memory. While we were trying to enjoy the experience, we ended up getting caught in a downpour. So bad that we could not see out the front window, our only saving grace was the taillights of the car in front of us. If that car would have ran off the cliff, I guess we would have too.

Much like Badlands National Park, Custer State Park has a couple family friendly hikes that we would have loved to do. Unfortunately, I did not schedule enough time for us to actually do them. I wanted to drive the loops and experience the narrow roads, mountain tunnels, and views over the hikes. You can’t go wrong either way, but if you head out to Custer State Park Schedule enough time to do it all.

Hiking at Custer State Park

Creekside Trail Location of Trailhead: Parallel to US 16A. Runs from Game Lodge Campground to Grace Coolidge Campground. Trail may be accessed at various points along Highway 16A. Length: 2 miles (one way) Time: 1-hour Difficulty: Easy and it is handicapped accessible.

Sylvan Lake Shore Trail Location of Trailhead: Sylvan Lake. The trail may be accessed at various points along the lakeshore. Length: 1-mile (loop) Time: 1-hour Difficulty: Easy

5. Dinosaur Park Rapid City South Dakota

If you are in Rapid City South Dakota with the family, make sure you make your way over to the Dinosaur Park located at 940 Skyline Dr. This park was established in 1936, features 7 life sized concrete dinosaurs, has family friendly hiking trails, and even has an ice cream shop for putting all those calories back into your body once you are finished playing on the dinosaurs.

I wish I could tell you more than that about this park. Unfortunately once we got to the park and unloaded the kids to meet up with our cousins, we heard a lot of thunder in the distance. So that cut our time short.  

6. Mammoth Site in Hot Springs South Dakota

Looking for a unique place for the kids to get some education and have some fun? You are going to want to stop by the mammoth site in Hot Springs South Dakota. It is a must stop no matter if you are traveling with children or not. I really did not know what to expect when we headed over to this dig site.

My wife had found the attraction online and all we knew is it was an active dig site that we could tour. Pullin into the parking lot had the feel of a museum, there was not many cars there, grounds were very clean and well taken care of grass green and parking lot spotless. I could not help but notice that we were the only cars in the parking lot, how good could this place honesty be if there is nobody else here? I guess time will tell, the boys were so excited to see some dead elephants that they had already ran up to the front door and was practically breaking down the doors to get in.

Walking inside we were greeted by a very friendly staff member, who explained what we were going to see and how to navigate through the dig site. We paid our fees to get in, downloaded the mammoth dig site app, this is needed so we could enjoy the self-guided tour, and off we went.

 Entering the large door to the dig site is exactly what you would think it would be. There are large glass walls so you do not jump in the sight. Signs and labels on everything you are looking at. There is a very clean walkway that takes you next to, over, and under the dig site.

Inside there are many staff members digging up by hand all the mammoth fossils. Others are taking pictures and making cast of the fossils. All the staff members and volunteers were very patient and kind with my children asking questions and being overly excited.

One thing to note is that the dig site is all indoors in a climate-controlled environment. So no need to worry about not being able to enjoy because of the hot weather or rain.  They basically built the building around the dig site. Allowing them to always be able to work, and you always being able to enjoy.

Interesting fact about the mammoth dig site is it was discovered back in 1974 by an operator that was leveling the dirt in order to build some housing development. While he was grading a hill, he noticed a shinning pure white object in the sun. He hopped down to investigate and noticed it was a bone. What ended up being a tusk fossil. He contacted 4 colleges that wanted nothing to do with it at the time. Fortunately, the operator’s son had gone to college for geology and archeology. He took the tusk to his son who then contacted his old professor and the rest is history.

The reason there are so many mammoths in one location is this was a watering hole. This watering hole ended up being a sink hole that these mammoth and other animals would slide down the bank to get a drink of water and they would not be able to get back out. Inevitably leading to their death.

After going through the dig site. You can head down to the basement to watch them work with some of the fossils that have been removed from the ground already. This is just as fascinating as the dig site itself seeing the delicate process of handing such unique fossils. These fossils have not been petrified, so they have to handle them with care. In order to ensure they are not broken or destroyed in any way.

When you are finished with the dig site you can head to the main level. Here the kids can enjoy an interactive play room, a children’s dig site, and of coarse the gift shop full of every mammoth toy known to man. You will not make it out of here without a mammoth toy, trust me I tried.

Thinking back on it, why not buy multiple toys it helps funds a great dig site and awesome research. Do me a favor, head to this dig site and fill up that parking lot…… they deserve it.

7. Wall Drug in Wall South Dakota

If you are traveling through South Dakota, you cannot help but notice all the signs that are telling you about stopping in at the Wall Drug Store. These signs are spammed all over the place. Everywhere I looked I had a sign badgering me to stop in at Wall Drug and check it out. Driving the RV spacing out, my mind cannot help but start to drift off.

I started thinking about what this store could possibly have in it that would deem having all these street signs. Come on, it is just a drug store. I thought about pulling into a small parking lot, going inside to grab some aspirin and a Mountain Dew. A bunch of pharmacists working behind large glass windows. A few people standing around coughing waiting for their medicine.  Whatever, I need to stretch my legs, lets pull in and grab that Mountain Dew.

 Pulling into the parking lot was not a small, tiny, or cramped experience. They had large RV parking spots located at the North Western corner of the Wall Drug. This is also not just a store, this is a city block full of stores. This is a 76,000 sq. ft. shopping/dining experience. The Wall Drug was established in the 1930’s and serves on average 20,000 visitors a day during peak season. Is it a tourist trap? YES, IT IS!! It is a fabulous tourist trap that my children, my wife, and myself enjoyed very much.

At the Wall Drug there is actually a restaurant that is a family friendly oasis, famous for the handmade donuts. Buy a few dozen of these while you are here. They will make a great driving snack in a few hours. The restaurant seats more than 500 people and is decorated in a western theme. It has more than 300 original oil paintings hanging on the Walls that you will only see here at Wall Drug. Stop in and enjoy a buffalo burger, 5 cent coffee, and a donut.

 If donuts are not your cup of tea, maybe pie is. They offer huge slices of pie, I mean these slices are defiantly sharable for the entire family. The Wall Drug restaurant offers Breakfast, lunch, and dinner with a kid’s menu. Once you are finished with your meal, you can head over to the Soda Fountain Ice Cream Shop. Featuring homemade soft serve, hard serve ice cream, floats, malts, and Sundaes.                 

Before heading out make sure you make your way back to the “backyard” area of Wall Drug. This area is a kid’s paradise. Sit down and let the kids run around and burn off that traveling energy for a while.

You can find a shooting gallery, a pan and mine experience, a 6-foot rabbit, a robot t-rex, a jumping jets water show, a toy emporium, and a giant jackrabbit just to name a few things the kids can play on. Stop into the gift shop on the way out and let the kids pick a toy for the road. Your entire family will be thankful for the gift of a few hours spent outside the RV that Wall Drug will give you.

8. Mt. Rushmore National Memorial

There is not much about the Mt. Rushmore National Memorial that I can tell you, that you don’t already know. It is a stop that I feel you must make while in the area. One that is worth the stop. With that being said, even though I feel like you must stop here, I really don’t get it.

It seems to me that they took a beautiful landscape, a gorgeous mountain, something that should remain untouched by man and they carved huge presidential faces into it. To me they ruin a perfectly good mountain.  My wife really wanted to go and I knew that the boys would find it neat to see the huge faces in the mountains, so we made the trip to see Mt. Rushmore. After all we were only camping 10 minutes away.

If you are traveling in a RV and do not have a dingy, that should not be a reason to bypass this stop. There is plenty of RV parking at the parking lot. You should not have much of a problem getting a spot as long as you come early. If you are in a car, no problem with parking at all. A good-sized parking garage will give you all the parking you need, regardless of what time you come to visit. It is free to enter Mt. Rushmore but parking is not free.

Now let me say that this is a good place you can take a walk with a stroller as everything is paved. Unfortunately, you are not going to keep your kids’ attention for all that long here. There just is not that much for kids to do that will keep them busy. While you walk from the parking garage to Mt. Rushmore, you will walk past plenty of National Park Service Rangers. They can answer any question you may come up with.

They do offer the stamp for your National Park Passport if you are keeping track of your trips with one. Once you get past there, you will walk down an Avenue of Flags. This is representing 56 state and territories of the United States. Getting closer to the mountain there is a fairly large gift shop, a café’ and a small ice cream Shack. If you have anybody in your family that has a love of American history, you should defiantly check out the gift shop. As they have some really cool options to take back home.

Walking to Mt. Rushmore past the Avenue of Flags will lead you to large seating area. Here is where you can bust out the binoculars. Take a look up close and personal at the amazing work tat some 400 workers completed over the years of 1927 and 1941.

Binoculars are a must! It is amazing the amount of detail that went into carving President Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln. I recommend the Presidential Trail; this trail is only .6 miles long but be aware you will have to climb 422 steps. There are some hiking trails that would be of interest to get you closer to Mt. Rushmore and also father away from the large group of visitors at the monument.

 If you are really wanting a show you can stick around until nightfall and watch the lighting ceremony. The ceremony includes a movie with the history of the Presidents, as well as music, and an honor to the men and women of the armed services. Get here early as it fills up quickly.

9. Crazy Horse Memorial

While we were visiting South Dakota, we knew we wanted to visit the Crazy Horse Memorial. We had seen pictures from my wife parents from years ago when they visited the memorial. Back then it literally was just a single hole in a mountain.

We wanted to visit and see how much it has changed since they were here, and changed it has. There now is a full face carved into the mountain. That sounds like good progress if we where talking about a few years’ time, but unfortunately this sculpture was started back in 1948. It still has a long road to go before completion.

One exciting part of that is when we come back this way, we will be able to hopefully see some more progress. As it will still be a work in progress for my grandkids to view. You may be asking what is taking so long to complete this project??

Well of course there is the obvious answer of funding. The more complex answer is while crews where working they discovered some underlaying cracks. These cracks have forced them to change the plans for the final project.

When you come to visit make sure you are leaving yourself a few hours to be here. It is not like Mt. Rushmore, to me it is a lot more involved with a lot more to view. There is an amazing Native American museum that you will want to spend some time in.

There is a tee pee the kids can walk into and get the feeling of what the Native Americans living used to be like. I told the boys that this is how the Indians used to camp, it was easier for them to understand. Walking in this museum, there are awesome displays of authentic Native American clothing, weapons, and artifacts. It was amazing to view. Even the boys loved this, we would show them what we were looking at and what it was used for.

After finishing up with the museums. You can head outside to the courtyard that will give you the perfect view of Crazy Horse Monument. Make sure you bring your binoculars and long-range lens for the camera. What really surprised me was when we went outside! I expected to just see a plain viewing deck. Nothing that would be anything over the top.

That is not the case at all, while we were outside on the viewing desk there was a few Native American dancers that was dressed in war attire. Showing off her ancestors’ ancient dance. They also shared their stories on their education, struggles, and dreams.

It was an awesome experience and one that I think everybody should check out. Heading back in you will pass a giant statue of what the Crazy horse Monument will eventually look like once it is finished.

Before you leave head over to the gift shop and pick up some unique, beautiful gifts that you are going to be able to find in South Dakota. Not only are they fantastic one of a kind gifts, but this will help fund future work to finish this great project.

The kids will enjoy heading over to the Native American Educational and Cultural Center. Let the kids partake in some of the hand on activity with Native Artist that will help guide them in Native American Culture. They will love it and will be talking about it for years to come.

One nerdy thing I really enjoyed was you could go pick your own rock from the blasting that has carved out the Wil Horse Monument to take home with you. It sounds silly but it has been the coolest paperweight in my office with a good story behind it.

There are no parking fees, but you will need to check out the website for the most current fees to enter.

Visit the website and you can even view live webcams from the courtyard area. Sometime I find myself just sitting viewing this reminiscing about our time at the Crazy horse Memorial (secretly wishing I was still there)

10. Firehouse Brewing Company in Rapid City South Dakota

We did not visit a lot of different foods while we were visiting South Dakota for vacation. We tried to do a lot of stove top meals that we would cook inside the RV in order to save money. Plus, we knew that we would not be around a lot of places to eat on this trip.

One place we did experience was the Firehouse Brewing Company in Rapid City South Dakota. It was a very unique dining experience and one that I very much enjoyed.

Driving through South Dakota I am sure that you will see many abandoned firetrucks sitting on the side of the road. This is the advertisement for Firehouse Brewing Company and a genius one at that. After seeing our third firetruck while driving, we decided that we had to try it for ourselves.

Entering into Firehouse Brewing Company you will notice that everything is set up like a true firehouse. You have the ladders, engines, firehose, even a slide pole all working to put you in the mindset of working long 12 hr. shifts, fighting fires and saving lives.

All the beer and the food are geared toward the firehouse favorites that you would expect. There are soups, burgers, BBQ, some Cajun favorites, fish and chips, mac and cheese, and strong dark beers for the love of everything delicious.

We started out with ordering the Tuna Poke Nachos. I almost never pass an opportunity up to enjoy some good tuna. Can’t get enough of it. I love sushi and in case you have not realized this by now……I just love food. When we received the tuna poke nachos at our table. We quickly realized that this was not an appetizer, this is a meal.

The tuna poke is piled high with crispy hot chips. Topped with cool Tuna slices, edamame, avocado, cheese, green onion, siracha and soy sauce. Do not order this unless you like hot food, because wow it is hot. So hot the kids would not touch it. I had to extinguish the flames running down my throat with approximately 3 beers……. what a shame.

Next, I ordered the backdraft sandwich. This is a ¼ lb. spicy Andouille sausage that’s been grilled and topped with pork, queso, onions, peppers and mushrooms. Served on a hoagie bun. It was plenty big enough to satisfy my cravings. I must also say it was a unique way to serve Andouille Sausage.

 It turned out to be a very satisfying sandwich. With just enough heat to get your attention, but not enough to make you regret it.  The kids each ordered the mac and cheese, which gave them enough food for dinner and lunch the next day. I would recommend trying out Firehouse Brewing Company with the family. There is plenty of seating and it does not feel like you are eating at a brewery at all. Very family friendly.

11. Wind Cave National Park

Wind Cave National Park in Custer County, South Dakota seems to be a unique park for the family. I say seems to be because when we visited the park it was closed. Due to the elevator being down for repairs.

So the only thing we got to experience was a vent hole that was blasting out ice cold air. We definitely stood in front of the hole longer than we are proud to admit. It was crazy hot out that day. The air coming out of the vent hole felt to be in the 30’s.

What we was wanting to experience was a cave tour. Cave tours are only accessible with a guide. If you are wanting to do a tour, you need to get here early. Tours are a first come first serve basis and they generally sell out 1-2 hours in advance.

We recommended that you wear long sleeves, long pants, and comfortable shoes. DO not wear sandals as you are going to need shoes that have good grip. After all you are going down into a cave. Due to the white nose syndrome of some of the bats, you may have to go through a decontamination mat.

Hiking Wind Cave National Park

Looking for easy family friendly hikes in Wind Cave National Park? We have ya covered.

Prairie Vista Trail is a 1 mile trail that takes you through the prairie. The trail is classified as a easy hike. Located right a the visitor center.

Elk Mountain. This is a 1 mile hike that is classified as easy. The trail is known for being able to hear the elk bulging during the rut.

Rankin Ridge. This is the highest point in the park and get you spectacular views. This is a 1 mile loop and is classified as easy.

12. Devil’s Tower National Monument

The Devil’s Tower is truly a sight to see. Its a little off the main roads but worth its drive. The only complaint I have is there is not much parking for RV. We got here mid day, right around lunch and could not get a parking spot for the RV. We ended up having to go to the bottom of the hill and eat lunch, then head out. Only being able to snap a few pictures.

If you are heading out to Devil’s Tower then get here early so you can make the most of it. Bring a lunch, some water, a camera, and bring your hiking boots.

Family Friendly hikes at devils tower national monument

Valley View Trail. This easy trail is .6 miles long. The trail will take you for great views of the Belle Fourche River.

Tower Trail. This is a paved trail that is approximately 1.3 mile long. It starts at the visitor center and will take you to the tower.

There is so much more to explore in South Dakota besides these 12 attractions. I just did not have time to experience them all. We immensely enjoyed our time in South Dakota and look forward to returning sometime to experience more.

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