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Vacation in the Black Hills

CYdTracked

CYdTracked

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Mar 23, 2006
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Grimes, IA
HoustonClone said:
Our kids were about the age of yours when did the family trip that included the Black Hills, and to this day the talk about going to Evan’s Plunge, which is sort of an old school mineral springs water park in Hot Springs, SD. It's been open since 1890. I went as a kid and didn't know if ours would enjoy it, but they definitely did. We hit the regular things in the area (most of which have been listed above) and particularly enjoyed Wind Cave NP, Jewel Cave National Monument, and Reptile Gardens. Enjoy!
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Thanks for the info. Our next destination after Black Hills is Thermopolis, WY which is actually the home of the world's largest mineral hot springs. They also have a bison herd in the state park and a dinosaur museum with a dig site too so when we visit my brother we get to hit a lot of unique things there already that you can also do in the Black Hills and Yellowstone areas. Not sure if I already mentioned it here or not but on our way through WY we'll pass through a neat town called Ten Sleep that has an old general store and just outside of town has a nice brewery that has yard games and some nights live music. Looks like we'll drive right through Bighorn National Forest between there and Buffalo. That will be the first time we have gone the north route to Thermopolis, we usually come in the south route which takes us through Cheyenne and Casper which will be the route we come back to Iowa through.
 
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CycloneSpinning

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CYdTracked said:
Yeah K Bar S Lodge has a 1 king bed room available if I mess with the booking details a bit but not sure I want to do that as the air BNB we are staying at later in the week in WY with extended family is going to be somewhat cramped quarters too so kinda want to have them in their own bed vs having to take an air matress or something just to make that work. Maybe we get lucky and something opens up this weekend when we look to book stuff. That place looks pretty neat and having a view of Mt Rushmore would have been a bonus too.

The Lodge at Deadwood is one I was considering for our last night in the area. I have never been to Deadwood, don't know if one of the older hotels in downtown like the Celebrity or Bullock would be ok or not. As I tell my wife I don't expect to spend a lot of time in the actual hotels on a vacation other than sleeping and maybe a quick break or a meal if they have dining other than that as long as it's not a dump I am not terribly picky. Some of the places in the Black Hills though I do like some of the scenic surrounds or rustic feel to them so that has some appeal.
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We stayed at K Bar S Lodge 3 or 4 years ago. It was nice, but if I were you I wouldn’t feel devastated that I missed out.

The location itself (property that is) is beautiful. It sort of feels they’ve missed an opportunity to be truly special though. It feels like a four star property with two star services. The staff are generally kind but not exceptional as well.

I’ll also point out that I believe I was Platinum status with Choice at the time, so theoretically I should have gotten close to the best experience they could provide. I don’t remember being recognized or upgraded.

Please note that I don’t say that to say I was somehow miffed or disrespected by this…but in retrospect I am surprised they are so highly thought of from a review perspective. I very much enjoyed the proximity to everything…but nothing else stands out as being especially memorable. The breakfast was on par with what you see at many other locations that offer free breakfast, and I enjoyed the woodsy decor.

If we were heading back, I would look for something else in the area or perhaps stay in Rapid City longer (we were at the Residence Inn for a night or two I believe). You drive quite a bit regardless of where you stay.
 
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bozclone

bozclone

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CYdTracked said:
Yeah K Bar S Lodge has a 1 king bed room available if I mess with the booking details a bit but not sure I want to do that as the air BNB we are staying at later in the week in WY with extended family is going to be somewhat cramped quarters too so kinda want to have them in their own bed vs having to take an air matress or something just to make that work. Maybe we get lucky and something opens up this weekend when we look to book stuff. That place looks pretty neat and having a view of Mt Rushmore would have been a bonus too.

The Lodge at Deadwood is one I was considering for our last night in the area. I have never been to Deadwood, don't know if one of the older hotels in downtown like the Celebrity or Bullock would be ok or not. As I tell my wife I don't expect to spend a lot of time in the actual hotels on a vacation other than sleeping and maybe a quick break or a meal if they have dining other than that as long as it's not a dump I am not terribly picky. Some of the places in the Black Hills though I do like some of the scenic surrounds or rustic feel to them so that has some appeal.
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The K Bar S Lodge was great because of its location close to Mount Rushmore and the view of Mount Rushmore from the grounds. There were some hotels near the downtown area that looked cool that would be close to Mt Rushmore and offer a unique experience too. If I recall correctly we went to Mt Rushmore during the day and back at night, so it was great to be close. It was pretty at night. My daughter was older than your kids when we took her.

We stayed on the edge of Deadwood. I don’t recall the hotel, but it was just ok. We struggled to find things to do in Deadwood, maybe other have suggestions.
 
TXCyclones

TXCyclones

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Take your swim suits to Sylvan Lake.

Drive through Custer a bit before dusk. The animals seem to be the most active around that time. (bison, big horn, antelope, etc)
 
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CYdTracked

CYdTracked

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Mar 23, 2006
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Grimes, IA
CycloneSpinning said:
We stayed at K Bar S Lodge 3 or 4 years ago. It was nice, but if I were you I wouldn’t feel devastated that I missed out.

The location itself (property that is) is beautiful. It sort of feels they’ve missed an opportunity to be truly special though. It feels like a four star property with two star services. The staff are generally kind but not exceptional as well.

I’ll also point out that I believe I was Platinum status with Choice at the time, so theoretically I should have gotten close to the best experience they could provide. I don’t remember being recognized or upgraded.

Please note that I don’t say that to say I was somehow miffed or disrespected by this…but in retrospect I am surprised they are so highly thought of from a review perspective. I very much enjoyed the proximity to everything…but nothing else stands out as being especially memorable. The breakfast was on par with what you see at many other locations that offer free breakfast, and I enjoyed the woodsy decor.

If we were heading back, I would look for something else in the area or perhaps stay in Rapid City longer (we were at the Residence Inn for a night or two I believe). You drive quite a bit regardless of where you stay.
Click to expand...

So my wife is a Choice member and was able to book us 1 night there with a 2 bed room with mountain view. Possibly going to call now that we have a reservation and see if they are able to extend it 1 more day. Otherwise going to book the other night in Custer, Hill City, or Rapid City. Thinking The Lodge at Deadwood may be our choice for our last night before we head out to WY. I guess next thing to research once we get the lodging accommodations booked are places to eat around there too.
 
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Acer88

Acer88

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I recommend Lintz Bros pizza on west side of Hermosa. The drive-inn on the north side of Hot Springs is really good, too.
 
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Cloned8

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If it is still there you can check out the Pounding Father's Restaurant in Custer. It's a brewery with good pizza.
 
farm85

farm85

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MacKenzie River Pizza, Grill & Pub/Rapid City

MacKenzie River was born & raised in Montana by free-spirited people who believe life should be a wide-open, constant exploration. The first employees were ski bums, hikers, kayakers, and anglers—outdoor enthusiasts who worked hard, played harder and valued a drink and a good meal at the end of the day.

Great place. They also have a location in Sioux Falls



https://g.co/kgs/8kcpy5B
 
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