(TGA) - We spent 3 nights in Custer last month. I've posted the full SD trip report on my blog, if any of you are interested in reading it.
…blogspot.com/2009/08/south-dakota-july-2009…
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Hello fellow Jerseyan,
Great trip report. Thanks so much for sharing. Others will benefit from your words and your pics. You got a nice sampling of SD sights.
Wow..the grasshoppers must have been really something!
Thanks again for taking the time to write and post this.
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Thanks for looking! One of the Little House books talks a lot about grasshopper swarms that wiped out Pa's crops and essentially forced them to move further west, so I guess it's a pretty common occurence in the area. It was still pretty startling.
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Thanks for posting your great trip report! I'm in the early planning stages of our South Dakota trip for next summer, so it's helpful to see what others have done on their trips.
My kids appear to be a similiar age to yours (they'll be 8,8,6 on our trip next summer), what things did they really enjoy on the trip? Anything they didn't care for, or got bored with?
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The kids liked the 1880s town and the badlands the best...lots of hands on fun and physical activity.
They didn't like driving the wildlife park loop at Custer state park so much (although getting out to feed the burros was fun.) There has to be a better way to see the animals and the park that will allow them to stretch their legs more. This was more of a problem for the 5yr old boy than the 7 yr old girl. We gave her binoculars to search for wildlife and that kept her happy.
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This was a great blog. I am hoping to take a camping trip out there in June 2010. Where is the best place to see animals up close and personal?? I have heard that many of the campgrounds have buffalo wandering through them at times.
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Cymbre,
The best places to spot bison are in Custer State Park, particularly the Wildlife Loop, and Wind Cave National Park, which joins the wildlife loop.
Kren,
Welcome to the SD forums! Your kids are the perfect age to visit the area. Our daughter was 8 and loved it. She still talks about her trip to SD and liked it better than Disney World.
Here's a list of the must sees of the area:
Badlands National Park
Mt Rushmore
Devil's Tower
Crazy Horse
Custer State Park
Wind Cave
Jewel Cave
This is a minimum amount of things to do. For your family, you can consider adding the following:
Reptile Gardens
Bear Country
Gold Panning (You can try Wade's Gold Mill, Big
Thunder Gold Mine, or Broken Boot Mine)
Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway
Deadwood historical attractions, such as the Adams House/Museum and possibly Wild Bill Hickok's grave
Alpine Slide in Keystone
Any of the privately owned caves in the Black Hills (there are several..we liked Rushmore Cave).
Mammoth Site in Hot Springs
1880 Train (if the kids enjoy train rides)
Cosmos Mystery Area (I have not been here, but interesting things happen here, such as balls rolling uphill.
Wild Horse Sanctuary in Hot Springs (pricey, but enjoyable, especially for horse lovers)
There's a lot more as well. You can spend 10 days here and not run out of things to do.
If you haven't already done so, be sure to check into receiving a SD travel guide at travelsd.com. The guide gives you a great overview of attractions and lodging.
Have fun planning, and feel free to ask more questions.
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