My husband needs to stop whenever we are in the area of an air and space museum opportunity. This is a small air force base, but there are plenty of fighter jets to see. Docents are walking around to tell stories and offer information. We even got to see a B-1 bomber take off. Wow... super loud!!
A beautiful cemetery right in the Hills. Fun to walk around and find all of the old wild west characters like Wild bill Hickok and Calamity Jane! If you are in Deadwood, SD this is a beautiful spot to stop for a walk.
If you are on a road trip in the west, you need to see Mount Rushmore. The history is great and it's just one of those places that you can sit in sheer awe and amazement. It took an artist with a vision, 400 hundred men, leadership, and communication to make this monument become a reality! We heard that the night time presentation and lighting ceremony os beautiful. The timing just didn't work out for us. The walking path around the monument is lovely and it also gives you different vantage points for viewing the monument. The needle spired stones on the drive up to and away from the monument are AMAZING!! The drive is as great as the monument!!
I disagree with the folks who complained about the entrance fee. This monument is completely privately funded. The story of the sculptor and his family is simply fascinating. So much history it brought tears to my eyes. I hope that I will get to revisit Crazy Horse in my lifetime to see how far they get. We also had the privilege to see 3 Lakota women do hoop dances and learn a bit about the Lakota heritage. For a small donation I got to choose a large rock from the monument to bring home and place in my garden. I'm a rock collector, so I was thrilled! The rock is gorgeous!
The drive into Custer State Park was amazing; winding roads through the Black Hills, tunnels, pig-tail turns, scenic look-out points. Absolutely STUNNING scenery! Gorgeous!! A must see!! Once in the Park there is a lot to do, however my husband and I just drove through. We saw burros and got out and fed them cause they were blocking the road. The rangers told us these were the ancestors of the original burros that used to carry people up the mountain. They are the only animals which you are allowed to feed in the park. Little prairie dogs popped in and out of their holes. Deer were prancing across the road. Buffalo were grazing off in the distance in several spots. As we were getting ready to head out we were dead stopped by an oncoming stampede of buffalo. It was so incredible. I was hanging out of our sunroof taking video and snapping pics. It was a once in a lifetime event!! WOW!!
This is just a drive through stop. Beautiful landscape. We saw some wild critters running around, but no Buffalo. Go to Custer State Park for that!
This was about the coolest place I have ever been and I am quite well traveled. The formations were like none I have ever seen before. I was speechless. You can take in the Badlands just by driving through and viewing or you can get out and sit and stare, or climb to your hearts content. This is a place for young and old! They reminded me of the sand sculptures we used to make as kids by dripping wet sand from a squeeze bottle. Will definitely return someday!
This park was just lovely! After a long day in the car, it was nice to walk around and climb on the rocks, and just listen to the roaring falls for an hour or so. It was so serene and beautiful!! Of course MANY photo opportunities!! Great history of the falls!
Driving from Milwaukee, WI out to the Badlands/Black Hills of South Dakota we made this our first stop to stretch our legs. Cute Instagram photo op! Fun for all... we didn't even have kids with us:)