Closed without explanation on the day we attempted to visit. Gets five stars for the A-4 parked outside of the exhibit, zero stars for being closed. Worth stopping to take a look at the Vietnam-era warplane parked out front.
Deadwood is similar to other revived western towns. The way these cities seems to attract people is casinos and tourist-y gift shops. That is a mixed blessing: the city is preserved (even spruced up), but don't expect it to be out of the ghost town episode of The Brady Bunch. Deadwood is less historically authentic than Tombstone in Arizona but the city has clearly tried to maintain the historic character of the buildings in Old Deadwood. This is a nice place to include as a stop on a trip. We enjoyed walking around and leaving some money behind for a few hours. I would not make Deadwood the focus of a vacation trip unless I was looking to spend time at one of the casinos, but the area is very nice and the town is worth a stop.
A beautiful monument just outside of Deadwood. From the top of the tower, you can see the surrounding hills and valleys for miles. If you have mobility issues, this may not be the stop for you: the tower is a ½ mile walk on a dirt path and the stairs to the observation deck are very steep (I am guessing about an 18"/step rise). Worth the stop.
A nice, historic property in downtown Rapid City. The rooftop bar and its staff were really nice. The building is a little older and there are hints of wear, but we really enjoyed our stay and will probably stay here again when/if we have a chance to visit Rapid City again.