When you think of South Dakota you many not think of it as a place to visit. But you would be surprised at home many fun things there are to do in the eastern part of the state. Not only are there a lot of historical landmarks, the Black Hills is absolutely gorgeous.
Deadwood started off as a mining town back in the 1870s. Deadwood is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and today’s main street is full of restaurants, shops and even casinos. Main Street located in downtown Deadwood is a historic street that still resembles the 1800s. It is a big place for gambling and visitors can choose from over 80 different casinos. In fact, Wild Bill Hickok was killed here and Calamity Jane is buried at the cemetery in town, Mount Moriah Cemetery.
A must see spot in Deadwood is the Old Style Saloon #10. The bar and museum is where Wild Bill Hickok was playing poker when he was murdered. The saloon puts on reenactments of the murder during the summer months. It is a great place to walk around and gamble a little.
Not far from Deadwood sits Sturgis. This town is known for its huge motorcycle rally. The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally just turned 75 this year and around 740,000 people attended the town that is home to only about 6,000 residents. When the rally isn’t going on, the little town is still a great place to visit. There is a lot of history and the scenery is really beautiful. You can also go wine tasting at Bell Joli’ Winery. The winery offers breathtaking views of the town’s ponderosa pines and their 5-acre vineyard. They have a really nice variety of wine and they all have their own unique and delicious taste.
Spearfish is a neat little town in the heart of the Black Hills that isn’t too far from Sturgis. They have a really cool fish hatchery where visitors can feed ducks and fish. If you are visiting during the summer months, you can take a hike at Spearfish Canyon and check out all of the wildlife. The Community Caves at Spearfish Canyon is a great spot to go year round. There is a stunning waterfall and a natural cave sits at the top.
In Rapid City, there are a lot of things to do. The city is full of restaurants and shops, but also a lot of history. Mount Rushmore isn’t far from Rapid City but you can still learn about the historic presidents in the city at the City of Presidents area. The streets in downtown Rapid City is home to life-size statues of past presidents. Interesting fact, George Washington was a tall 6 foot 2 inches!
Feature image courtesy of enjoydeadwood.com.
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