South Dakota Family Vacation: Our Itinerary and Favorites
I never would have thought we’d be adding South Dakota as one of our favorite family vacations. Who would have thought this beautiful state had so much to offer?! As I look back on all the photographs from our vacation around the Black Hills, I truly feel these our some of my favorite family memories we’ve made to date!
There is so much to do that is kid/family friendly that my only regret was that I wish we would have stayed just one more day! I’ve had a lot of you ask about our itinerary and specifics from our trip after watching our IG stories (so glad you enjoyed them!) so I thought I would lay out exactly what we did and our absolute favorite parts of the trip! South Dakota Tourism department was so kind to host us and draw out the best plan for us, which we followed pretty much the entire time!
Where we stayed: Best Western Ramkota Hotel in Black Hills Rapid City
Why we loved it: Waterpark inside the hotel, and perfect middle ground for all of our destinations.
Travel info: 3 full days (4 nights and 5 days but when you count in travel time, you know how it goes!)
Weather was perfect this time of year (early June) We had high 70s to low 80s the whole trip!
Day 1
This was our first full day to get out and explore the city and we took full advantage! We started the day getting breakfast and coffees at Harriet & Oak in downtown Rapid City which we went to almost every morning! It’s the cutest cafe with healthy meal options and amazing coffee! Then we headed out on our first adventure spending about a couple hours over at Reptile Gardens. The kids were able to run around and see all kinds of things like alligator, huge tortoises, snakes, and more!
Next on the list, Bear Country USA! This was one of our favorite places of the trip and definitely something you don’t want to miss! This drive through wildlife park you’re sure to see TONS of bears and you won’t even believe how close they get to you! We had one walk right up to our car! It was absolutely one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen! They also have a part at the end you can walk around where they have baby bear cubs and lots of other animals as well.
After these two parks, the kids were pretty tired so we put them in the car for a nap and drove to Badlands National Park! It’s a little over an hour drive so it was perfect for them to get some rest! The Badlands is another thing you wouldn’t want to miss. Sometimes nature can really amaze you! We walked around and explored a little and got some amazing photos!
We made it back to Rapid city just in time for their Summer Nights concert series where the streets were packed with people enjoying the music and all the food vendors! They even have two different bands playing in different areas depending on what you’re looking for! It was very family oriented and we felt like locals being able to enjoy this! These happen on Thursday’s (only in summer), so if you’re in town during this time, I would highly suggest getting down there!
Day Two
We woke up and headed to Hill City to catch the 1880 Train. It’s a two hour round trip ride on the train, so if you have little ones, make sure to bring snacks and maybe some toys for entertainment! They do have a stop mid way where you can get off, take a bathroom break and visit the gift shop. After the train ride we went into town and checked out the museum at Black Hills institute and ate lunch.
We then drove to check out some monuments, first Crazy Horse Memorial and then Mount Rushmore National Memorial! They were both so cool to see the amazing detail and hard work that went into these! Make sure to get some of the yummy ice cream when you’re there!
After a lot of sight seeing, we took the kids to Big Thunder Gold Mine in Keystone to mine for some gold and check out the caves. It was the perfect end to the day!
Day Three
Custer State Park! (About 45 mins from our hotel)
This was my favorite day of the whole trip. Custer State Park did not disappoint, and if you’re an animal lover like me, you won’t believe all the wild animals you can see and get so close to!
On our drive in, we came across the most beautiful horse pasture with so many foals! We had to pull over and check it out and of course take some photos!! My little horse lover Sav didn’t want to leave!
When you arrive in Custer Park, make sure to stop at the visitor center and they’ll be able to tell you where the bison herds are located so you know where to go! A lot of the time they’ll be all over the road so you can drive right next to them!
After seeing our first herd of bison, about 10 minutes later we came across the wild burros! They will walk right up to you looking for treats and they’re so friendly!
After we did the Wildlife loop, we drove up Needles Highway where you can see the most incredible rock structures you’ve ever seen! They have a few lunch spots in the park. We ate at Legion Lake Lodge which had a view of the lake and great food.
We continued the drive up needles highway with a couple little stops to explore until we ended at Sylvan Lake. The lake is surrounded by amazing rock structures and it’s so peaceful! The kids loved climbing up all the rocks, and skipping rocks into the water! We stayed here for about a couple hours and there’s a nice trail you can walk that goes all the way around the lake. You can also do kayaking and paddle boats here.
Overall Conclusion
To be honest, before we came to South Dakota, I had NO idea what to expect, and even less of a clue how much there is to do and see! If I were to change one thing I would have stayed one more day so we could have checked out a few other things like: Spearfish, Jewel Cave National Monument, Deadwood, Dinosaur Park, and Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary. Other things suggested to us were Old MacDonald’s Farm, and Storybook Island.
This truly was the perfect family vacation! I know there’s a lot of information to take in here, so if you have any specific questions about anything feel free to reach out! And if you end up planning a trip let me know or tag me on IG! 🙂
