Road Trip to South Dakota (Rapid City, Deadwood: hotels, school districts, live in)

[dodgegirl37]

Good Afternoon all!
I have written on this forum before to gather more information about moving to South Dakota. Well, I am no longer just gathering information...I am coming to visit. During my winter break from teaching, I am going to be driving from Colorado to South Dakota, the Rapid City area with a good friend.
What are some good places to stay for 2-3 nights that are not super expensive??? Places to eat?? Things to do during December, possibly New years too?

Also, I have been looking into the Rapid City School District, but I am wondering if it is smarter to chat with someone at the district office or individual schools to gather more information about the application process? Colorado encourages chatting more with individual school districts and then the specific schools later.

Any info with appreciated! Thanks.

[DannyBanany]

Look at Days Inn or Super 8 hotels in Rapid City. They're all pretty cheap ($35+ per night) and they're all really clean. I like Days Inn because they have continental breakfasts! Avoid motels along North Street. They're all roach dives with neon signs and they have monthly rates.

A really popular restaurant for tourists is The Firehouse; it's in an old fire station downtown. Other local restaurants are Delmonico, Botticelli's, Enigma, Wine Cellar, The Corn Exchange, and Tally's. They're all within a few blocks of each other downtown too. Oh, and check out Prairie Edge gallery! I can't think of much that is really going on in December. There is a charter bus that takes people around the city to look at Christmas lights. Too bad you missed the Parade of Lights, it was last week. Hmm... Most of the stuff you'd want to see is up in the Black Hills. I don't know if you've seen Mount Rushmore or Crazy Horse before but those are the two most popular destinations and it takes about 20 minutes to get to them from Rapid City.

You said in a previous post that you went to CSU. Rapid City is a lot like Fort Collins. They're about the same size and they both have a neat downtown scene.

[rjl78]

This time of year the motel prices should not be bad at all. Danny has some great adivse here.

[skate342]

You could also try to make your way to Deadwood for a night. Someone else could let you know how far from Rapid City it is. I'm not positive, but I think it's about an hour.

[dodgegirl37]

Thanks! I am looking forward to the trip. As it gets closer...we are going from Dec. 20th until the 23rd...I may be asking about weather. Yes, I am expecting snow...I live in the coldest part of Colorado, so I am not too worried about.