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I'd say any of those campgrounds are awesome. Just staying anywhere in CSP is a blast. All of those campsites are right along Highway 16A so either way you're close to everything. There really isn't one that's better than the other. My family has a cabin just between Keystone and Hill City on Old Hill City Road. You'll meet a lot of fun people in the summertime! The Hills get lively and busy!
My husband said the same thing about the Corn Palace...but we're hoping the kids will all be amazed at a...well, Corn Palace.
Yes, MJ1986, Sioux Falls is our last stop so we just planned on grabbing a bite to eat and checking out Falls Park. A trolley ride sounds fun and we will have enough time to play with by that time that we can explore it briefly. Most likely we'll all be tuckered out by then though. Any recommendations for dinner spots in that area? The budget friendlier and "homegrown" the better.
Any thoughts on the campgrounds??
I would recommend the Phillips Avenue Diner. It has a small, old-fashioned diner feel to it. Its at 10th & Phillips, and Phillips runs right north to Falls Park. Falls Landing is a restaurant attached to a Country Inn & Suites right along the river. You can sit outside by the river and eat.
There's other smaller restaurants too... I can't think of their names though . There's also an Applebee's downtown.
Thanks MJ.
Those sound great...I'll definitely look them up.
Thanks everyone for your help thus far...just one more thing.
Anyone have special tips or any suggestions for how much time to allocate to each attraction? We planned on participating in short tours at the caves, but how much extra time will we really need to devote to those? How about places like Flintstone's or Storybook Island or Old MacDonald's Farm?
If it helps, we are 4 adults, an almost 7 year old, a 6 year old, an almost 3 year old and an almost 1 year old.
My suggestion is to do as much as you can in Rapid City on the first day then do everything else in the hills. Storybook Island, Dinosaur Park, WaTiki Water Resort, Reptile Gardens, and Bear Country are all in and around Rapid City so you may want to get those out of the way first. Then Cosmos, Keystone, Mount Rushmore, Custer State Park, Flintstones, Crazy Horse, Hill City, and Highway 385 can come after.
By the way, I put the attractions in the order that you would probably do them according to where they are in the Black Hills. I'm sure you'll omit a few and add a couple because it would take more than a few days' vacation to see all the sites of the Black Hills. Also, you may want to do all the Hills attractions first then save all the Rapid City ones for the last day or two.
Make sure you tak the kids to Flintstone Park though! I LOVED that place when I was little! Do they watch The Flintstones?
P.S. lol My kids don't really know who they are...it's awful. :P They watch a rock-n-roll show with all those "old-school" cartoon characters at the grandparents' home, but other than that, we're hoping the dinosaurs & amusement park atmosphere will be enchanting enough for them and nostalgic for us adults.
Make sure you rent them a Flintstones video at Blockbuster before you come. They'll fall in love with the cartoon then they'll really be amped when you take them to the park. What times during the summer are you all planning on coming out?
The last week/weekend of June. We have about 5 days to squeeze everything into!!! Hence why I want to make sure we're not planning for too much time somewhere and not enough time somewhere else...
I would recommend the Phillips Avenue Diner. It has a small, old-fashioned diner feel to it. Its at 10th & Phillips, and Phillips runs right north to Falls Park. Falls Landing is a restaurant attached to a Country Inn & Suites right along the river. You can sit outside by the river and eat.
There's other smaller restaurants too... I can't think of their names though . There's also an Applebee's downtown.
I looked into both of these restaurants but neither are open Sundays and that is when we will be in Sioux Falls, Sunday evening. Any other suggestions?
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Any recommendations for dinner spots in that area? The budget friendlier and "homegrown" the better. 
Any other suggestions?
