Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > South Dakota
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 01-29-2010, 11:59 AM
 
Location: Maple Valley
202 posts, read 405,397 times
Reputation: 176

Advertisements

Hello all!

My family and I are planning a road trip from Northern Illinois to the Black Hills area in South Dakota the week of 5/31-6/4. The drive is about 15 hours so I'm not opposed to staying somewhere overnight along the way. We'll be taking 90 I think. Can anyone offer up a good place to stop, that has something fun to do? I think Sioux Falls is smack dab 1/2 way, but I have no idea what is there!

Also ... I'm torn between these two places to stay once we're actually at our destination. None of us have been to SD before so we'll really like, whatever, it'll all be new to us! I would like to see Mt. Rushmore and Jewel Cave. I think Custer is more centrally located, but the warm water tubing at the camp in Hot Springs sounds so nice!

I think we're going to tipi it. :-)

Allen Ranch | Guest Ranch | Tipi village | Horseback Riding | Campground | Canyon Rim Overnight Pack Trip
Beaver Lake Campground


Any advice is appreciated!!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 01-29-2010, 12:09 PM
 
Location: Custer, SD
1,582 posts, read 3,101,664 times
Reputation: 1481
Quote:
Originally Posted by Caver Girl View Post
Hello all!

My family and I are planning a road trip from Northern Illinois to the Black Hills area in South Dakota the week of 5/31-6/4. The drive is about 15 hours so I'm not opposed to staying somewhere overnight along the way. We'll be taking 90 I think. Can anyone offer up a good place to stop, that has something fun to do? I think Sioux Falls is smack dab 1/2 way, but I have no idea what is there!

Also ... I'm torn between these two places to stay once we're actually at our destination. None of us have been to SD before so we'll really like, whatever, it'll all be new to us! I would like to see Mt. Rushmore and Jewel Cave. I think Custer is more centrally located, but the warm water tubing at the camp in Hot Springs sounds so nice!

I think we're going to tipi it. :-)

Allen Ranch | Guest Ranch | Tipi village | Horseback Riding | Campground | Canyon Rim Overnight Pack Trip
Beaver Lake Campground


Any advice is appreciated!!
Hi. My family and I just moved this summer from northwestern Indiana to the Black Hills. Which route are you taking? I-90 all the way? If so, Sioux Falls is kind of off the highway a bit. We stopped just inside the MN state line at an AmericInn right off the highway. It was very nice, had a pool and was not outrageously priced. If you are looking for something more along the lines of camping, there are a variety of places along the way. I would recommend contacting the visitor's bureau for MN and getting the guide and maps they send out. They were very helpful on our trip!

Last edited by no8fann; 01-29-2010 at 12:10 PM.. Reason: poor grammar!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-29-2010, 12:16 PM
 
12,585 posts, read 16,903,521 times
Reputation: 15255
Default Black hills...

Why they gotta be Black?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-29-2010, 01:06 PM
 
Location: Maple Valley
202 posts, read 405,397 times
Reputation: 176
Quote:
Originally Posted by no8fann View Post
Hi. My family and I just moved this summer from northwestern Indiana to the Black Hills.
Very cool - did you go to visit and fall in love with the area? Or was it a family thing or work thing? Sorry, just curious.

Quote:
Originally Posted by no8fann View Post
Which route are you taking? I-90 all the way? If so, Sioux Falls is kind of off the highway a bit. We stopped just inside the MN state line at an AmericInn right off the highway. It was very nice, had a pool and was not outrageously priced.
Thanks for the advice -- is there another way besides I-90? I imagine possibly backroads, but we want to spend the bulk of our vacation in the Black Hills.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-29-2010, 02:07 PM
 
Location: rapid city sd
819 posts, read 1,739,637 times
Reputation: 1565
Quote:
Originally Posted by Caver Girl View Post
Hello all!

My family and I are planning a road trip from Northern Illinois to the Black Hills area in South Dakota the week of 5/31-6/4. The drive is about 15 hours so I'm not opposed to staying somewhere overnight along the way. We'll be taking 90 I think. Can anyone offer up a good place to stop, that has something fun to do? I think Sioux Falls is smack dab 1/2 way, but I have no idea what is there!

Also ... I'm torn between these two places to stay once we're actually at our destination. None of us have been to SD before so we'll really like, whatever, it'll all be new to us! I would like to see Mt. Rushmore and Jewel Cave. I think Custer is more centrally located, but the warm water tubing at the camp in Hot Springs sounds so nice!

I think we're going to tipi it. :-)

Allen Ranch | Guest Ranch | Tipi village | Horseback Riding | Campground | Canyon Rim Overnight Pack Trip
Beaver Lake Campground


Any advice is appreciated!!
Make sure not to miss needles highway here in the black hills. check it out on you tube.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-29-2010, 02:13 PM
 
Location: Custer, SD
1,582 posts, read 3,101,664 times
Reputation: 1481
Quote:
Originally Posted by Caver Girl View Post
Very cool - did you go to visit and fall in love with the area? Or was it a family thing or work thing? Sorry, just curious.



Thanks for the advice -- is there another way besides I-90? I imagine possibly backroads, but we want to spend the bulk of our vacation in the Black Hills.
Actually, my family was stationed here in the 70's and 80's, and after we moved away, I always wanted to come back, so I found a job, and we moved! I have always loved the Black Hills, and in spite of the tourism, it's a wonderful place to live.

Once you get to SD, there really isn't any other direct route. I just wondered which way you were coming out of IL - north or south? You can go through Iowa, but I think the northern route is much prettier, and they aren't very different mileage-wise.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-29-2010, 02:33 PM
 
Location: Maple Valley
202 posts, read 405,397 times
Reputation: 176
Needles Highway, check. :-)

And thanks again, no8fann! I-90 is going to be closest to us in IL, too. We live between Rockford and Chicago.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-29-2010, 02:37 PM
 
Location: Custer, SD
1,582 posts, read 3,101,664 times
Reputation: 1481
Okay! There are lots of caves to check out - you might want to check this one out, too! We went this summer, and the history was really neat!

Beautiful Rushmore Cave ~ Closest Cave to Mount Rushmore
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-29-2010, 03:47 PM
 
Location: Sun Prairie WI
128 posts, read 281,695 times
Reputation: 73
Go to TravelSD.com and get their travel guide. It is really excellent.
Do not miss Crazy Horse.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-29-2010, 04:22 PM
 
Location: Maple Valley
202 posts, read 405,397 times
Reputation: 176
Quote:
Originally Posted by littlequeenie View Post
Go to TravelSD.com and get their travel guide. It is really excellent.
Do not miss Crazy Horse.
No worries - I have the guide!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:




Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > South Dakota
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top