ABOUT THE AREA

Deadwood The city of Deadwood in the northern Black Hills was created as the result of a gold rush in 1875. Within a year about 25,000 prospectors had fled to Deadwood to pan for gold. Much of the late 19th century wooden structures are still preserved, although a devastating fire and flood late in the century destroyed much of it. There are several museums that display Indian artifacts and gold rush memorabilia. Deadwood was named for the numerous dead trees that were found in the narrow canyon of Deadwood Gulch.

Badlands National Park consists of 244,000 acres of sharply eroded buttes, pinnacles and spires blended with the largest, protected mixed grass prairie in the United States. The Badlands Wilderness Area covers 64,000 acres and is the site of the reintroduction of the black-footed ferret, the most endangered land mammal in North America. The Stronghold Unit is co-managed with the Oglala Sioux Tribe and includes sites of 1890s Ghost Dances. Over 11,000 years of human history pale to the ages old paleontological resources. Badlands National Park contains the world's richest Oligocene epoch fossil beds, dating 23 to 35 million years old. Scientists can study the evolution of mammal species such as the horse, sheep, rhinoceros and pig in the Badlands formations.

The Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary, whose purpose is to provide not only freedom for unadoptable and unwanted mustang horses, but also a research area dedicated to solving wild horse herd management that will contribute to the well-being of wild horses everywhere. The Sanctuary's staff of volunteers are devoted to the spirit of the wild mustangs by giving America's unwanted wild horses a quality life. The Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary is a showcase where the public can see large herds of wild horses running free and come to understand our efforts toward land conservation and the preservation of our western heritage-America's Wild Mustang!

The Mammoth Site: Stand on the edge of discovery and walk where the mammoths once walked. The Mammoth Site is the world's largest mammoth research facility with Ice Age exhibits. See 53 mammoths and other Ice Age animals. The museum is open year round and offers a 30-minute guided tour and a ten-minute video. If you visit during the excavation dates, you can actually watch a scientific dig in progress.

Angostura Recreation Area: Angostura Reservoir is a water-lover's haven in the southern Black Hills. With plenty of room for boating, fishing and swimming, this recreation area attracts visitors to its clear waters and natural sand beaches.

Crazy Horse Monument "My fellow chiefs and I would like the white man to know the red man has great heroes, too." These were the words, written by Chief Henry Standing Bear that brought Sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski to the Black Hills to begin this unforgettable monumental sculpture. Crazy Horse Memorial is the world's largest sculpture. It is a work in progress begun in 1948 by sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski.

Wind Cave National Park: The main features of the Wind Cave National Park include one of the world's longest and most complex caves and 30,000 acres of mixed prairie, pine forests and wildlife. Five types of cave tours are offered. In the summer, the tours run every 20 minutes from 8:40 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., but are reduced in the winter.

Mt. Rushmore stands as a shrine of democracy, a monument and memorial to this country's birth, growth and ideals. Mount Rushmore symbolizes the greatness of this nation through the greatness of it leaders. The epic sculpture of Mount Rushmore depicts the faces of four exalted American presidents that symbolize this nations rich history, rugged determination and lasting achievements. The evening lighting ceremony offers a unique patriotic program and display.

Evans Plunge: The world's largest natural warm water indoor swimming pool. This sparkling spring water flows from an enormous thermal spring at a rate of 5000 gallons a minute. The theraputic "healing" water has soothed visitors for over one hundred years.

Southern Hills Golf Course: This picturesque course was picked by Golf Digest as the #1 nine-hole course in North America. The course is set within the pine covered mountains west of Hot Springs. The National Golf Foundation chose it as one of the best in America's heartland. Golf Digest has given the course a 4 star (****) rating and picked it as one of its places to play. The South Dakota Golf Association has also picked it as the top 9-hole course in South Dakota.

Custer State Park is full to the brim with activities for the whole family. Some of the many include:
Evening Programs: Every evening during the summer programs are held in Custer State Park. These programs might include visiting with costumed characters from Black Hills past or learning about the Black Hills plants and wildlife from a Custer State Park naturalist.
Guided Nature Walks: One of the best ways to find out about the park's birds, wildflowers, resource management, geology and history is to take a walk with a naturalist. These walks are offered every day from June to mid-August.
Gold Panning: Catch the famous Black Hills Gold Fever. Pan for gold and learn a bit about the wild wild west of yesteryear.
Patio Activities: Imagine playing an active habitat game with your children or studying the unique traits of mammals while making plaster casts of their tracks. Perhaps you would prefer to create a basket using nothing but pine needles and sinew (bison tendons) or tour the buffalo corrals and learn about the park's management practices. The park offers two patio activities daily at 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. from June to mid-August.
Black Hills Playhouse: If you are up for a bit of culture after all these outdoor activities, plan on attending one of the theatre performances at the Black Hills Playhouse. The acting and theatre tech is top notch. And the setting is like no other. Hiking or Bicycle Riding on the Mickelson Trail

The Mickelson Trail is a 110-mile limestone trail through the heart of the South Dakota's Black Hills. There are more than 100 converted railroad bridges and four hardrock tunnels along the trail. It is a haven to bicycle riders, hikers, horse back riders. It is almost impossible to explain the spectacular scenery along the trail.

Black Hills Playhouse Nestled in Custer State Park, about an hours drive from Hot Springs, the Black Hills Playhouse has been providing Broadway quality plays to the delight of Black Hills locals and tourists for over 60 years. Great sets, great music, great acting, great people in the audience with you-like we said, it's a completely unique entertainment experience, each and every time you attend.