Although it has been a couple of years since we visited the Black Hills of South Dakota, it still ranks as one of our best family vacation trips. We had a 10-year old tween and a 6-year old at the time. The Black Hills are a great trip for families with kids ages 6 to 18, as you can minimize driving distances yet find lots to do that everyone will enjoy. Kids need to be old enough to be active all day and to appreciate the history, scenery and American spirit they will experience at every turn.
Cathedral Spires in South Dakota's Custer State Park
We have friends who followed a similar itinerary with older teens and tweens and they had a blast as well. Whether you are looking for a taste of the old West, want to check out Mount Rushmore, like to hike and explore, or enjoy classic roadside attractions you can’t go wrong in South Dakota.
Top 10 South Dakota Activities for Teens and Tweens
Our strategy for visiting the Black Hills was to fly into Rapid City and head to Deadwood, one of the last gold rush towns in the continental United States. We stayed there for a few days before moving south to a Lodge in Custer State Park, which rivals many a National Park for its abundance of wildlife and access a natural wonders. After taking a couple of days to enjoy photo safaris, hiking and exploring some amazing caves in and around the park, we returned to Rapid City for a rodeo, a state fair and a day trip to the Badlands and Wall Drug. Along the way we experienced a number of tremendous roadside attractions and historical highlights.
The following is the list of our 10 favorite activities for families visiting South Dakota with teens and tweens. Click the links as each one leads to a detailed post with pictures and links to help with your vacation planning.
- A taste of the Old West with the re-enactors of Deadwood
- Visits to gold mines in Deadwood and Lead
- Mount Rushmore – truly awesome!
- Hiking Sylvan Lake and the 7,000+ foot high Harney Peak
- The Wildlife Loop Road through Custer State Park
- Wind and Jewel Cave explorations
- America’s best roadside attractions
- The Prairie Homestead sod house
- A daytrip to the Badlands
- Fairs and Rodeos
Logistics Tips for a Trip to South Dakota
Although we generally prefer to establish a base camp and rely on day trips to see the sights, the Black Hills and surrounding areas are best seen by moving a couple of times during a trip. Give yourself a minimum of a week to take it all in.
We were able to minimize total time in a car by moving from Deadwood to Custer State Park to Rapid City. Custer State Park maintains a central booking system for all of its lodges. If you opt to visit the Black Hills we strongly encourage finding time to stay in the park. Book your lodge accomodations first as there are plenty of options available in Deadwood and Rapid City long after the Park is filled. We enjoyed the Sylvan Lake Lodge. Friends have explored the area in an RV, another option for families on the road.
If you have been to South Dakota we invite you to add comments about your favorite activities as well!
These are nice activities. Thanks for sharing. South Dakota has many good tourist attractions like Mount Rushmore National Memorial (National Park Service), Corn Palace, Crazy Horse Memorial, Badlands National Park, Custer State Park, Black Hills National Forest, Laura Ingalls Wilder Memorial Society, and Fort Sisseton Historic State Park.