Deadwood Forum: Trip

In Deadwood, the Penny Motel on Main St. is a quiet, reasonably priced option within easy walking distance of all the action further down on Main St. They do not have any sort of breakfast (just coffee) so you are on your own for that.

If you like to hike, the trail at Bear Butte SP (near Sturgis, which is off I-90) is a great option.

The Spearfish Canyon exit off of I-90 is a pleasant and scenic (but slower) route to Deadwood.

Mt Rushmore is a good choice. Depending your time, you can spent couple of hours to overnight. I was there last year May. We stopped by for ~2 hrs while coming back from South Dakota. It was fun. The Geography is pretty awesome. You may want to visit my blog: …blogspot.com/2010/05/mt-rushmore-national-m…

As always, excellent advice above:

However, if you do plan on staying in Deadwood I would recommend staying somewhere on main street for easy access to the various establishments and what not.

I would suggest either the Hampton Inn or Celebrity.

http://www.fouracescasino.org/hotel/

Note, if you have AAA or AARP that should knock the price down by at least 10%.

or

http://www.celebritycasinos.com/

If you want a nice hotel/casino that's a bit off and at the same time and somewhat secluded I suggest the Lodge at Deadwood:

http://www.deadwoodlodge.com/

If you are not a gambler, don't even bother going to Deadwood. We just returned and were very disappointed in the town.

If you are not a gambler, Deadwood can be a disappointment but does not have to be. If you are interested in the historical aspect of Deadwood, there is much to see. Many people go to Deadwood expecting to see a boardwalk main street much like what was depicted in the HBO series "Deadwood". The original buildings were burned to the ground in a fire many, many years ago. The buildings in Deadwood are old, however, and the architecture very interesting. The following suggestions will give you some good insight as to Deadwood's way of life during the gold rush days:

MUSEUMS:

The Adams Museum

The Adams House

The Days of 76 Museum

Saloon #10 - Although a saloon it is also a museum in itself; full of old pictures and artifacts as well as the chair Wild Bill Hickock was sitting in when he was shot.

The Homestake Gold Mine Museum - in neighboring Lead, home of the largest gold mine in the northern hemisphere. It closed in the early 2000's.

CEMETERY:

Mt. Moriah Cemetery - Final resting place for Wild Bill Hickock, Calamity Jane and many other Deadwood characters. This cemetery is extremely interesting and tells the story of how hard life was during the gold rush days.

MISC.:

Broken Boot Gold Mine Tour

The Deadwood Trolly Tour

FUN THINGS:

Re-enactment of the shooting of Wild Bill Hickock throughout the day at the Saloon #10.

Shoot-outs on Main Street throughout the day

The Trail of Jack McCall (Wild Bill Hickock's killer)

Evening entertaiment - Quite often you can find bands and even known celebrities such as Big and Rich entertaining in Deadwood.

Days of 76' Celebration and Rodeo - usually held the last week of July.

SIGHTSEEING AND/OR HIKING:

Mt. Roosevelt - Monument built by Sheriff Seth Bullock in honor of his friend, Teddy Roosevelt

Spearfish Canyon - Gorgeous canyon between Lead and town of Spearfish. The canyon has a pristine mountain stream, several very beautiful waterfalls and some nice hiking trails.

TRAIL RIDES:

Andy's Trail Rides located south of Lead off of Hwy. 85 near Mystic Mountain Ski Resort. One of the best trail rides we have ever been on. Not your typical head-to-tail, follow-the-leader type ride. Fantastic scenery.

Deadwood also has many restaurant choices, three of which we feel are the best in South Dakota. They are:

Jakes Atop the Midnight Star - Kevin Kostner's 5 star restaurant - Pricey but excellent food and service.

The Deadwood Grille - located in the Lodge at Deadwood. Excellent, excellent food and service at mid-range prices. Jakes competition at a better price.

Cheyenne Crossing in Spearfish Canyon - Award winning little cafe housed in an old stage coach stop at the south entrance to Spearfish Canyon. Home made comfort foods all made from scratch. Very, very good. Especially their speciality, Indian Tacos. Desserts are some of the best we have ever had. Friendly service. A local favorite, it can get very busy.

As you can see, there is more to do than gamble in Deadwood.

Having just returned from the black hills, I did not intend to go to Deadwood but after reading promo lit my husband was interested in an evening trip there. I was not impressed. We missed the shootout, instead getting there for the arrest of Jack McCall. It was not very impressive. Deadwood sidewalks gave me the impression of a town where gamblers were comfortable, lots of tattoo and smoking. It was not dirty, but it just didn't draw me in. I'm sure others might like it.