Make the most of your family getaway to the Black Hills with this 3-day itinerary. With grizzly bears, alligators, parks, ice cream, candy stores, and ziplining – the whole family will have a vacation for the record books!
Day 1:
Bear Country USA, Rapid City
Bear Country USA has the world’s largest collection of privately owned black bears. Visitors can drive through the park and see wildlife like black bears, buffalo, mountain lions, reindeer, wolves, and elk from the vehicle.
Prepare to spend 2 hours.
Tips: Admission is $17 for adults, $11 for children 5-12, $15 for seniors 62+, $15 for military adults, $9 for military children, and free for children 4 and under.
Remain in the vehicle at all times with windows and doors closed.
Dinosaur Park, Rapid City
Opened in 1936, Dinosaur Park is one of Rapid City’s oldest tourist attractions. The park has seven life-size concrete dinosaurs, views for 100 miles, and a seasonal gift shop and visitor center.
Prepare to spend less than 1 hour.
Tips: Admission is free.
Watiki Indoor Waterpark Resort, Rapid City
Head to the biggest indoor waterpark in South Dakota for some great family fun. It has over 30,000 square feet of swimming pools, waterslides, hot tubs, and a lazy river.
Prepare to spend 1-3 hours.
Tips: Admission is $25.99 for ages 7+, $17.99 for ages 3-6, and $9.99 for a spectator pass. From 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., admission is $19.99 for ages 7+, $13.99 for ages 3-6, and $4.99 for a spectator pass. From 8 p.m. to close, admission is $14.99 for ages 7+, $10.99 for ages 3-6, and $4.99 for a spectator pass.
Children age 2 and under swim for free with a paid adult pass.
Prices decrease during off-season.
Armadillo’s Ice Cream Shoppe, Rapid City
Cool off and enjoy some of the best ice cream in the Black Hills at Armadillo’s. A huge variety of ice cream flavors are available, in addition to a food menu with sandwich and soup options.
Prepare to spend less than 1 hour.
Circle B Chuckwagon, Hill City
Circle B Chuckwagon not only serves up delicious cowboy grub in a chuckwagon experience but also has fun activities like gem panning, gun fights, wax bullet pistol shooting, old-time western music, and wood carving.
Prepare to spend 1-2 hours.
Tips: Dinner is served at 5:30 p.m. in the chuckwagon barn. The ticket booth opens at 4 p.m. The gun shootout is at 5:20 p.m.
Adult prices range from $13-29 and children (age 4-11) prices range from $13-15. Children 3 and under are $5.
There are no vegetarian or vegan meal options.