There’s a lot to love about Custer State Park, and one of those things is the Bison Center. It’s home to some 1,300 – 1,500 free-roaming bison over 71,000 acres, and the center, which opened in 2022, is the place to learn all about them. I also had the chance to ride out and witness the herd for myself. While we were out there, I spoke with Jason Gooder, the center’s resource manager, about the annual Buffalo Roundup that’s been happening the last Friday of every September for nearly 60 years!

What impresses you the most upon exploration is how Custer State Park is home to various landscapes. While the bison graze on grass hills, just a drive away is the surreal Needles Highway, part of the Peter Norbeck National Scenic Byway. Driving along, you’ll see some of the most epic rock formations lining the road, and, of course, be sure to keep a steady hand as you drive through one of the needle-thin tunnels. Keep going, and soon you’ll find yourself with yet another changing landscape at Sylvan Lake. Here, tall, granite cliffs seemingly rise up from crystal clear waters. Some visitors use the lake as a base for one of the nearby hiking trails, while others get in and on the water.

Within the northern part of the Black Hills sits a town that looks like something straight out of a movie set. However, Deadwood is about as authentic as it gets when we talk about old gold rush towns. It was founded back in 1876 when miners discovered dead trees and a creek full of gold and decided to move in. Today, it’s a National Historic Landmark with a million stories to tell. Communications Director of Deadwood History Inc., Rose Speirs, told me all about Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane’s infamous escapades.

It’s hard to believe that during the Cold War, all sorts of Minuteman missile fields were once spread throughout the seemingly peaceful Great Plains. These missiles, known as intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM), were nuclear weapons that had the power for total devastation. At Minuteman Missile National Historic Site, I had the chance to check out the very last intact Minuteman II Launch Control Center / Launch Control Facility pair and see just what it was like to live and work around such a powerful tool. Luckily, I had park ranger Jim Boensch to guide me through. We started off in what looks like any old, quaint home and soon found ourselves ourselves within a Launch Control Center. Boensch himself once worked here, monitoring 10 missiles!

Free ice water! These days, you’re going to need a map to navigate Wall Drug Store, but when founders Ted and Dorothy Hustead started the business in 1931, it was just a tiny 24×60 store. Because it was the Great Depression, business was slow and failing until Ted had the idea to post up signs all along the highway advertising free ice water. Before he even returned to the store from putting up the last sign, customers were already coming in. Since then, Wall Drug has become known for its roadside signs and has expanded far beyond that initial space. Plus, it’s stayed in the family — today, Rick and his daughter, Sara, represent the 3rd and 4th generation of Husteads running the store.

I’ve always wanted to visit Badlands National Park for one reason – what kind of name is “badlands”? Especially when the rugged landscapes found here are anything but bad! It turns out the name is a translation of its Lakota name, Makȟóšiča. In this case, as beautiful as the views are, I can see how this might not be the most hospitable land to try and live on. However, as a visitor, the views I saw were nothing short of awe-inspiring. I nearly cried when a man visiting from Italy, with tears in his eyes, told me, “I’ve never seen anything like this in my life. Your country is so beautiful.”

If you leave Custer State Park and head into the Black Hills, you’ll soon find the largest mountain carving in the world. It’s still a work in progress, but the entire carving will be 641 feet long and 563 feet high when finished. Crazy Horse Memorial is in honor Crazy Horse, one of the most recognizable Native American leaders in history. He was the leader of the Lakota tribe and famously fought against the US government on settler encroachment. This memorial stands as a reminder to protect and preserve the culture, traditions, and living heritage of North American tribes.

While in the Black Hills, be sure to look for hoop dancing performances by Brave Star Woman (Wichahpi Ohitika Winyan), also known as Starr Chief Eagle. She is a member of the Sicangu (Rosebud) Lakota Sioux Tribe and has been hoop dancing since she was just a baby! Her father, Dallas Chief Eagle, has helped teach, share, and bring the tradition back after 100+ years since hoop dancing, along with other Native American dances, songs, and traditions, were once outlawed from the late 1800s to mid-late 1900s.

If you’re wondering where you can buy souvenirs that support Native American culture ethically, just head over to Prairie Edge Trading Post in Rapid City. The concept of the store began in the 1980s when founder Ray Hillenbrand wanted to both educate the public on Northern Plains tribes and find a way for Northern Plains artists to be fairly compensated for their work. As former general manager Dan Tribby, put it, the store gives visitors an honorable way to bring something home that was made and not stolen. And boy, there is a huge range of options! The store itself is two stories high and stretches at least half a block.

Come to the Black Hills during the summer, and you’ve got to head over to Palmer Gulch for their Chuck Wagon Dinner. Everything is cooked right over a fire, and as chef Clayton Sander told me, it’s about as close to an authentic cowboy meal as health inspectors will allow! I’m talkin’ fried potatoes, cowboy beans, steaks, hot dogs, black cowboy coffee, and, of course, peach cobbler for dessert. And you won’t be alone in these dinners. Chefs Clayton and Rhonda Sander are usually cooking for 120 people! Bonus tip: add a stop to the nearby Mount Rushmore National Memorial!