Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

South Dakota: Go where the buffalo roam
TRAVEL Special to the online edition of Windy City Times
by Jerry Nunn, Windy City Times
2014-05-27

This article shared 443 times since Tue May 27, 2014
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

      More Photos


Ever wonder where the name South Dakota comes from? The state was named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux Native American tribes, and is still a part of the Midwest.

Downtown Rapid City is a unique place to visit. First of all, there are statues of all the presidents on each street corner. Pick your favorite one and make it a photo op. In the Main Street Square children play in the fountains in the summer then the same spot turns into an ice skating rink in the winter. Currently under construction are 21 granite pieces in the square related to the Badlands.

For souvenirs, near the center of town just pop into the Prairie Edge Trading Company to observe the glass bead library and take home some authentic Native American artwork.

Movie buffs can walk around the preserved set of Dances With Wolves in Fort Hayes ( where it was filmed ), and then head to Chuckwagon Supper, where people can grab their tin plates and sit down to watch the country band play. There is some drag involved with the entertaining show but, trust me, it's no RuPaul's Drag Race.

For nightlife The Brass Rail bar in the middle of downtown is a gay-friendly hotspot.There are several gay friendly bed & breakfasts in Rapid City such as the Hisega Lodge, Peregrine Pointe B&B and the Sweetgrass Inn B&B.

Sioux Falls has one gay bar—called, appropriately enough, Toppers—so pack up your apps such as Grindr and Scruff to locate the locals.

The Journey Museum take over 11 acres where explorers can talk through time to learn about pioneers and pottery. Relax in the Star Room under glittering lights then study the mining industry beginning with the gold rush. The Sioux Indian section of the museum hosts a collection of clothing and tapestries.

Museum of the American Bison is fairly small but I learned that using either the words "bison" or "buffalo" to describe our furry friends is perfectly acceptable.

Firehouse Brewing Company is a restaurant built in 1915 housed within an original firehouse and has a fine lunch menu.

Even with a touch of claustrophobia Rushmore Cave was a breeze to explore just pack a jacket because it's a bit drafty, maybe because of the holes in the walls and the fact it's underground. There is a massive gift shop above ground with a zipline ride and a 7-D interactive theater to compete with fellow gunslingers.

Make a pitstop at Keystone, a gold mining town and the adult home of Carrie Ingalls of Little House on the Prairie fame. Eat your heart out Half Pint!

Brothers are doing it for themselves in Keystone as two carving Dahl's, Jarrett and Jordan, keep it in the family and make chainsaw art of anything from a three-foot bear to a 25-foot Indian warrior. There's nothing like rugged men shaving things to order at Dahl's Chainsaw Art.

After a quick overnight at the quaint Battle Creek Lodge, the High Country Guest Ranch did the trick with plenty of outdoor activities such as horseback riding, hiking, and bicycling. A trail that is 109 miles long is being developed to link to Mount Rushmore making it a crossover excursion.

The all-screw-top Prairie Berry Winery has excellent food and rhubarb wine to pair with it. It's one of the first wineries in the state and still crushes the competition today.

It can't get better than free with an outdoor rock-climbing wall, indoor archery and a 4,600-gallon freshwater aquarium at Outdoor Campus West. This is a hands-on kiddie friendly place to explore so release your inner child at least.

You can't miss Wall Drug, as sign after roadside sign leads tourists to the place that started offering free ice water bringing in 20,000 customers on a busy summer. Shopping for souvenirs is on a whole new level in this massive store so bring a map to not get lost inside the humongous place. It's campy fun with a retro feel that should please all ages, including a huge animatronic dinosaur, roar!

The White River Badlands is the perfect place to see the work of erosion over time. Looking for fossils and taking in the sunrise at the crack of dawn is awe inspiring. Beware of wandering off the path as local even lose their way in the place named for a bad land to cross by original French trapper in the early 1800s.

For a bird's-eye view, helicopter tours are offered to the Black Hills and the Badlands. Pop in to the Cedar Pass Lodge Restaurant for a Sioux Indian Taco made from fry bread. Who needs a health food diet in Dakota?

Museum at Black Hills Institute houses Stan the dinosaur, a life-sized replica of a Tyrannosaurus rex found in South Dakota. Sue the dinosaur was discovered in Faith, South Dakota, before it was sold to Field Museum for over 8 million dollars.

Drop into the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site, where nuclear missiles were controlled from below. Arrive early to see how day to day life was for the workers in the bunker.

With a beautiful landscape behind it the State Game Lodge has one of the best buffet brunches to wake up to complete with a Native American performance complete with adorable children in traditional garb.

The Lintz Brothers Pizza may not be able to compete with Chicago style but it gets points for variety as the buffalo chicken pizza ranch, blue cheese and homemade red sauce to compliment the chicken.

Crazy Horse Memorial is continually being carved by private funds from the original family and refuses government help to this day. Beginning in 1948 sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski was asked to make a long lasting memorial by Lakota Chief Standing Bear. It still be constructed today with no end in site. Members of the Chief Crazy Horse family still perform in reenactment shows daily below the monument.

Powered by steam the 1880 train covers 20 miles giving people a chance to see the Black Hills up close by rail in two hours.

In the heart of the Black Hills is Mount Rushmore, where sculptor Gutzon Borglum carved the face of four presidents, three million visitors from around the world take in the Mount Rushmore National Memorial. This symbol of freedom lights up at night with a presentation and don't miss a short walk to see the original sculpture where the presidents actually had hands before things went bust!

Deadwood does have some historic deaths there with graves for gunslingers like Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane. The entire town celebrates the Wild West with reenactments, gambling, and boozing.

Note: The Dolly Parton slot machine was particularly loose at the Tin Lizzie Casino on a recent evening. Give it a spin, y'all!

In September, the Buffalo Roundup is not to be missed. Custer State Park comes alive as 1,300 bison rumble by chased by cowboys and cowgirls on horseback. Admission is free and attracts a big crowd, so head to chuck wagon line quickly to beat the rush.

Heading the roundup is Dennis Daugaard, the 32nd governor of South Dakota since January 2011. This republican keeps things conservative and the state tax the lowest in the United States. There is no personal or business tax making it the number one place for young businesses in the United States.

For a combination of wildlife, Native culture and scenic landscapes, you can't beat South Dakota. How does it compare with North Dakota? Well, that is another story...

For information on these South Dakota spots and more visit www.travelsd.com .


This article shared 443 times since Tue May 27, 2014
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

Baby Tate grows up with 'Sexploration' 2024-01-10
- The multitalented pansexual artist Baby Tate has plenty to say on her Sexploration: The Tour. She's packing up her "Wig" and traveling to Chicago to perform an inclusive set of songs such as "Luv Everybody" at ...


Gay News

Disney exhibition chronicles a century of entertainment history 2023-11-21
- Disney100, a large-scale traveling exhibition marking the 100th anniversary of the Walt Disney Company, has opened at the Exhibition Hub Art Center, 2367 W. Logan Blvd., in Bucktown. Hundreds of props and artifacts from the company's ...


Gay News

Club Q shooting survivors to speak at Chicago's Beer Culture Summit 2023-10-15
- Last November, Jessica Fierro traveled back to Colorado after speaking at the annual Chicago Beer Culture Summit. Just one week later, her family changed forever at Club Q, a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs. Her daughter's ...


Gay News

Newsom ends California's travel ban against anti-LGBTQ+ states 2023-09-14
- On Sept. 13, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that he signed SB 447 by Senate President pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins (D-San Diego), which ends the state's restriction on taxpayer-funded travel by state agencies and departments ...


Gay News

After HRC's State of Emergency declaration, Canadian government recognizes threat of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation 2023-08-30
--From a press release - WASHINGTON— Just two months after the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) issued a National State of Emergency in response to the unprecedented and dangerous onslaught of anti-LGBTQ laws passed across the country, the Canadian government has updated ...


Gay News

Stonewall veteran Miss Major visits Brave Space Alliance 2023-08-09
- Miss Major, a Black transgender activist who has fought for more than 50 years for her trans/gender nonconforming community, is on tour to call attention to anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ+ laws across the country. Traveling with her ...


Gay News

Illinois Poor People's Campaign to join faith leaders from 30+ states on Capitol Hill to demand action 2023-06-18
--From a press release - WASHINGTON - Poor, impacted people, advocates and faith leaders with the Illinois Poor People's Campaign will travel to Capitol Hill June 19-21 to highlight poverty as an American death sentence and demand action to end murder ...


Gay News

Travel consultants release best and worst countries for trans rights 2023-06-06
- Asher & Lyric have released "The 203 Best (& Worst) Countries for Trans Rights in 2023." This new study is an accompaniment to its annual LGBTQ+ Travel Safety Index to specifically address trans issues. The countries ...


Gay News

Yucatan adventures--with an LGBTQ+ twist--await in Mexico 2023-06-05
- The Yucatan region lies between the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea in southeastern Mexico. It is home to the states of Campeche and Quintana Roo, and features a variety of destinations appealing to LGBTQ+ ...


Gay News

WORLD Zero Discrimination Day, African countries, facility damaged, travel items 2023-03-10
- On Zero Discrimination Day this year (March 1), under the theme "Save lives: Decriminalize," UNAIDS showed how the decriminalization of key populations and people living with HIV saves lives and helps advance the end of the ...


Gay News

SAVOR Peruvian spot Tanta; fundraiser for The Evolved Network 2023-03-09
- One of the best things about Chicago cuisine is that you can travel the world without ever leaving the Windy City. The River North spot Tanta (118 W. Grand Ave.; https://www.tantachicago.com/) embodies one such example. Tanta ...


Gay News

The Haunted Halsted Halloween Parade turns 25 2022-11-02
- The legendary Haunted Halsted Halloween Parade returned for the 25th time on Oct. 31. Kicking off at 7:30 p.m. from Halsted Street and Belmont Avenue, the parade route traveled north before looping back to a large ...


Gay News

Esquire: Chicago has three of the country's 'most fun' LGBTQ+-inclusive bars 2022-10-27
- Esquire magazine's editorial staff curated a list of the "most fun and inclusive LGBTQ+-friendly bars"—and the choices may seem surprising. The magazine chose the Uptown spots Big Chicks and Carol's Pub as well as the Andersonville ...


Gay News

ATTRACTIONS SkyBridge Michigan opens as world's longest timber-towered suspension bridge 2022-10-25
- SkyBridge Michigan is now open as the world's longest timber-towered suspension bridge. After more than a year in the works, SkyBridge Michigan made its debut to the public on Oct. 15, hosting thousands of guests on ...


Gay News

Philadelphia hosts street renaming ceremony for gay tourism expert 2022-10-11
- On Oct. 11, Philadelphia officials will honor the late civic pride booster, celebrated author and former Visit Philadelphia President/CEO Jeff Guaracino by renaming a portion of South 13th Street after the tourism marketer and LGBTQ+ trailblazer ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.