With an international following, Brule is the country’s number one Native American music and dance troupe. The sound is thoroughly contemporary — a vibrant reminder that native cultures are alive and evolving, not relics of the past. Brule’s summer home is the Black Hills. The group performs at the outdoor … Read More
For 125 years Homestake, the biggest and most technically advanced gold mine in American history, mined and milled the precious metal at Lead. Homestake made South Dakota the number one gold producing state for most of the 20th century. It cut a shaft nearly two miles deep, to a depth … Read More
The Black Hills region is cave country. Officially it’s home to two of the world’s top ten longest caves, but tell that to some locals and they’ll just roll their eyes. That’s because they’re pretty sure the two caves are actually one, although connecting passageways haven’t yet been mapped and … Read More
This ain’t your daddy’s beer vacation! A generation ago the term meant going to Florida over spring break, baking in the sun, and maintaining hydration by guzzling uniform, mass-produced beers. A Black Hills beer vacation means sampling an incredible variety of locally brewed craft beers. Black Hills waters seem especially … Read More
Black Hills Playhouse is a professional summer theater like no other in America. It’s set deep in the pine forest of Custer State Park (but performances are indoors, it’s important to stress, not out in the pines). You know you’re a true Black Hills theater-goer if you actually enjoy negotiating … Read More
Sadly, too many Americans these days have never ridden a horse. Happily, you can update your horseback status easily in the Black Hills. How long should a novice’s first trail ride be? That depends your tolerance for a little backside soreness when you sit down for dinner later. But by … Read More
If you buy a tiger cub on the black market, it will interact with you just like a domestic kitten the first months of its life. Some people easily slip into the belief that their illegal “kitty” will always retain that temperament if treated like a house cat. Wrong. Eventually … Read More
How many noisy, steam-belching industries can you think of that are universally loved? The Black Hills has one: the 1880 Train, a genuine steam locomotive that hauls passengers between Hill City and Keystone and back several times daily. The rails pass through Black Hills granite country, offering great views of … Read More
There have been Black Hills vacationers so moved by their experience that they’ve decided to make an instant life change. They’ve called or texted their employer back home to say, as Johnny Paycheck did, “Take this job and shove it, I ain’t workin’ here no more!” Or words to that … Read More
Locals call them “summer chuckwagon suppers,” typically consisting of beef or chicken, potatoes, coffee or lemonade, and live cowboy music. Oh — and baked beams are always served, integral to both supper and entertainment. Because if you’re a cowboy musician and you want to crack a joke or two between … Read More