America's Cowboy Country

Welcome to Rapid City, long known as the gateway to the Black Hills, and your home for three nights. As traveler’s arrival times vary greatly, you have no group activities planned during the day. Your Tour Manager will hold a welcome briefing in the early evening. Dinner is on your own tonight.

Embrace the vast beauty of Badlands National Park with a Native American Guide. Your guide will share their personal perspective on the land, weaving stories of heritage, culture, and their way of life into the journey. Follow the Badlands Loop Road, a wonder of rock formations and vibrant colors formed by mineral deposits. Stop at Wall Drug, a classic store from 1936, where there is time for lunch and browsing. This evening, enjoy a welcome dinner at a local restaurant with your fellow travelers.

Travel to Custer State Park and search for a herd of over 1,000 roaming bison and the famous Begging Burros. Your guide will fill you in on the park’s wildlife history and facts. Next, prepare to be amazed by the Crazy Horse Memorial, the world's largest mountain sculpture still in progress. The memorial includes the Indian Museum of North America, Native American Cultural Center, the sculptor's studio, an orientation center and theaters. Many Native American artists and craftspeople practice their art at the memorial and are on hand to discuss the influence their culture has on their work. Later, see Mount Rushmore, one of the country’s most famous landmarks.

Stop in Deadwood, a rambling Western town and a National Historic Landmark. Recreations of turn-of-the-century streetlamps light the way through the restored architecture. A local guide introduces you to the history of the city, where gold, gambling and gunpowder were once the order of the day. Visit Mount Moriah Cemetery, final resting place of Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, and other figures from the Wild West. Then, it’s your choice! Take a guided tour of the Adams Museum and explore dynamic exhibits that shine a light on Deadwood’s legends and outlaws -OR- visit Kevin Costner’s Tatanka: Story of the Bison. This interpretive center features large, awe-inspiring sculptures depicting the relationship of bison and the Lakota Native Americans. Your day ends in Buffalo, Wyoming.