Deadwood Vacations

"Well howdy pardner..." Ever since we'd returned from our Deadwood vacation, my five year old had greeted me in this way. I turned around from my place at the sink to see my Jason, dressed in his favorite faux leather chaps, ten gallon hat sliding down over his eyes and his finger pointing at me in a fine imitation of a pistol.

I put my hands up (as I'd done almost every evening since we'd returned from our Deadwood vacation) and pretended to worry. "You know, Wild Bill, if you shoot me, you'll miss chicken for dinner and chocolate ice cream for dessert," and suddenly he changed from the notorious gambler, bullwhacker, and sheriff, Wild Bill Hickok back to my little boy, Jason - lover of the Wild West and all things cowboy. As he ran to go wash up for dinner he suddenly stopped and turned back to ask, "Mom, when can we go back to Deadwood?" He'd been asking that same question everyday since we'd driven out of the wild west town of Deadwood, South Dakota.

Most of our family vacations revolved around exploring areas of the United States that often have an historic flavor. We love knowing that we can have educational experiences as well as vacations...so, when we decided to visit and explore one of the country's most famous Gold Rush towns on a Deadwood vacation.

Deadwood, S.D. was a notoriously wild town during the mid-1870's, drawing the likes of Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane, as well as the notorious General George Armstrong Custer. Because of the history attached to the town, we decided that a Deadwood vacation would be an excellent choice, offering plenty of history as well as activities that all of course enjoy.

We researched the accommodations, discussed staying in on of the numerous campgrounds or hotels that are in the area, however eventually decided to book at couple of rooms at a nearby B&B. This turned out to be an excellent choice because the owners had not only decorated their 1903 Victorian house, but it was a kid friendly place, easily accessible to downtown Deadwood.

Over the course of our vacation, we explored the Adam's Museum and learned the history of the area. We picked up some Black Hills gold jewelry and the kids were even able to pan for gold nuggets. They were really thrilled!

Through our vacation our kids also learned about other cultures - specifically, the Native American Lakota tribe, how they were treated and their art and history. We even went on a tour of the infamous "Boot Hill" Cemetery then dressed up in historical costumes to get our family portrait done at a wild west old time photo place.

As I wiped my hands on a dish towel and looked into the eager face of my little wild west boy, I knew that it had been our Deadwood vacation had been a wonderful learning opportunity, a great time and I knew that I wouldn't mind at all returning to Deadwood, the little town in South Dakota.