Summer 2020 West Trip

My dad has a goal of visiting every State Capitol Building. We take a picture at each one and he puts them in a book. So...we stopped in Springfield, Illinois; Des Moines, Iowa and Lincoln, Nebraska. While in Springfield, we saw Lincoln's burial site. While in Lincoln, we went to see Memorial Stadium (my sister-in-law is a HUGE Cornhuskers fan) and the capitol building.

Mitchell Corn Palace

We made a stop at the Mitchell Corn Palace in South Dakota. It was a neat stop, there were a lot of little souvenir shops and small restaurants. They redo the outside murals made of South Dakota grown corn every year, so it looks different every time you go. I wouldn't recommend spending a whole day here, but it was a nice stop on our way to the Badlands.

Pierre, South Dakota

We found out that the locals pronounce it "Pier," I always thought it was "Pea-Air!" As a capital city, it was interesting because it was a pretty small town. We liked walking around the capitol building though-it was really pretty on the inside. The capitol guard recommended Big Tom's Diner, so we stopped there for lunch on our way out. It was really good!

Minutemen Missile National Historic Site

Just outside of the Badlands is the Minutemen Missile National Historic Site. It was really neat pitstop, especially if you are a fan of history during the Cold War. Apparently there are other sites you can visit while here, but we just went through the main building complex.

Badlands National Park

Next, we went to Badlands National Park. A trip to South Dakota isn't complete without a visit to Badlands National Park. The Badlands are well known for their interesting geologic formations, fossil hunting and incredible hiking. We stopped at the Prairie Homestead, then drove through the park. We stopped at several overlooks and the Ben Reifel Visitor Center, then spent the night at the White River KOA campground. We did several small hikes the next day as well.

Wall Drug

This was another fun stop that we made, with tons of souvenir shops. They really had something for everyone! We also had lunch here-which was very delicious! I got a Bison burger! As a recommendation: make sure you snag a table early if you want to eat inside because it got very busy and hard to find a table. We walked around for a few hours to see everything that they had, but if you are a real shopper, you could spend a long time here.

Mount Rushmore

We camped outside of Mount Rushmore and went to see it twice. They now have a nice parking garage-which you do pay to park, but your ticket can get you in for your next visits too. We went back at night to see it lit up. I would definitely recommend watching the feature film that they have (in the Lincoln Borglum Visitors Center). We also hiked on the Presidential trail, which takes you up close to the site. We enjoyed the hike, but get ready for some stairs if you aren't prepared. We also heard a ranger talk in the Sculptor's Studio, which I would highly recommend if you are curious about how they carved out the rock. It did get a little chilly at night, even in the summer, so if you are visiting at night, make sure to bring a jacket!

Devil's Tower

Another spectacular site was Devil's Tower. We were debating whether or not we should journey to this feature, but I thought it was worth it to see. It juts up from miles away, so you know you are getting close. We parked at the visitor's center and then hiked the Tower Trail. It was so incredible when you are up close and there are plenty of places for kids and adults to climb and explore! We really enjoyed the hike around the tower as well, not very strenuous. If you are a rock climber, this is a great place to be! We saw several climbers while we hiked around. This stop ended up being about our 'turn-around' point in the trip as we started to head back east.

Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Next, we went to Theodore Roosevelt National Park. This was possibly my favorite stop and it is mainly because it was so much more interesting than I had expected. We saw hundreds of Bison, prairie dogs and got to do a beautiful drive through the southern region of the park. It was fantastic-I highly recommend visiting!

Dickinson and Bismarck

Next, we stayed in Dickinson, ND and then went to Bismarck to see the state capitol building. They were having a little fair at the time, which was fun to walk around.

St. Paul, MN and The Mall of America

We stopped quick at the capitol building in St. Paul, then we went to the Mall of America for lunch! It was neat to see the indoor theme park (even though it wasn't open at the time) and all the different levels of stores and restaurants.

Wisconsin Dells and Madison, WI

Next, we went to the Wisconsin Dells where we got to go on a boat tour. We heard that the Upper Dells Boat Tour was the best, so that was the one we did. The tour made several pit stops to see several rock formations and walk through a rock crevices. It's no Grand Canyon, but it was a fun time and we loved our tour guide! We also ate at Moosejaw Pizza, which was very tasty with a really fun atmosphere. We also ate at Sumer House because my mom and I LOVE seafood and they had a very good crab roll and key lime pie! The view was also beautiful next to the water.

After the Dells, we traveled on to Madison for our capitol picture. We also stopped at the largest Culvers in the world, because who doesn't love a good butter burger and delicious frozen custard?!

Indiana Dunes National Park

Our last stop was Indiana Dunes National Park. We didn't stay here super long, but we did a few small hikes and got to explore the dune areas and Lake Michigan, which was beautiful.