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Part 4 (Continued)
Great
American Dog-Friendly Road TripTM
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This
attraction, known as Thunderhead Underground
Falls, dates back to 1874 and is one of the
earliest operating gold mines in the Black
Hills. Today you can walk 600 feet underground
into the mountain to see a vertical waterfall,
as well as gold-bearing quartz lines and living
stalactites (a cone or cyclinder that resembles
an icicle). They have electric lighting that
accentuates the natural colors of the
mineralized formations. The path provides an
easy walk that is great for everyone including
families. Well-behaved leashed dogs are usually
allowed. The falls are open during the day from
May 1 to November 1. This attraction is located
10 miles from Rapid City, heading on West
Highway 44 towards Mt. Rushmore. |
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We
accidentally came across this historically
valuable monument. A real piece of the old
Berlin Wall is located in the park that is
adjacent to the Holiday Inn, Rapid City-Rushmore
Plaza at 505 North Fifth Street. A plaque next
to this monument reads: "This
Berlin Wall segment, located between the
Brandenburg Gate and Checkpoint Charlie from
1961 to 1989, is donated in honor of the
citizens of Ratingen, Germany (the Sister City
of Vermillion, South Dakota) and its mayor, Dr.
Ernst Dietrich, who fostered democratic ideals
and German American relations." |
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Also
located in the park next to the Holiday Inn, was a
wonderful fragrant rose garden.
Dogs on leash are welcome throughout this park,
including at the Berlin Wall and this rose
garden. |
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Toby
and I also paid a visit to the Reptile
Gardens in Rapid City. Well-behaved leashed
dogs that are good around people, kids and (I
assume reptiles!) are welcome. USA Today named
the Reptile Gardens as one of the Top 10 places
in the United States to "Stop the Car and
Take a Look." This attraction claims to
offer the World's Largest Reptile Collection. It
is quite an amazing place. On display are all
kinds of snakes, including some of the most
poisonous snakes in the world and an absolutely
huge python snake. Other reptiles here include
Giant Tortoises, lizards, crocodiles and more.
They also have shows like the Alligator and
Crocodile, Birds of Prey, and Snake shows. You
should be able to see most if not all of these
shows with your dog. Your dog is also allowed to
go inside the buildings to view the reptiles. |
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After
a visit to the Reptile Gardens, it was on
to Bear
Country U.S.A. Not many wildlife drive-thru
parks allow dogs, but this one does. As with
people, your dog must remain in your car once
you are in the wildlife park and all windows
must stay closed. This park has a variety of
North American wildlife including black bears,
grizzly bears, mountain lions, wolves, elk, big
horn sheep, buffalo and more. Toby was quite
interested the entire time, watching and sniffing
all the different wildlife. |
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Here
is Toby staring at a mountain lion. The mountain
lion was in another cage within the park as an
extra safety precaution. Good thing too, because
the mountain lion started to stare back at
Toby! |
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At
the end of our self-guided driving tour through
the park, we stopped at Bear Country's snack bar
where you can get some sandwiches, pizza and
buffalo burgers. Leashed dogs are welcome to
join you at the outdoor tables. They also have a
gift shop across from the snack bar, but dogs
are not allowed inside. |
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After
enjoying several days in dog-friendly Rapid
City, we began to head out of town. On the way,
we came across the South Dakota Air and Space
Museum. While dogs are not allowed inside the
building, they are allowed to view airplanes up
close in the outdoor museum. There is a nice
variety of military aircraft. The museum is
located near Ellsworth Air Force Base and the
admission is free! Dogs must be leashed. The
museum is located off I-90, about 7 miles east
of Rapid City. |
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Here
is a photo of another military plane at the
museum. This one is a C-47, also affectionately
known as the "Gooney Bird." It is
nicknamed after a bird that is clumsy on the ground as they basically need a
runway, but is an excellent flyer once in the
air. |
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Traveling
east bound along Interstate 90, we began to see
lots of signs for "Wall
Drug." It is basically a roadside
tourist attraction located in the town of Wall,
South Dakota. Wall Drug Store began during the
Depression. They offered free ice water to thirsty
travelers. Once there for the free water,
travelers would usually buy other items at the
store. Today Wall Drugs still has lots of shopping
and activities for travelers including an art
gallery, memorabilia, and a big backyard for
kids. Dogs are not allowed inside the store, so
if you want to go inside, you'll have to take
turns with your traveling partner who will watch
your
pooch. |
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We
stopped for the night at the Motel
6 in Wall, South Dakota, right down the
street from Wall Drug. |
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There
might be others out there, but this was the
first Motel 6 we have seen that also has an
onsite playground for kids. They have some neat
horse swings and a slide. Great place to stop if
you are traveling with children! And no pet fees
for dogs. |
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The
next day we continued heading east on
I-90. |
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We
came upon another roadside attraction in South
Dakota and this one welcomes well-behaved
leashed dogs. It is called "1880
Town" and is a replica of a South
Dakota Main Street back in the year of 1880. You
can explore over 30 buildings with authentic
furnishings. Leashed dogs are welcome to walk
around outside with you. 1880 Town is also home
to many movie props that were used in the filming
of "Dances with Wolves" starring Kevin
Costner. You will need to walk through the main
building with your pooch to pay the minimal
admission fee and to get to "Main Street." |
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Here is a photo of Main Street at 1880 Town. It
was raining hard the day we visited, so it got
kind of muddy on the street. But we still had a
nice visit. Click
here to continue reading Part 4.
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Click
here to continue reading Part 4
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