South Dakota, USA
South Dakota bed and breakfast stays on the way to Mt. Rushmore
Bed and breakfast guests in South Dakota are usually on their way to or from Mt. Rushmore but there is much more to see than this admittedly fabulous attraction. The Mount Rushmore state, its official nickname, is famous for the scenic wonders of the Badlands, the Black Hills and its lakes and rivers. South Dakota B&B, lodge and inn visitors are also amazed at the expanses of prairie, grassland and farmland covering 90% of South Dakota. It is easy to imagine that buffalo once ranged in herds of thousands here in this Midwest US state. In fact, some herds of buffalo have been preserved and visitors can watch them trundle across the prairie. It is for these prime sights that tourists spend over $1 billion annually in South Dakota with many of them staying in bed and breakfast accommodation.
South Dakota B&B, lodge and inn visitors can enjoy the scenic brilliance and a rich cultural heritage of this remarkable part of the US. The Black Hills are the highest mountains east of the Rockies and there are bed and breakfast stays in this vicinity. The unique rock formations and mysterious caverns in the hills are incomparable. Mt. Rushmore is famous for the likenesses of Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt. Nearby B&Bs have sprung up to accommodate interested viewers of Mt. Rushmore. The gigantic faces were carved in granite by the legendary Gutzon Borglum. A memorial to Crazy Horse is also being carved in granite near Custer. South Dakota's Custer State Park is filled with thousands of roaming bison and wild animals. The Badlands are another geological marvel while the Southeast part of South Dakota is home to many lakes and three major rivers. There are many South Dakota bed and breakfast stays available to fisherman, hunters, golfers and skiers.
Although the state was in the past dominated by a farming economy and a rural lifestyle, South Dakota has recently made every effort to diversify its economy in order to attract and retain residents. But bed and breakfast visitors who are after a rural stay will not be disappointed. The state is still largely rural, with one of the lowest population densities in the United States. You can find wonderful bed and breakfast accommodation in the centrally-located city of Pierre, which is the state capital. Sioux Falls, with 150,000 people, is the largest city in the state and also has many bed and breakfast stays. B&Bs, lodges and inns in South Dakota are redolent of the state’s Wild West past. They have photographs of dynamic historical figures like Lewis and Clark, Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, Sitting Bull, and General George Custer hanging on their walls. When Custer's military band found gold in the Black Hills in 1874, word of the discovery reached back east to Chicago, and the Gold Rush followed. By the way, South Dakota bed and breakfast visitors are always interested to learn that Dakota was named after the Dakota, a Sioux tribe which lived in the region. Dakota is the Sioux word for "allies" or "friends."
