Custer SD
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Custer SD, which is tucked away in the magnificent Black Hills of South Dakota, is one of the best vacation destinations in the Midwest United States. Since Custer is located in the middle of the Black Hills, it is the perfect gateway to all that the Black Hills have to offer, including Custer State Park, Mt. Rushmore National Monument, Jewel Cave, and the Crazy Horse Memorial.
There are National and State Parks with miles of roads and trails trails that give you direct access to the incredible beauty of the mountains and wildlife in the Black Hills. The dense forests of pine trees, thundering waterfalls, and lofty river bluffs enchant Custer SD visitors with indescribable beauty.
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1881 Courthouse Museum
The 1881 Courthouse Museum explores Black Hills history from General George Armstrong Custer’s 1874 expedition to today’s heritage. The Custer County 1881 Courthouse Museum is housed in the original Dakota Territory courthouse built in 1880-1881.This building has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
This Dakota Territory Courthouse served not only as a center for government, but also in early years as a meeting place for church services, socials and community activities. Justice was dispensed from this building for 92 years until it was given to the Custer County Historical Society in 1973. The Historical Society opened the Museum on Memorial weekend in 1976.
Custer State Park
Custer State Park in the Black Hills encompasses 71,000 acres of spectacular terrain and an abundance of wildlife. Within the park, you’ll discover a world of adventure, all within a short drive of Custer SD!
Favorite outdoor activities include hiking 7,242-foot Harney Peak, mountain biking, horseback riding, rock climbing, fishing, chuckwagon suppers, and jeep rides to see the bison.
The park boasts scenic drives such as the Needles Highway (SD 87), which twists and turns its way past towering rock formations and through narrow tunnels. At the end of one tunnel stands the Needles Eye, a granite spire with a slit only 3 to 4 feet wide but reaching 30 to 40 feet in the air.
History and culture also abound. Walk the banks of French Creek, where Custer’s expedition first discovered gold in 1874. Take in a theater performance at the Black Hills Playhouse. Or, visit the log cabin that was home to Badger Clark, South Dakota’s first poet laureate.
Mount Rushmore National Memorial
Mount Rushmore National Memorial is host to almost three million visitors a year from across the country and around the world. They come to marvel at the majestic beauty of the Black Hills of South Dakota and to learn about the birth, growth, development and the preservation of our country. Over the decades, Mount Rushmore has grown in fame as a symbol of America-a symbol of freedom and a hope for people from all cultures and backgrounds.
Jewel Cave National Monument
Jewel Cave National Monument contains Jewel Cave, currently the second longest cave in the world, with about 141 miles of mapped passageways. It is located approximately 13 miles west of Custer SD in the Black Hills. It became a national monument in 1908.
Badlands National Park
Badlands National Park, in southwest South Dakota, preserves 244,000 acres of sharply eroded buttes, pinnacles, and spires blended with the largest protected mixed grass prairie in the United States.