Decide how much time you have to spend in the Black Hills. If you only have a day or two, you may want to limit your visit to the Deadwood-Lead area. If you have more time, you may want to include the Keystone-Hill City area. Decide on your budget, since it will determine which and how many attractions you choose to visit, as well as which hotels and restaurants you select. Decide when to go, keeping in mind that most places in the Black Hills that offer gold panning are open from May to September.
Choose attractions. In Deadwood itself, the Broken Boot Gold Mine offers gold panning as well as tours of the mine. In Lead, five miles from Deadwood, the Homestake Gold Mine and the Black HIlls Mining Museum both offer gold panning and mine tours. The Keystone-Hill City area, 45 miles from Deadwood, also offers gold panning and mine tours at the Big Thunder Gold Mine and Wade's Gold Mill. Other nearby attractions include Mt. Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Memorial. Charges for gold panning range from $7 to $10 per person, and museum entrance fees range from $5 to $8.
Choose hotel accommodations. Deadwood has a variety of lodging options, ranging from chains like Holiday Inn Express to hotels on historic Main Street, including the Bullock Hotel, the Silverado, the First Gold and the Mineral Palace. Though rates may be higher at the historic hotels, visitors may want to pay more to be downtown, where Wild Bill Hickock and Calamity Jane once frequented saloons housed in the 19th-century buildings. The Keystone-Hill City area also has many lodging options, including Travelodge, Holiday Inn Express and Super 8 hotels.
Decide where to eat. For a more authentic experience, try the local places. In Deadwood, the Deadwood Social Club features steaks and Italian entrees ranging from $15 to $25, and Jake's, co-owned by actor Kevin Costner, serves seasonal specialties, including salmon, elk, duck and lamb, for between $23-$38 dollars a plate. In Hill City, the Alpine Room offers steaks, chops and more than 30 desserts (entrees range from $9-$11). In Keystone, The Ruby House Restaurant has a Victorian dining room that serves seafood and steaks, including buffalo steaks, at $9-$24 a plate.
