What to do with kids in: South Dakota

Bad is good: Hike through Badlands National Park. Photo: iStockphoto

The first in a series of fam-friendly summer travel guides

Combine visits to iconic landmarks with stops at lesser-known treasures on a trip through the state called “the land of infinite variety.”

Get a personal tour of Mount Rushmore You can’t visit South Dakota without stopping in to say hello to George, Abe, Tom and Theo. The best way to do so is accompanied by full-of-facts park rangers on several free, guided tours, including an easy 30-minute walk and evening lighting ceremony held only during summer months.

Grab a doughnut, take a pic with a giant jackalope sculpture, shop the massive array of cowboy boots and check out the impressive Western art collection at Wall Drug How can you not stop at the most well-advertised roadside attraction in the country for a chance to stretch your legs and take advantage of 76,000 square feet of Midwestern hospitality?

Take free fishing lessons at the Outdoor Campus West Fishing not your family’s thing? You can also try archery, geocaching, canoeing and kayaking (all at no charge) at this amazing, state-funded facility, or just explore its 32 acres. If it’s a rainy day, head inside to check out hands-on ecosystem exhibits and take part in scavenger hunts.

See the Crazy Horse Memorial, a monument in the making This non-profit tribute to the Lakota Indian warrior has been a work in progress since 1948, undergoing fits and starts as it secures funding. If it ever gets completed, it may become the largest sculpture in the world.

Hike the Badlands The closest most of us will get to walking on the moon, the range of easy to challenging hikes through Badlands National Park offers a trek through a landscape of canyons, buttes, pinnacles and spires in a rainbow of sedimentary layers containing prehistoric fossils.

Get thisclose to a herd of bison in Custer State Park Buffalo Jeep Safari Rides go off road to get you within feet of more than 1,300 bison, big-horned sheep and other wildlife that call the park home.

Put your U.S. history knowledge to the test in downtown Rapid City Outside the shops and restaurants in the quaint downtown area here is the City of Presidents, life-sized bronze statues of all 44 presidents. See if you can name them all without peeking.

Take a vintage steam train through the Black Hills The authentic train chugs between stations in Hill City and Keystone, through the territory where gold prospectors hunted for fortunes.

Pet a giant tortoise at Reptile Gardens This wildlife park in Rapid City has one of the largest reptile collections anywhere, and is a leader in worldwide conservation efforts. The friendly, knowledgeable staff walks the grounds answering questions, carrying mega-sized snakes, and—if you’re lucky—passing out shredded crocodile teeth to kids.

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Tagged: Family time