There’s always the Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD.
The Corn Palace was always one of our stops simply because that vast stretch of I-29/90 between Sioux City and Badlands has exactly nothing else on it. The Corn Palace gave the driver a chance to stretch their legs halfway through.
If you go thru Omaha the Strategic Air Museum is pretty cool.
From StL to KC nothing to really see so I would just take I70 and save time for later.
Are you planning on doing any hiking in the Black Hills? We did the Devil’s bathtub which was interesting.
Try and stay in the Black Hills at a campsite. I would reccomend seeing Sylvan lake.
I’m going to disagree with those who are underwhelmed by Mount Rushmore. I’ve found that being there really drives home the enormity of the undertaking of carving busts into a mountain, and the theater in the visitor’s center which tells the story of how it was done adds to the impressiveness.
You see a postcard with a close-up of four faces, you’re not getting the full effect of the fact that it’s part of an honest-to-goodness several-thousand-feet high MOUNTAIN.
A warning about heading west on two-lane roads after crossing the South Dakota-Nebraska line: there’s nothing picturesque until the western part of the state. The triple-whammy of slow travel on less than optimal roads in the eastern half, dismal agricultural sameness* and lack of food and water** (only exaggerating slightly) does not make for great vacation memories.
I suggest a stop at Al’s Oasis just outside Chamberlain on the Missouri River for lunch*** (especially for pie!), then take I-90 until you get close to the Badlands (a favorite spot of ours), only then perhaps meandering off on two-lane roads until reaching the Black Hills and Rushmore (worth seeing once, I guess).
As for Wall Drug - meh. It’s sort of a redneck pseudo-Western WalMart.
*state motto: “Flat Land and Cheap Labor”.
**an early suitor of Carol Kennicott in “Main Street” urged her to marry him so they could have “bully times in Yankton”, but I always wanted to escape that town as soon as possible.
***the rest of their offerings (aside from pie!) are not too special, though it’s possible one menu item gave rise to an early nickname for Ms. Jackmannii (“Mrs. Short Stack”).
Living in this area, 100 miles is nothing… I can make a partial day trip just to go shopping in Rapid City (nearly 300 miles round-trip). Of course, it’s different when you actually have other things you might want to do!
If you do want to see Devil’s Tower, I would suggest west out of Rapid on I-90 to Whitewood, exit onto Highway 34 west, go through the shitty little town of St. Onge, then on to Belle Fourche. You can stop and see the center of the nation monument (turn north on Highway 85 after getting into Belle, the monument is on the right side of the highway as you come to the bridge that crosses the river). There is also a museum in Belle (the Tri-State Museum) but I haven’t been there since I was single digits in age, and it was even underwhelming to me then.
Continue west on Highway 34 out of Belle Fourche to go through Aladdin (tiny, tiny town in Wyoming, home of a really old general store that they are quite proud of, and a pretty neat piece of old tipple mining equipment) to Hulett, and from there to Devil’s Tower.
It is a fairly extensive trip, and depending how little your kids are, it might be unfeasible. I know when my kids were little, most trips of any decent length were far more aggravating than they were worth!
Deadwood is about a 45 minute trip from Rapid, depending on the route you take. The more scenic routes will of course take quite a bit longer.
And I would second/third/whatever Custer State Park, and definitely check out Wind and Jewel Cave if you think the kids would be interested- mine loved taking the tours through there.
Defensive Indifference, you’re right about the Zoo. It’s an all-day thing. Amazing place, but it’s a trip of its own.
Fort Robinson is sort of the same way (people often stay there for several days), but there are things to be done in an hour or two. It might be worth checking out.
Toadstool Park is also in that area, but it’s kind of challenging to get to, and you’re probably going to get enough of remarkable landscapes and rock formations in the Black Hills. Just had to mention it, though. Pix here.
Toadstool Park looks awesome!
Krondys, I’m actually going alone. My time constraint is how long I’m willing to ask my wife to manage the munchkins by herself so I can go have fun.
Looking at the distances involved, I’m starting to think I may give Chimney Rock a pass. If I’m trying to do a four or five day trip, avoiding the interstate, with time to go to a historical site or two, I think going by way of Chimney Rock is too ambitious. I can probably get from StL to Omaha on the first day; go to the jail in Council Bluffs the following morning and get to Deadwood late that day; see the Black Hills, Badlands, and Minuteman Site on my way out of Deadwood on Day Three and stay somewhere in Eastern SD that night; and make it back to StL late on Day 4.
Hmmm. I don’t want to have to rush just to check off boxes. “There’s a Black Hill! Check!” Maybe if I can only get a four day furlough from home I might just do Omaha and see more sites there, including the SAC museum, which looks really cool.
For the trip you’re describing, you’re going to want to use the interstate, at least across South Dakota. Don’t think you’re missing anything by not taking back roads (unless there’s something in particular on some side road), but you will save loads of time. The view is going to be the same, mostly boring. The speed limit on I-90 in SD is 80 MPH, which isn’t nearly fast enough!
Ditto on the “danger” of driving backroads. On the interstates you can pretty much take it for granted you will have a rest area or gas station or truckstop every 50 miles or so but I’ve driven some 2 lanes where you dont have a rest area or gas station for easily 100 miles or more. So better keep that gas tank full and hope you have large bladders.
If the road is that lonely, my bladder won’t be suffering.
Sturgis, where the bike rally is, is also a stop. Maybe just to do a selfie on the big sign.
If you drive thru the Black Hills you are going to want to take Black Kettle Road. Several cool tunnels and corkscrew roads. Drive south in Custer park and you will probably be stopped by a herd of buffalo and also see prairie dogs.
That sounds awesome, but I’m not finding a road by that name. I see some sites recommending other drives such as Needles Highway and Iron Mountain Road. Should I be looking somewhere else, or might it be called something else?
On bars in Omaha’s Old Market: the “coolest” is the Wicked Rabbit, a hidden speakeasy in the Hotel Deco. Unique experience - you enter through a bookcase and everything - but it can get cramped and it’s expensive. For a more approachable experience, I recommend Wilson & Washburn, a pub dedicated to Anna Wilson and Josie Washburn, proprietors of respective houses of ill repute in Omaha’s wide-open days. Good food, too. On the craft brew/distillery side, I’d recommend the Brickway. And then there is the venerable Mr. Toad’s, featuring live jazz on Sunday nights. Lots else - as I said, it’s a great place to stroll around and people-watch.
Thanks for the recommendations, StusBlues! I’m really looking forward to my stay. I may have to change my plans and just stay a couple days in Omaha. Sounds like a cool town! As my plans firm up I’ll PM you. Maybe I can buy you a drink. I see in your profile you’re a CSI Analyst? I’m a computer forensics guy. We’d probably have fun chatting.
The key to Omaha is low expectations. When I moved back from Pennsylvania, a few PA friends asked me questions that indicated their low opinion of the region. They didn’t quite get to the indoor plumbing level, but they were close. Folks like that would be blown away by the city. Omaha has some cool stuff, but if you’re expecting New Orleans or Vegas, that’s pushing it. The Old Market sports a lot of restaurants and pubs with outdoor seating and an Old City atmosphere, and Heartland of America park (running from downtown to the river) would be a nice walk for you and your wife – but don’t set your expectations sky high. There is more going on than you might expect, but it’s still Omaha.
Alas, the CSI in this case is an insurance company, so I would not be such scintillating company. Invite is still open, though.
Ah, got it!
I understand about managing expectations. I actually love St. Louis and live here by choice, so that tells you my standards are not that high. 
Omaha sounds like fun.
I don’t think anybody has mentioned this one yet. The Mammoth site in Hot Springs, South Dakota is worth a visit.
Also, a bit off your route, but certainly unique is Albert the Bull.
Defensive Indifference:
Seriously? You’ve got Ted Drewes Custard, the City Museum, and a zoo that’s always free. Hell, I’m a Royals fan and I can’t bring myself to hate St. Louis. If that’s low standards, then I’d be scared to ask what you consider high! (acknowledging that you ended your statement with a smiley)
Woops. Your right I got the name wrong. It is Iron Mountain road.
Only issue is crowds. It can be bumper to bumper at times and many delays because you have just one lane tunnels thru those mountains. Some areas its hard to find parking. Drones are everywhere.
But thats the whole USA anymore.
We stayed at a primitive log cabin down in Hill City.
Oh, reminder. In the Black Hills it always gets very cold at night.