During our stay in Keystone, SD, we found some pretty fun things to do. It’s not a large town, but they definitely have a lot of activities for the whole family to enjoy.

As we left the hotel, we decided to walk into town. We love that you can walk just about anywhere you want to go. The first place we came to was Dahl’s Chainsaw Art. They have such cool carvings that we couldn’t resist taking a look and walking through. There were crosses, bears, eagles, and so much more. There was even a super cool Tyrannosaurus Rex! It was so fun to look around and admire the creativity of the artists!

We never knew that we would see the World’s Largest Bigfoot! Luke is around 6’3,” so you can see how ginormous it is!

We even got to see them carving an eagle while we were there. Matt was kind enough to share his knowledge and talent with us. He is pictured on the left with the bear he carved. You can see Wes with his eagle holding the flag on the right. We loved learning about the carvings and seeing the artists in action!

Next on our walk through town was shopping. There were amazing finds from furry llama blankets, fluffy cow sweatshirts, Black Hills gold jewelry, and old fashioned candy. We couldn’t resist the candy, and it was delicious! Juliana and I found really nice sweatshirts at surprisingly affordable prices, and Luke found a really nice collectible knife.

There were other fun things to do, too. You could even take a ride on the steam engine train or go on a helicopter ride. Pictured below is the 1880 Train, which is the oldest continuously operating standard-gauge tourist steam railroad in the nation. We also got to see this cool cowboy cracking a bullwhip in the middle of the street to bring in tourists to see his show at the Red Garter Saloon. Big Dave Murra is over 7 ft. tall and wears size 17 shoes! He definitely got our attention!

After a fun-filled day in Keystone, we decided to wrap up with some putt-putt golf. Right across from our hotel was Holy Terror Mini Golf. It was built into a steep pine covered hillside. Our family had a great time as we putted our way through the course. I got a hole in one! Yay! I’m not very good, so this was pretty exciting, lol.

Fun Fact: Local legend has it that prospector William B. Franklin (nicknamed “Rocky Mountain Frank”) named the new gold mine “Holy Terror” after his wife, Jennie. Apparently she would have to collect him from the saloons before he was ready to leave. He would grin and say she was a holy terror. 😁

If you’re thinking about staying in Keystone, I’d recommend the Rushmore Express Inn & Family Suites. The rooms were clean, comfortable, and they had a really good breakfast for a reasonable price. The staff was very kind and courteous, too. It was Traveling with the Trapps approved! 👍🏻

Staying in Keystone was a wonderful experience for us. It was centrally located to lots of places we wanted to see. It became our home base for day trips such as Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Custer State Park, Sylvan Lake, and Devil’s Tower and is home to the National Presidential Wax Museum and Black Hills Glass Blowers. We all loved it so much and are already planning on going back.

If you would like to see our full YouTube vlog, including videos of art carving, our interview with Matt, and a view of the town, please either click the photo below or the link here: Beyond Mount Rushmore: Exploring Downtown Keystone, SD

We hope you enjoyed traveling along with us!

If you’d like to keep exploring, you can find more family travel adventures here:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TravelingwiththeTrapps
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@travelingwiththetrapps

We’ve also shared videos on our YouTube channel to complement this post and bring the experience to life.

Thanks so much for traveling with us, and stay tuned for more adventures with Traveling with the Trapps.

---

© Traveling with the Trapps. All rights reserved. Any unauthorized duplication or use of this material is strictly prohibited.