Holiday. Experience. Excellence.
 

Annual Buffalo Roundup

Custer State Park

1st Day: Today, we travel west across the Great Smoky Mountains and into Tennessee. Our destination is Clarksville, TN, located north of Nashville at the Kentucky state
line.

2nd Day: We depart this morning for St. Louis where we’ll be stopping at Grant’s Farm for a visit. Come face-to-face with legends at the Budweiser Clydesdale Stables. Meet the world-famous Budweiser Clydesdales at their official “prep” school. Next, we head to Columbia, MO for the night. (CB)

3rd Day: After breakfast we depart for Sioux Falls, South Dakota. We will be passing through Kansas City, heading north through Nebraska, and then into South Dakota.

4th Day: Today is going to be a most interesting one with such highlights as the Corn Palace and the South Dakota Badlands with the colorful hills and canyons. The World’s Only Corn Palace is located in Mitchell, and is redecorated and is redecorated annually with corn, grain and grass to showcase a new theme.  The Badlands Loop State Scenic Byway (SD 240) passes through some of the most amazing buttes, cliffs and multi-colored spires of Badlands National Park. Our home for the next two nights will be in Rapid City, SD. Evening is free to rest and relax, and get ready for a full day of touring tomorrow. (CB)

5th Day: Our day begins with a pancake breakfast at a chuckwagon at 6:30 AM. Next, we begin a narrated Black Hills tour with stops at Custer State Park. We’ll see the Wild Buffalo Roundup at Custer State Park. Watch the cowboys and cowgirls as they round up and drive a herd of over 1,500 wild buffalo into the buffalo corrals to get branded, sorted, and vaccinated for the annual Custer State Park Buffalo Roundup and Auction. Feel the thunder and join the herd at the Annual Custer State Park Buffalo Roundup! Keep your camera ready and your eyes on the lookout over the hills of Custer State Park as you feel the ground shake and hear the thunder of buffalo coming over the hill tops. See the dust fly. Relish the spectacle as one of the last great traditions of the Old West unfolds before your very eyes. Our lunch stop is in the corrals of the Buffalo Roundup. After the roundup, we continue through Custer State Park up Needles Highway, passing through scenic tunnels and overlooks (be prepared for camera stops). At Sylvan Lake, we’ll stop for pictures at the spectacular man-made lake located at the bottom of Harney Peak. Next, we’ll visit Crazy Horse Mountain & Memorial, the largest mountain carving in the world. You can visit the memorial and learn about the sculptor, Korczak Ziolkowski, in his home studio museum. Our final stop on the tour is at Mount Rushmore. There is plenty of time to see all the park has to offer, including the Lincoln Borglum Museum and the sculptors’ studio. We end the day with a dinner show at Fort Hays Dances with Wolves film set. The supper bell rings loud to call all cowboys and cowgirls to bring their appetites. We serve up the best chuckwagon menu in the West, and it’s sure to make your mouth water. It’s all served on handmade tin plates with drinks poured into tin cups. The Fort Hays Wranglers take the stage to entertain you with the Black Hills’ most popular music variety show! Get ready for a foot-stompin’, belly shakin’ good time! Family fun for everyone! Bring your camera and take some pictures. (B, L, D)

6th Day: We begin our journey back east today, traveling across South Dakota and into Minnesota. We’ll stop en route at the world famous Wall Drug, in Wall, South Dakota. Wall Drug is a wonderland of free attractions, western art and photo collections. It has a fantastic restaurant and 18 unique retail outlets, and you can get a 5-cent coffee. It’s the #1 Roadside Attraction in the world. Continuing on to our home for the night in Worthington, MN. (CB)

7th Day: We’ll head to Waterloo, IA today, to visit the John Deere Tractor & Engine Museum. Learn about an American company that grew to become a global leader in agricultural equipment. Experience the history of John Deere tractors and engines with hands-on displays, rare artifacts, antique tractors, and much more. Following our visit, we’ll head to Iowa City, IA for the night. (CB)

8th Day: Continuing home, we’ll leave Iowa, travel cross Illinois and into Indiana. Our home tonight is in Sellersburg, IN. Tonight, we’ll enjoy dinner at the Huber’s Family Restaurant in Starlite, Indiana. In 1967, Joe and Bonnie Huber started a 2-acre U-Pick farm that has blossomed into a 300-acre operation. Fresh produce from the farm is used to cook the delicious meals. (CB, D)

9th Day: After breakfast we will start our return trip to North Carolina. This is a sad day as we say “Good-bye” to all our friends until we travel together again with Holiday Tours. Arriving home approximately 8:00 PM. (CB)

Special Notice: $100.00 deposit is required to reserve your space. Balance due 30 days prior to departure. Cancellation within 30 days of departure will result in payment forfeiture. Trip Cancellation Insurance is advised.