Deadwood and Sturgis
A gold rush town that kept its buildings, and the most famous motorcycle rally in the world.
Deadwood
Deadwood grew out of an illegal gold rush into the northern Hills in the 1870s, and it kept enough of its architecture that the whole town is a National Historic Landmark. Wild Bill Hickok was shot dead here in 1876, and he is buried up at Mount Moriah Cemetery above the town alongside Calamity Jane. The walk or drive up to Mount Moriah is worth it as much for the view down the gulch as for the graves.
Legalised gaming arrived in 1989 and paid for much of the restoration you see today. The main street runs narrow between brick buildings with the hills rising directly behind them.
Sturgis
Sturgis is a quiet town of a few thousand people for fifty-one weeks of the year. In the first half of August it hosts the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, which has run since 1938 and draws hundreds of thousands of riders from across the world.
If you are visiting during the rally, book far ahead and expect the whole region — not just Sturgis — to be busy and loud. If you would rather avoid it, check the dates before you plan anything for early August.
Outside rally week it is an easy stop, with the motorcycle museum and a straightforward run up to Bear Butte just north of town.