"I eat people and MOST authentic western town that I've EVER seen!" - Kris Bates This was a review that truly enticed me to go. Incredible time getting to explore the town. I highly recommend doing the dress up, there were so many fun options to pick from and made the whole thing all the more enjoyable. read more

A fantastic time!!! My party of three loved walking around this 1880 town from the 30 buildings to the homestead, petting the goats and camels, and browsing through the gift shop. Our only complaint was we were too early for the costume rental. The staff were so friendly, informative and just great to talk to. Shout out to the sheriff and his wife! It was great chatting with you! read more

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Step back in time to the 1880s and explore this settlement between Murdo and Rapid City. Whether a quick pit stop to refill or you have time to explore, you'll have fun! Great for families to stretch legs and learn some history, did I mention, there are some extra seasonal characters added, so keep and eye out and enjoy! You'll be greeted by the goats (do not pet) as well as Morgan and Fred the resident cats (welcome to gentle pets). In the 1880 reenactment area there are also donkeys (do not pet). On the site, there is a gas station, clean bathrooms, and convenience store. Great to stock up for the drive. If you have more time walk through the gift shop (full of souvenirs, local jewelry, local art, snag some unique SD finds like horse haul bracelets). Just past the gift shop you have the museum/showroom and then you step out into a period reenactment of the settlement in the 1880s! It was really cool to explore. Also, pet friendly if they are non-aggressive to the resident friends and on-leash. read more

1880 Town - The door greeters - Local Flavor Near Me - Midland, South Dakota

1880 Town is a gem of a roadside attraction! I've been stopping there periodically since I was a kid and now my own kids love it. They had a blast dressing up and interacting with the person helping them with costumes as well as "bar keeper" Dave. If they'd rent it out for private events we would be all about it. read more

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Must see!! Step back in time! Love this living history, you can dress in time. Clothing from shop and tour the town as if you were actually living there. Buildings are authentic. Must stop in the saloon and get yourself a sarsaparilla and some popcorn, sit at one of the tables and listen to the piano player. Hop aboard a train or sit on a bowl and get your photo taken. read more

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Okay so kind of an odd review because I've stopped here now twice over the course of the past decade or so passing through, but we only ever make it to the gas station that is attached to the 1880 Town. The gas station is fine, clean enough, but small. It's an interesting stop as there are goats roaming around, and the 1880 town itself looks kind of cool, but every time we end up here for gas and walk over the price tag just seems a bit steep for a roadside attraction. All of that being said, getting gas here is A-OK and a decent stop. One of these days I'll be sure to check out the whole thing as fellow Yelpers seem to think it's pretty cool! read more

1880 Town - Local Flavor Near Me - Midland, South Dakota

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A breathtaking little detour on my odyssey home. The people in the Saloon were especially kind and helpful considering my circumstances and I wish I could have stayed to watch the gun fight but I have a long road ahead of me and unfortunately did not have the time. read more

It was my second time there, and this time we got to see the shootout. It was great, the actors were funny and very nice. I also appreciated them explaining the safety measures of their gun use seeing as they were real. The Marshall and his wife talked to us a bit afterwards, and gave us some inside info on our next destination which was nice. It's been 20 years since I was there last, and everything has been preserved and well taken care of are of. So happy to share that experience with my family! read more

On a road trip recently with my husband, my daughter and grandson, we made this stop to stretch our legs and check it out. I am SO glad we stopped. Very friendly staff to start. There's so much to see! After we were done, we got something to eat at the adjacent diner that is in a TRAIN CAR. You can order hamburgers, hot dogs, or sandwiches from the grill. Everything else is cafeteria style. The hamburger was a hand formed patty. There's soup, salad, and bottled drinks. We got some fruit, and sat for a while to cool off. It was very humid that day. I'll for sure make a stop there again every time we travel that way. Don't miss it! read more

Wow what a gem in the middle of know where, just so it as its deffentaly worth the $14 bucks to get in for adults and the best part they rent costumes for all ages at the saloon for only $10bucks so you can take as many photos you want dress in that era. Everyone is so nice the little 1880 town looks amazing and really pretty big read more

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This far surpassed my expectations. It's SO elaborate! And there is so much to see! We spent 2 hours and could have spent another but was chased out by a bad thunderstorm. The authentic recreation is remarkable and really brings to life how people in the 19th century lived. We enjoyed riding a historical horse drawn buggy through town and reading some of the markers that explained the significance of some of the exhibits. Stop and enjoy a cold one and some popcorn at the working saloon too! read more

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This town is so cute. They took real buildings from the 1800s and brought it here to one place. You pay admission to get in and walk through artifacts of the 1800s and set pieces from Dancing with Wolves upstairs. Then you walk through the doors to outside into town. The best bang for your buck is to go to the saloon and rent costumes for $10 and do your own photo shoot around town instead of going to an Old Time studio. Jan was the lady who helped us pick out our costumes. She had it organized from pioneer, Indian, fancy to less fancy and you pick out your dress first. It has to be sanitized so she limits you on what you can try on. It's not like going shopping where you try on a bunch and narrow down to one. After you have your dress, she will help you with shoe selection. Again, it has to be sanitized after each try on so pick wisely before trying on. They do give you socks. Next, will be accessories like hat, gloves, jewelry, purses. There's a small wire basket to leave your things behind while you explore the town. No time limit on the rental. Same process when you come back, you hand her your things and you're on your way. Jan was patient with me being indecisive. She also did a wonderful job taking photos of us upstairs and around the saloon. read more

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Absolutely awesome. You gotta stop by on your I90 drive. So glad we made the stop. Staff and actors so incredibly nice. Loved the saloon and gun fight. Highlight of our trip so far. Also reasonable prices. Diner great too. read more

1880 Town - Gunfight - Local Flavor Near Me - Midland, South Dakota

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Historical town to see and visit the exhibits once you pay admission. During the non-heavy seasons, the restaurant is closed which was a bummer. Lots of opportunities to take pictures and see how life was in South Dakota during the late 19th century. Apparently, literature states that the Kevin Costner movie was filmed on this spot for a few scenes. Parking is easy and a gas station does sit next door for snacks and gas. read more

1880 Town - Local Flavor Near Me - Midland, South Dakota

We were totally surprised by how much we enjoyed our visit! originally intended as an opportunity to stretch our legs, my family was completely sucked into 1880 life as we explored the town. The details of this are incredible - the saloon was our favorite (see pics). We visited off peak, so I wonder how much more happens in season. We'll definitely be back on our next trip across SD. Tips: Just pay the dang fee. It may not seem like it from the outside, but it's worth it. Also, if you're a Dances with Wolves fan, very cool to see some behind the scenes pics and so so many movie props! read more

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We were just driving by on our way to Badlands National Park and decided to stop. Was a great time! The whole family will enjoy! Especially the oldest generation. ;) read more

Absolutely Loved it! Well worth the stop . shoot out reenactment was great! Wonderful place!

It was a very detailed old west town, lots of things were closed for the season. Peggy in the gift shop was so kind and wonderful, I appreciated her so much! The only reason I'm only giving 3 stars is because of the goats sleeping outside in front of the conocco. They need some kind of lean to, at least let them get out of the wind, and have a softer spot to lay down..come on people!!!​ read more

We had a good time. A nice place to stop and get out for a walk around if you're on a long summer road trip. My father really enjoyed the stuff related to the movie dances with wolves. Good for families I think. Take a chance and make some family memories this summer read more

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Wow! What a fun time. If you are going to do it then dice in. Do the constumes (surprisingly affordable) and have fun with it! The staff was so friendly especially Dave and Kanoe! They made the visit so special! Thank you! read more

Totally exceeded my low expectations. Much larger than it appears. Depth of the historic collection is impressive. About 1/2 way through we discovered the costume rental - could be fun to dress up for the tour. Pretty quiet when we visited, we're told that summer weekends it can be a large event with lots of people. read more

Fantastic collection of old western memorabilia as well as a frontier town. Great that well behaved dogs are welcome'

A decent gift shop with interesting old fashioned architecture. Just don't get any of the food, as it's pretty low quality and overpriced

A really fun way to break up a long drive on I-90. In fact, I would say this is a great alternative to Wall Drug - especially if you have already been there. The food is actually very tasty, we had a nice sandwich in the dining car of the train. Our son loved the dinosaur sculpture, but it is about 1/2 mile walk to get up close (through a pasture). If you are into "Americana" and roadside attractions, you won't want to miss this one. The only thing that is missing from this exit is a gas station. You'll need to combine two stops if you are trying to plan your trip. It's still worth it, ant it's closer to the highway than Wall Drug. read more

1880 Town - A nice walk to stretch the legs - Local Flavor Near Me - Midland, South Dakota

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This was an unplanned stop on our summer vacation to the black hills but after seeing 45 signs (roughly) advertising this attraction on the interstate we decided we had to go. The town is a mixture of structures from movie sets that were duplicated to replicate buildings from the 1880s era and true historical buildings moved from around the state. The hotel was nearly untouched and showed spur Marks on the stairs from cowboys going up and down. The town offers many of the businesses and homes found at that time and about a 1/4 up a drive there is a homestead. There is a museum that offers many interesting artifacts from the Custer period. Also on display are items from the movie Dances with Wolves. It is worth the stop. read more

This makeshift town was beautiful. The majority of the structures are original structures and artifacts that were acquired or donated by individuals, past businesses and the like. Nothing has been recently created. Couple homes more like a 100 sq ft studio have remained intact with the furnishings used by the deceased women that spent their widowed lives in. Filled with old books, their personal bibles, desks, cookware and beds. Crazy stuff! couple of the spots have dummies in there like the saloons and barbers. These spots are also inaccessible mostly due to theft. Its impossible to do the whole town 100% in one visit. I didnt. I spent three hours here. There is a gift shop and spots to buy stuff 110 yrs old. Entrance is $10 per. Might be less. I forgot. I typically pay $20 per and have the rest as donations. The eastern portion has a makeshift homestead and the famous trex statue. It was too far a walk in 90 degrees for me. I think kids will love it!!! Especiallg the south portion which is the train station and fire station. Adjacent is a restaurant i didnt eat at, gas station, atm, mini market and another trading post. About one hour west is badlands state park. Truly a sight to meander abouts. About two hours is rapid city. I think thats south dakota's biggest city with everything. Near rapid city are the caves, crazy horse monument (mini mt rushmore) and Mt. Rushmore itself. Sturgis known for one of the largest motorcycle festivals is held in that small, one street town. And finally near rapud city is deadwood. Famously knowm for wild bill, calamity jane, wild west and mt moriah cemetary (inaccessible to cars). Mt Moriah gives the best views of deadwood but i couldnt do the mile up to the top. Additionally in this rugged forests are trees on top of trees, countless streams and rivers and lakes. About four hours west in wyoming is devil tower. Rapid city is appx a 24 hour drive from disneyland. About one hour northeast is Pierre. Pierre is South Dakota capitol and a pleasant town. I crashed here and missed many sites including Fort Pierre (which i sadly missed). Safe travelings my friends!!! read more

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Had such a great time here. Lots of fun things to see. Even have an antique section you can buy from. Don't drive by this place. People are so friendly. Don't forget to get something to eat at the train dinner. Totally worth the $8 entrance fee. (Senior rates) read more

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Excellent portrayal of Life back in the 1880's. I would recommend all History Buffs to visit

It was really cool to see the original town. A lot of cool imagery and information. I learned that during that era you had to use corn cobs in the restroom to wipe after taking a poopie. Did you know that? The place could use some dusting and upkeep, but it's a cool tourist attraction. The staff is friendly and it's not expensive for the self guided tour. There's also a gift shop and a restroom. I gave the attraction a 2 in rating because there is poor upkeep,some of the floors seemed unstable and in some areas the ceilings were falling apart. In my opinion,they need to do a better job of updating the facility while preserving the relics. Also,dusting would be a nice. read more

Pretty place! Glad we stopped, if you are wondering it's 12$ per adult. A little too much for my taste, I guess it's because they were on the discover channel. Very clean places, kids were running everywhere. My favorite part was the skeleton walking the dinosaur. I had a blast here, next time you see this place don't be afraid to pull in and check it out. It's worth it! read more

Saw this on Roadside America and on our way back from Yellowstone we stopped by. I didn't think it'd be very interesting, but woah was I surprised! You can easily spend 45+ minutes in here. And the working saloon is a great addition. The drinks/sodas offered are local brands. The town is more expensive than a rest stop, but certainly more fun! It's a pretty great way to break up a really long car ride, especially if you have kids. read more

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Definitely some cool things to see here, but once you step inside the historic buildings you immediately notice that no effort was given to making the objects inside them period correct. The contents of the buildings appeared to just be thrown together from stuff that looks old. Ha I g been to Greenfield Village in Dearborn, MI, I have to say that 1880 town is a disappointment. Nonetheless, a good place to stop and kill a couple of hours and see some cool artifacts. read more

Funky recreated old west town. I do declare we spent 2 hours looking at all the old items and buildings! The fee was $12/adult. Other prices for kids and seniors or large groups so check out their website. Dances with Wolves museum included. More old west antiques than you can shake a stick at! Better inside than what you would assume driving by! read more

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Kinda cool actually cold and windy. They were getting ready to shut down in a few weeks so we got a discounted entry. Friendly staff and lots of history. The saloon was the nicest building and the Cat house was the cutest. During their busy season you can get costumed up and be part of the ambience, sadly that was closed already. Still a nice stop and better than Wall Drug. read more

I believe we spent 3 1/2 hours at 1880 Town and we still did not see everything the town had to offer. My five year old loved to play dress up and the staff were extremely accommodating and pleasant. The attached restaurant in the train was overpriced for the quality of food you are eating but it was an awesome experience that my kid loved. We're planning another trip to the Black Hills in 4-5 years and will definitely make another stop at 1880 Town. read more

Enjoyed the visit to the original 1880s town were "Dances with Wolves" are filmed. Our family really enjoyed experiencing this town. We have passed this attraction before so this time we stopped. You really need to spend at least an hour here to be able to see it all. Really an amazing and interesting place. The place is dog friendly, too. I will say this place would be fun for all. We will stop again! read more

What a fun way to spend a few hours on a nice day. First of all, the staff was friendly and knowledgable. We started our tour by studying the map which shows pins of visitors from all around the country (and world!) and added a pin for Kenmore, WA. Then we checked out lots of cool antiques and an automatically operated piano. There is a mini Dances With Wolves museum upstairs where you can see props and artifacts from the film... My sister and I grew up adoring this movie and it was a trip to see the actual mechanical bull, teepee, and costumes worn. Next we got to walk thru "1880" town and see old buildings left in tact. I felt like I had been transported back in time. loved it! So many old fashioned, dated pieces. Lots of "cowboys and Indians" history, too. They have a family-friendly Old West saloon with a few snacks and refreshments, and you can dress in old fashioned clothes (we skipped that part for time!) Highlights: petting a camel! Petting the horses/burros :) & actual long horned steers in the field. I saw that there was a carriage tour going on thru the town which we missed. It was a relaxing yet fun experience without feeling very "touristy" and not too crowded either. Win! Recommended for everyone of any age. read more

The characters, and there were more than a few of them here, made this place fun for all of us. Thoroughly enjoyed our time here. Spent a few hours here and it was fun. Dressing up like a cowboy made our 9 year old son all sorts of happy. Do recommend skipping the rail car restaurant though. Food was not only expensive for what you get, but also less than mediocre. Soup looked like it had been in the pot for days. In fact, one of the character makes fun of it in his "act" by saying that the "specials" looked "pretty good... and also looked like they were getting rid of yesterday's leftovers". Not too far from the truth it seems. Not much of a choice though unless you want to drive 20 or so miles down the interstate. read more

My 7 and 8 year old loved running about this authentic old town. We watched the McNasty brothers in the saloon and it reminded us of the comedy show in the western saloon at Disneyland- just as funny and fun. "Awful McNasty gave us a carriage ride and my daughters can't stop talking about his silly jokes and him proposing to marry them" He made the town A+ for our family. read more

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This will be worth your time - but I encourage you to rent costumes while there for the whole family! Our last child is going off to college and we still love those photos! read more