“Find your inner outlaw”
Deadwood, South Dakota, is where Wild Bill Hickok’s luck ran out but yours begins! With over 80 historic gaming halls and year-round wild events, you can play the night away. Find your riches and your Inner Outlaw. Come walk in the footsteps of legends. The discovery of gold in the Black Hills in 1874 set off one of the last great gold rushes in the country. In 1876, miners moved into the northern Black Hills. That’s where they came across a gulch full of dead trees and a creek full of gold…and Deadwood was born. Practically overnight, the tiny gold camp boomed into a town that played by its own rules that attracted outlaws, gamblers and gunslingers along with the gold seekers. Wild Bill Hickok was one of those men who came looking for fortune. But just a few short weeks after arriving, he was gunned down while holding a poker hand of aces and eights – forever after known as the Dead Man’s Hand. Calamity Jane also made a name for herself in these parts and is buried next to Hickok in Mount Moriah Cemetery. Other legends, like Potato Creek Johnny, Seth Bullock and Al Swearengen, created their legends and legacies in this tiny Black Hills town. Deadwood has survived three major fires and numerous economic hardships, pushing it to the verge of becoming another Old West ghost town. But in 1989 limited-wage gambling was legalized and Deadwood was reborn.
Reviews
The shootouts are cool. Most recent schedule... everyday except Mondays: 2pm in front of the Four Aces, at 4pm in front of the Celebrity Hotel and at 6pm in front of the Franklin Hotel
I don't know why anyone would be interested in visiting Deadwood, unless it's for the seemingly endless casinos. Between the the information center-suggested trolley-ride, which coincidentally stopped at none of the places you'd visit Deadwood for other than crummy hotels, and the dregs on the street trying to find another quarter for a slot machine, I found almost nothing to recommend Deadwood. And I wouldn't really call it child-friendly either.
Sure, there were a few "historic site" signs posted around town, and a small Wild Bill bust, and the cruddy shootout "reenactment" that is probably 10 times the decibel level it should be, and a few other minor "highlights", but I frankly wish I hadn't taken the time to drive to Deadwood. This place is tourism done completely wrong. Maybe I shouldn't have skipped the cemetery, maybe that's what it's all about, but I honestly could not leave town fast enough, so we decided to skip it.
I'll give it 2/5 because it didn't cause physical discomfort (other than the trolley ride which clearly had no shocks and tires made of cement (maybe).
Completely agree with other reviews. This is just an infestation of casinos, bars, tourist traps and souvenir shops. Intriguing enough to drive through, but not worth stopping. I was sincerely interested in the history, but after a few minutes of walking around, I already regretted the $10 I spent on parking.
It was just ok. It is definitely more of gambling and shopping area rather than historical. It was still a neat town and I think it would have been better if the stagecoaches were running but the Days of 76 Museum is definitely worth a stop. That was probably our favorite part.
Cute town. Not sure it was worth the stay though. The re-enactment of Bill Hickock was fun, but the "shoot out" in the street lasted about 5 minutes total. We stopped here for the kids but they weren't very impressed overall.
Very disappointing. Not is basically a bunch of slot machines and then shoot outs on the street. They have done a terrible Job of preservation of the history and feel. Very hokey.
Cool gambling town with feel of the Old West. Full of bikers from Sturgis. Cobblestone roads were nice.
Deadwood is similar to other revived western towns. The way these cities seems to attract people is casinos and tourist-y gift shops. That is a mixed blessing: the city is preserved (even spruced up), but don't expect it to be out of the ghost town episode of The Brady Bunch. Deadwood is less historically authentic than Tombstone in Arizona but the city has clearly tried to maintain the historic character of the buildings in Old Deadwood. This is a nice place to include as a stop on a trip. We enjoyed walking around and leaving some money behind for a few hours. I would not make Deadwood the focus of a vacation trip unless I was looking to spend time at one of the casinos, but the area is very nice and the town is worth a stop.
The gun fight was mildly entertaining - but unless ur into bikers and gambling - this is a must miss
Yes, it's pretty touristy, but it's still fun. And besides, the history is legit, it's not all phony, even if it seems that way. I'm not a huge fan of gambling, but when in Rome... pretty kid-friendly too. If you want to get the full experience, spend at least a day here.
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Historic Old Town
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- Sun - Sat: 12:00 am - 11:59 pm
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