Two South Dakota locations have made Midwest Living magazine’s third annual “Best of the Midwest” list.
Badlands National Park was named “Best National Park,” and Hotel Alex Johnson in Rapid City was named “Best Historic Hotel.”
Midwest Living magazine releases a special “Best of the Midwest” travel issue to celebrate the places that make the Midwest region so rich, promoting the locations and awards online and on their social media platforms.
For more information and to see all award winners, visit MidwestLiving.com.
National Park: Badlands National Park, South Dakota
In western South Dakota, the prairie gives way to the dramatic canyons and mineral- striped buttes of Badlands National Park. Explore them on one of several short and easy hikes, like the Door and Window trails. Drive the 39-mile Badlands Loop Road and you’re likely to see bison, prairie dogs, bighorn sheep and deer.
Historic Hotel: Hotel Alex Johnson, Rapid City
One day before construction started on Mount Rushmore in 1927, South Dakota railroad exec Alex Johnson began to build his own monument, a 143-room downtown hotel that’s now part of Hilton’s Curio Collection. The Presidential Suite has hosted six POTUSes— Coolidge, FDR, Eisenhower, Nixon, Ford and Reagan. Interior decor honors the region’s Native American peoples. Drink in Black Hills views from the rooftop Vertex Sky Bar.
Place to Paddle: Niobrara River, Valentine, Nebraska
Not every river can claim six ecosystems and 200-plus waterfalls, but the Niobrara can. Pumping through Nebraska’s Sandhills region, 76 miles of the Niobrara are a designated National Wild and Scenic River. Paddle your own kayak or canoe or book a guided tour through an outfitter to see spots like Berry Falls and Brewer Bridge.
Photo Op: Carhenge, Alliance, Nebraska
A ghostly assemblage of gray metal rises along State-87—nearly 40 old automobiles (some standing on end, partially buried) arranged to mimic Stonehenge. Jim Reinders and his family built Carhenge in 1987 as a memorial to his father, who lived on this site. Reinders, an engineer, studied Stonehenge while living in England and took great care to copy its design and dimensions.
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