Belle Fourche: Things to do?

Hi, I%26#39;m coming over to SD next year (August)for my wifes birthday (its a surprise), is Belle Fourche a good tourist stop, what is there is to see/do in the town and how long would you suggest we stop there for.

Thanks

Roger (UK)

Belle Fourche: Things to do?

Belle Fourche isn%26#39;t a real popular tourist stop. A good way to get to Devils Tower is to loop through Belle Fourche from Spearfish and then go west through the Bear Lodge Mountains (Wyoming Black Hills) to Devils Tower. Then return to the SD Black Hills through Sundance. (Or do this loop the other way.) This will give you an overview of the town.

A common stop in Belle Fourche is the recently rededicated Center Of The Nation monument.

If you%26#39;re looking to stop for a meal in the area or stay overnight, I%26#39;d recommend Spearfish. I like Belle as a real western cowtown and it%26#39;s worth taking a look at and a drive through, but you%26#39;ll probably find more hospitality in Spearfish.

Belle Fourche: Things to do?

Keep in mind that the Sturgis Rally dates for 2009 are roughly August 1-9. This will greatly affect your ability to find affordable lodging and impede traffic flows in the Black Hills area. The Wednesday of Rally Week every year (Aug. 5 in 2009) is the ';Hulett Ham %26#39;n%26#39; Jam';--the highways near Devils Tower are especially clogged this day.

Thanks for your help, the center of the nation sounds cool, is it near to Belle? We will be staying at Spearfish and driving to Sundance then Devils Tower and back via Aladdin, so I thought maybe a brief stop at Belle for a drink/stroll etc,

Thanks Again

Roger (UK)

Belle Fourche has a monument in town in a park-like setting. It%26#39;s near where the north-south highway (US 85) crosses the Belle Fourche River (north of downtown). There are flags, etc., at it. The actual marker that is the center of the nation is about 20 miles north of town on a gravel road out on the prairie (if I remember right, it%26#39;s the road to Harding). The marker is coincidentally close to the road so you don%26#39;t have to walk far to see it. All it is a pipe in the ground--when I was there last winter sometime there was a makeshift sign on the road fence and a US flag at the marker so you could see it.

Thanks for your help (again), doesnt sound like its worth a 40 mile round trip. Will visit Belle however if only for a walk aroundCheersRoger

Belle Fourche is a great town. It is unlike the rest of the towns in Western South Dakota. Belle Fourche is unique in so very many ways. It is the Geographic Center of the US. Just north of the visitors information center is a beautiful SD granit monumnet that is 21 feet across. They are in the process of finishing an avenue of the 50 state flags, a brick court yard, and park area for guests. The actual site of the center of the nation is about 20 miles north of Belle Fourche off a gravel road in a field. For the purest at heart, it is a great trip and wonderful adventure. Also while at the visitors center make sure to stop into the Tri-State Museum and check out all that they have to offer. The admission is free...can%26#39;t beat that!

Belle Fourche has many unique shops in the town. You can check out Weather Hat Co. and watch hats being hand made...they even do tours. Very neat to experience. You can check out Office Emporium and purchase many local and South Dakota made products.

For a meal you must check out the Stadium Bar and Grill. Their speciality is the steak tips...excellent in so many ways. You can get them with fries or on a salad. I don%26#39;t even look at the menu...I just order the tips! Belle Fourche also has many wonderful hotels with great staff that is more than willing to help people out.

Belle Fourche may not be a major tourist stop...but it is worth the time to check out all that it has to offer. The people are friendly, deals are great and you are sure to have a great time!

Thanks alot for the feedback, Belle Forche is now definately on the itinerary, the steak tips sound goood!

Cheers

Roger

There is also a Stadium Sports Grill in Spearfish--Belle and Spearfish are the two locations for this ';chain';. The food is pretty good. I consider the Stadium to be the best sports bar in the Black Hills.

Thanks for the info...

Roger

Roger:

There is a new walking/biking path through Belle Fourche. Also, at the end of July (31) and the first of August, we are planning to have the ';boys'; from the John Wayne movie ';The Cowboys'; here. So far, ';Singin%26#39; Fats'; and ';Homer'; have responded affirmatively and ';Weedy'; and ';Charlie'; are planning to come out and bring the Carradine kid with them!

Anyway, back to Belle%26#39;s offerings, we have many rodeos in town, several good restaurants: The Green Bean Coffee House; Ground Floor; Mish Mash (home cooking~our corporate boss loves it!); American West Steakhouse and Branding Iron Steakhouse as well as the Stadium. Take the Historic Walking tour and see our beautiful Courthouse! Downtown has a lot of interesting shops. Our Museum, monument and Avenue of Flags are a must see. Then on to Devil%26#39;s Tower via Hwy 34 where you can see one of the last two coal tipples in the USA, the Aladdin General Store (over 110 years old) and they serve the best pie in the cafe%26#39; next door! Go on to Devil%26#39;s Tower, loop back through Sundance then go West to the Vore Buffalo Jump. Back through to Spearfish to the High Plains Heritage Museum, through Spearfish Canyon and see the Falls, to Adams Museum in Deadwood. There are so many things to do out here!!! And I don%26#39;t know why someone would post that Spearfish is more friendly ~ we hear from people all the time that Belle Fourche is VERY friendly. We even received the Customer Service Award for the AmericInn chain!

Good luck on your trip!

rimmel