4^TH OF JULY HOLIDAY WEEKEND

AT

MOUNT RUSHMORE

AND BADLANDS NATIONAL PARKS

 

JULY 1-5, 2009

 

ONLY $599

FOR 4 DAYS OF

FUN, HISTORY

AND FIREWORKS

OVER MOUNT RUSHMORE

JOIN US FOR AN ANNUAL TRADITION AT ALLSINGLESTRAVEL.COM – A FABULOUS 4^TH OF JULY HOLIDAY TREAT ! 

 

IN 2009, WE WILL SPEND THE HOLIDAY IN ONE OF THE MOST STORIED PLACES IN AMERICA – MOUNT RUSHMORE NATIONAL PARK.

 

WE WILL VISIT THE FAMED PARK, WHERE THE HEADS OF 4 PRESIDENTS ARE CARVED INTO THE ROCK FACE OF MOUNT RUSHMORE.

BUT NOT ONLY WILL WE VISIT, TOUR AND MARVEL AT THE CARVINGS OF THE PRESIDENTS, WE WILL ALSO SEE A MOST SPECTACULAR FIREWORKS DISPLAY ABOVE THE PRESIDENTS’ HEADS ON MOUNT RUSHMORE !

 

A 2^ND HIGHLIGHT OF OUR TOUR will be a visit to Custer State Park, home to a wide range of wildlife, which we will observe in their own natural habitat, as well as home to scenic vistas that will leave you in awe.

Another highlight of our holiday weekend will be a visit to the Crazy Horse Monument memorial.    Known as the 5^th face of the Black Hills, the sculpture of the legendary Indian Chief is an imposing sight to see.

Plus, we will visit Badlands National Park and the famed Wall Drug.  Badlands is home to some of the most outlandish scenic wonders, plus fantastic wildlife viewing and Wall Drug is home to one of the most eclectic gift shops and restaurants in the US.

 

Our final highlight will be the 4^th of July celebrations in historic Deadwood South Dakota, where our hotel for the 4 nights will be. 

The 4^th brings all day festivities, live music, food, parties and more, all culminating with another fabulous fireworks display.   Enjoy Deadwood’s legendary history with stories of Wild Bill Hickock and Calamity Jane, who died in Deadwood.

 

 

 

DAILY ITINERARY:

WED. JULY 1ST 2009  - FLY ON YOUR OWN ARRANGEMENT INTO RAPID CITY SOUTH DAKOTA.  WE WILL HAVE TWO ARRANGED AIRPORT PICKUP TIMES, with transportation to our hotel right in fabled Deadwood (home to the HBO TV series of the same name and former home of legendary wild west character Wild Bill Hickock). The 1st pickup will be in the early afternoon and the 2nd in the late afternoon with transportation to our hotel right in Deadwood.

Our hotel, the Deadwood Gulch Resort Is located right in Deadwood, just under 1 mile from the historic district where all the restaurants, pubs, shops and casinos are located.    You will also have access to the convenient Deadwood shuttle which will take you directly from our hotel to the historic district.  The shuttle runs between 1and 3 times per hour based on the time of day and runs continuously until 2:30am, so all passengers wishing to enjoy a night on the town can do so with convenient shuttle service from the hotel and back again.  The shuttle service is only one dollar person each way and you never need a reservation to ride.

Amenities at our hotel include:

•  INDOOR HOT TUB - OPEN TIL 11PM TO ENABLE ALL TO RELAX AND SOCIALIZE AFTER A DAY OF SIGHTSEEING.
• 2 FULL SERVICE LOUNGES OPEN TIL 2AM WITH FULL BAR SERVICE (IT EVEN SERVES PIZZA TOO, FOR THOSE WISHING A LATE NIGHT SNACK.)
• FULL SERVICE RESTAURANT OPEN TIL 9PM
• EXERCISE ROOM OPEN TIL 11PM
• TROLLY FROM THE HOTEL TO MAIN STREET SHOPS AND RESTAURANTS, BARS AND CASINOS – RUNS 1-3 TIMES/HOUR TIL 2:30 AM (LAST ARRIVAL BACK AT THE HOTEL IS 2:35AM)  $1 PER PERSON/WAY
• NATURE TRAIL FOLLOWING A SCENIC CREEK – called Mickelson trail – guests can take a stroll along the trail which will take you from the back of the hotel into town (1 mile) following the scenic creek,  or you can take the trail in the opposite direction, starting at our hotel, and walk leisurely into the forest for as many miles as you wish to hike.
• A 6 ROOM CASINO INSIDE THE HOTEL – CASINO OPEN 24 HOURS (BLACKJACK TIL MIDNIGHT.)
• FULL BREAKFAST IS INCLUDED DAILY IN OUR ROOM PACKAGE.  THE BREAKFAST IS A HOT BREAKFAST – THEY GIVE EACH PERSON 3 HOT CHOICES FOR BREAKFAST ENTREES TO ORDER OFF THE REGULAR MENU IN THE RESTAURANT EACH MORNING

 

Thursday July 2^nd  - Today we will enjoy a full day tour.

 

We will be coached in our air conditioned charter Gray Line coach.

Our first stop is in Rapid City where all passengers will have the choice of visiting either the Black Hills Gold Factory, where you can watch the demonstrations of gold and even get great deals on gold jewelry, or you can visit the Air and Space Museum providing fascinating displays of our nations’ history in the air and in space.

Next, we will continue to the famed Wall Drug, where we will enjoy lunch over lively musical entertainment and then a chance to browse their most entertaining gift shop.

 

After lunch, we will continue on to the highlight of the day, Badlands National Park.

 



 

This afternoon you will see some of the most spectacular scenery in the country.  Wildlife is also spotted frequently in the national park.

   

 

Badlands National Park preserves 244,000 acres of sharply eroded buttes, pinnacles and spires.

 

Millions of years of wind, water and erosion have created the chiseled spires, deep canyons and jagged buttes of Badlands National Park. On-going rains, freezes and thaws have revealed millions of years of sediment that paint a colorful landscape on the prairies of southwestern South Dakota.

The park is  home to many species of wildlife including bighorn sheep, bison, the swift fox and the endangered black-footed ferret. Antelope and deer are commonly seen roaming near roadways and picnic areas. More than 64,000 acres of the park are designated as wilderness.

We enjoy a guided tour of the park, with explanations of its amazing geological history. We will also enjoy short hikes to scenic overlooks and opportunities to spot wildlife.

At the end of the day we will return on our chartered coach to of hotel just outside of deadwood.

The evening is at your leisure to enjoy the free shuttle provided by our hotel to visit the casinos, restaurants and shops of Deadwood.

 

Thursday July 3^rd – Today is the highlight of our trip.  We will enjoy visits to 3 incredible sites, the Crazy Horse Monument and Memorial, Custer State Park and the incomparable Mount Rushmore National Park.

 

Crazy Horse Memorial, home of the world’s largest mountain sculpture in progress, is in the Black Hills of South Dakota just 17 miles southwest of Mount Rushmore.

The dimensions are staggering. The mountain-sized statue is as long as a cruise ship and taller than a 60-story skyscraper!



Sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski began the project in 1948 at the request of Lakota Chief Henry Standing Bear and other Native American elders. Korczak died in 1982. His wife, Ruth, and some members of their family continue the project.

Fifty-five years after Ziolkowski began carving Crazy Horse Memorial, his family continues the dream and work progresses on the world's largest mountain sculpture. When finished, Crazy Horse will stand 641 feet long and 563 feet high.

 

Equipped with only a sledge hammer, a single-jack drill bit and a box of dynamite, Boston-born sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski went to work on June 3, 1948 creating his 563 by 641-foot sculpture of an Indian man atop a spirited warhorse.

This would later be called Crazy Horse Memorial. He would spend the next 36 years of his life doggedly blasting away 7,400,000 tons of granite near Custer, South Dakota to rough out virtually the entire figure, in the round.







Now, 60 years after Korczak started carving, and his death in 1982, work still continues on the world’s largest sculpture. The 88-foot-high face of Crazy Horse was dedicated on June 3, 1998, 50 years to the day after Korczak’s first blast.

The Memorial's visitor complex includes the 40,000 square foot Welcome Center and theaters, the Indian Museum of North America, the Native American Educational & Cultural Center, the sculptor’s log home studio and workshop, indoor and outdoor galleries, museum gift shop, restaurant and snack bar areas and expansive viewing veranda.

Many Native American artists and crafts people create their artwork and visit with guests at the Memorial during the summer season.

Following our visit to Crazy Horse, we will enjoy lunch and then we will next proceed to Custer State park. 

Few truly wild places remain in this country. Custer State Park is one of them. Located in the Black Hills of South Dakota, the park is home to a variety of wildlife and magnificent scenery spanning 71,000 acres.

 

After entering the park, we will enjoy a scenic walk along Sylvan Lake, with a stop at the Peter Norbeck Visitor Center,

    Next, we will continue in our chartered coach on the scenic Iron Mountain Road famed for its pig-tail bridges and tunnels that offer great views framing Mt. Rushmore not far away.

   We will enjoy a couple of short scenic walks to overlooks and then we will continue by coach along the Wildlife Loop road, where we will spot a wide variety of wildlife including bison, elk, coyote, deer, eagles, hawks and prairie dogs.



Custer State Park

Whether you’re a casual sightseer or a serious nature photographer, the critters of Custer State Park put on quite a show. Most wildlife can easily be seen from our coach and can even approach vehicles – after all – we are travelling on their homeland.

Nearly 1,500 bison, commonly called buffalo, roam the prairies and hills of Custer State Park, which they share with swift pronghorn, shy elk, sure-footed mountain goats and curious burros. Visitors often enjoy close encounters with these permanent residents along the 18-mile Wildlife Loop Road that winds around the southern edge of the park.

Unique Scenery

Slender granite formations called "Needles" dominate the skyline. These unique rock outcroppings are an excellent place for rock climbers to push themselves to the limit. With its winding roads and small granite tunnels, Needles Highway (SD Highway 87 between Sylvan Lake and Legion Lake) provides the perfect backdrop for a scenic drive and ranks as a favorite among sightseers and motorcycle enthusiasts.

Roam Free

In Custer State Park, the second largest state park in America, you're free to roam amidst pure nature. Enjoy leisurely walks along extensive hiking trails throughout the park or climb the summit of Harney Peak, the highest point east of the Rocky Mountains. At the top is a breathtaking vista of granite peaks carpeted with evergreens and aspens.

 

Following our visit to Custer, we will head to nearby Mount Rushmore for the pinnacle of our day of incredible sightseeing.



Few attractions stir the emotions of visitors the way Mount Rushmore does. Since its completion in 1941, it has joined the Statue of Liberty and the Stars & Stripes as one of America’s most inspiring symbols of democracy.

Located 23 miles southwest of Rapid City, Mount Rushmore is awesome and impressive. The granite faces of four American Presidents tower 5,500 feet above sea level and are scaled to men who would stand 465 feet tall. Each head is as tall as a six-story building! Sculptor Gutzon Borglum’s attention to detail makes the faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln appear almost lifelike in the morning and afternoon sun of the Black Hills.

 

On arrival at the park, we will enjoy a walking tour of the base of the presidents’ faces and a walk around and behind the giant monuments.  We will then have free time to explore the visitor’s center and gift shop, as well as free time to have dinner in its cafeteria.

 

Tonight we will enjoy one of the most incredible fireworks displays you will ever witness, as the show is launched above the heads of the granite presidents’ that are carved into Mount Rushmore

 

The music, song and spectacular show in the sky, amidst the backdrop of the presidential carvings provide a patriotic and emotional experience you will never forget !

 

After the show we will be transported back to our hotel via our chartered motor coach.

 

Saturday July 4^th – HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY

 

The holiday is a full free day to enjoy as you wish.  There are many festivities in Deadwood to celebrate the holiday.  Food, music and fun are in full swing . 

If you wish, take a guided 60 minute walking tour of the historic sites in Deadwood, including the sites where Wild Bill Hickock and Calamity Jane met their demise.

Tonight, we will enjoy yet one more exciting and beautiful holiday spectacle. The 4^th of July fireworks display is launched about 1 mile from our hotel, making a great opportunity for all to see the show within walking distance of our hotel.

The show is a great way to top off this fantastic holiday weekend getaway.  Passengers can even walk to the fireworks.

 

Sunday July 5^th – Today we will have 2 transfer times for passengers to return to the Rapid City airport via our chartered coach.  (The first transfer by our coach will be for those passengers with flights between 10am and approx. noon and the 2^nd for passengers with flights noon or later.  Passengers should not book a flight earlier than 10am unless you wish to provide your own transportation from our hotel back to the airport.)

 

 

TRIP COST: ONLY $599 + $49 IN TAXES

 

Trip inclusions:

·       4 nights accommodations at the Deadwood Gulch Resort and Casino in Deadwood South Dakota With hot breakfast included daily.

·       Full day tour to Badlands National Park, Wall Drug and Rapid City

·       Full day tour to Mount Rushmore, Custer State Park and the Crazy Horse Memorial Monument including the spectacular fireworks display at Mount Rushmore on July 3^rd.

·       Airport transfers round trip between the Rapid City South Dakota airport and our hotel.

 

A deposit of $200 is due within 10 days of making your deposit. 

 

Deposits are fully refundable if cancelled by April 15^th and non refundable thereafter.

 

The balance is due 75 days prior to travel and is non refundable at that time.