Dairy Twist, Hill City, SD

Dairy Twist, 12647 US-16, Hill City, SD 57745

Yes, go here and eat.  The food is good old fashioned drive inn food and you will love every bite.

I had the burger and cheese curds which were amazing.  You can get other items as well like shakes and cones and fries and chicken strips and chili dogs.  It may have been the best place that we ate during this particular trip.  Be careful showing up late, sometimes they just close a bit early.

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You can eat both inside and outside.  There is a picnic area just outside of the indoor eating area.

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It is the interesting part about the Dairy Twist.  There are agates, arrowheads, and skulls in a display case in the eating area.  I think they were real dinosaur bones.

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If you are in Hill City, SD you must eat at the Dairy Twist.  They time that they are open is limited so if it is open grab your food while you can.

Annie Lode Coffee Cabin, Hill City, SD

Annie Lode Coffee Cabin, 23828 US-385, Hill City, SD 57745

If you need a quick fix of caffeine while in Hill City, SD you can go to the Annie Lode Coffee Cabin.  It is a drive thru type place.

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You pull up and tell the person inside what you would like.  They make your special coffee drink and hand it to you happily.

I didn’t try it myself, and the person who did likes their coffee strong so it is hard to say if it is good or not.  It is convenient.  The people are very nice.  Try it yourself if you need a specialty coffee in the middle of nowhere.

Devil’s Lake State Park, Baraboo, WI

Devil’s Lake State Park, S Lake Road, Baraboo, WI 53913

This place was amazing, but it is also one heck of a hike.  Be prepared for your legs to shake.  The lake itself was formed by Glaciers and there are these huge rocks all around it that you get to walk up or down depending on the direction you choose to go.

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The park requires a sticker.  You can pay by the hour, the day, or the year depending on what you need.  It is more expensive to have an out of state car, but the prices will not break your bank.

You could get an hour pass and just have a picnic at one of the many picnic tables.  It is right along the beach which is a really nice beach.  You could even swim in the water if you like.  It was too cold for swimming when we went, but that made if perfect for hiking.

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There are canoe rentals and the water looks perfect for such an activity.

A lot of the paths that you can walk on were built back in the 1930’s by the Civilian Conservation Corps.  As I followed the trail I kept questioning how they could make this path so far into the wilderness with such difficult terrain.  When I learned it was done back in the 30’s I realized they did it with real men putting in real work.  The history of this park is really interesting.  Check out the DNR’s page on the subject.

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March out into the woods around Devil’s Lake and make your way to the top of the bluffs.  The views are incredible.

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Between 1.3 and 1.7 million people will visit this park each year.  You should be one of them.

Holiday Inn Express, Wisconsin Dells, WI

Holiday Inn Express, 1033 Wisconsin Dells Parkway South, Wisconsin Dells, WI 53913

As far as middle of the road hotels go Holiday Inn Express is fairly nice.  If you have children this one would be the place to be.  I even overheard a small child tell his mother that he didn’t want to leave while I was there.

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My favorite part about the bed was that the pillows weren’t those stupid tiny pillows a lot of the hotels have gone towards.  They were normal and plenty of them.  The bathroom was fine.  The sink was outside which is nice with two people or more in the room.

The room comes with all the standard things that you will need or want.  You can make coffee, and yes that is a keurig machine.  There is a microwave, a fridge, and a television.

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There are two pool areas for the children and a game room.  The inside one has a castle.  The outdoor one wasn’t available at the time of year that we were there, but it looked amazing.

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As a child I am  not sure I would need anything else, but then outside of your hotel are lots of great places to go see too.  The food in the area is amazing with Monk’s Bar and Grill just down the street and Macs in the downtown area.  Plus water slides and all sorts of places to visit including Devil’s Lake just a short drive away with its trails and picnic areas.

They serve you breakfast at the hotel with the standard mass produced junk that you get at all hotels these days.  They do a good job of making it and they make a ton of it, but it is Sysco and don’t think otherwise.  The dinning hall was chaos and it wasn’t even peak season when we were there.

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Overall I slept well in this hotel and that is the most important thing.  If you need a place to stay in the Dells I would recommend this one.