The summer visitor season has begun. For quite a long time, I thought that anything associated with the word “summer” was never going to arrive. But Mother Nature finally gave in, and tourists are arriving to enjoy the summer months in the Black Hills. This year’s tourist season, despite the recession, is hoped to be a good one.

In May, the number of visitors to the Black Hills Visitor Information Center increased. Total visitation to Custer State Park increased by 7% and gift shop sales at The Mammoth Site in Hot Springs were up 8.3%. Take a look at this article from the Rapid City Journal for more details.

So far, things look promising. The Black Hills are well suited to be an affordable tourist destination. After all, there is a large variety of things to do and see in the area, whether it be outdoor recreation, seeing wildlife, visiting museums, checking out fossils, watching theatrical and musical performances, etc, etc. etc. We hope to see more and more RV’s and cars full of visitors soon!