Deadwood is, of course, first and foremost a tourist attraction and that can be seen throughout the compact historical area. We found the omnipresence of casino gambling a bit off-putting but there is lots of interest there and they are easy to avoid. Lots of older building of historical interest.
Not usually our cup of tea, but hey, we were in the Black Hills so had to check it out. Enjoyed Adams Museum and found a nice jewelry store across the street from the museum. Check it out if you want some real jewelry as opposed to the black hills gold junk.
Great shops,food and the casinos are cool! we went during Sturgis motorcycle rally. Loved this town so much we went 2x. No problem parking, of coarse we had a bike. Ate at 2 restaurants, even during the rally never had long service. So much to do in such a little town! GREAT shops!
I have lived in Deadwood for three years a long time ago and I have worked in the Deadwood/Lead area for years a long time ago as well! I met my husband here got married in the area and I now bring my kids (late teens) to concerts here and even town events!! This place never gets old no matter how many times you are here! It's always changing and they are always adding events to make it fun and interesting! My favorite part has always been the "old" brick road on main street! Then their is the Shoots outs, the amazing Chubby Chipmunk Chocolates (she supplies awards shows with her amazing confections and has won in NYC chocolate shows!) Oktoberfest, Deadweird...their are too many events to list on here!! Of course their is the gambling ( I don't gamble) but their is SO MUCH more to this town than gambling!! We have Big and Rich that do their TV specials here and not too mention the HBO show Deadwood was created to reflect our old town!! HISTORY is alive and well with all the musems and tours! It's well worth spending an afternoon, day or weekend here!
We usually avoid the kitschy tourist traps but Deadwood does it right. You just know they are trying to drain your wallet (especially the casinos) but who cares? it is so doggone authentic. The historic buildings are just perfect. You don't have to buy a tshirt to stroll down the street and just soak it all in.
I've visited many boom/bust towns across the west, and this one was definitely a bust. The best you can do is drive through as there are a couple of store fronts that are interesting historically. However, even the Saloon No. 10 didn't have an interesting bar, although there were a few interesting photographs. Likewise with the curio shoppes, nothing new here besides Tshirts made in China. Casinos don't make it better, either. This site was a bust for me.
It has some fantastic shops and a lot of history as well as assorted bars. For a family with kids, I would recommend you do it during the daylight hours. They have a lot of security to keep it safe and decent for visitor's but it can get rough once in awhile.
You cannot miss the shootout that occurs on the Main Street and make sure you go along to the court case and hanging!!!! If you go along to the court case you'll also get a free concert - one of the unsuspected highlights of Deadwood....
don't miss walking up and down main street, many historic buildings and markers explaining where every buildings were located.no 10 , although not where it used to be is a Treasure trove of photographs, if your in Deadwood don't miss this pub/restaurant, even has the sawdust on the floor.
Downtown Deadwood was a very safe and secure place to visit. The streets were clean, shop keepers were friendly. Overall a very nice experience. The trolley is a wonderful addition to the downtown area. $1 per ride per person was cheap and easier than finding parking. Can't wait to go back again.