South Dakota - The Badlands & More

DAY 1

Hop aboard Wolf's Coach for your travel west where the wolves still run wild to view the beauty of the landscape and amazing landmarks… the ones you remember from all those TV westerns you watched growing up and are still a favorite of many today; not to mention the history of the Native American Indians and the likes of Custer and Crazy Horse. Meal and rest stops are made at your expense enroute to your first night's stay in Perrysburg, Ohio at the Hilton Garden Inn Toledo Perrysburg (419-873-0700) for an overnight stay. Guest room amenities include complimentary Wi-Fi, 32-inch HDTV with premium channels, iron/ironing board, hairdryer, microwave, refrigerator and coffeemaker. The hotel features an indoor pool and whirlpool, a fitness center, and business center. Dinner is on your own and at your expense this evening.

DAY 2

Begin your day with a deluxe continental breakfast included at the hotel before you check-out and continue your journey west. Today's destination is the beautiful Wisconsin Dells. Lunch is on your own and at your expense enroute. This afternoon, arrive for check-in at the Hilton Garden Inn Wisconsin Dells (608-253-1100) for one night. Hotel amenities include an indoor swimming pool, hotel restaurant and a 24-hr convenience shop. All rooms feature complimentary internet, microwave, refrigerator and iron/ironing board. Next, prepare for an evening of dining and entertainment at the Wisconsin Opry inclusive of down-home cooking and a hayride through beautiful nature and farmland. The show features a variety of classic and modern country music, bluegrass, gospel, banjo pickin', fiddle playing and a few laughs thrown in for good measure.

DAY 3

Enjoy a deluxe continental breakfast included at the hotel before check-out. Next, have your cameras ready for a scenic boat tour of the Upper Dells to see the beautiful rock formations that made the Dells famous as you float by towering sandstone cliffs cut by glaciers ages ago. Afterwards, board the coach, sit back and relax as your journey continues with the next destination being Mitchell, South Dakota. Lunch and dinner stops will be made along the way at your expense. You arrive at your hotel for a one-night stay, the Holiday Inn Express & Suites Mitchell (605-292-9292) featuring an indoor pool/whirlpool and a fitness center, while guest room features include a coffee maker, flat-screen TV with cable channels, and complimentary Wi-Fi.

DAY 4

Wake up to deluxe continental breakfast included at the hotel. Following check-out, you meet your local guide at the entrance of Badlands National Park for a narrated driving tour featuring dramatic landscapes with spans of layered-rock formations, steep canyons and towering spires. Be on the lookout for bison, big horn sheep and prairie dogs which inhabit the sprawling grasslands. After the tour, it is time for lunch on your own and at your expense at the famous Wall Drug Store. Wall Drug had its beginnings in 1931 and became a tourist stop all with the promise of free ice water, a must-stop on your westward bucket list. Late afternoon, arrive at your host hotel for the next three nights, the Courtyard by Marriott Rapid City (605-791-0945). The hotel features a well-equipped fitness center, onsite restaurant and lounge, coin operated guest laundry and complimentary high-speed internet throughout the property. Guest rooms are well-appointed with a mini refrigerator, microwave, coffeemaker and hairdryer. Dinner is included tonight at a local restaurant.

DAY 5

Breakfast is included this morning prior to departing for a narrated tour of Deadwood featuring an entertaining mix of humorous facts, history and adventure. Deadwood is an old-west town started with the Gold Rush of 1876, and your tour travels the same pathways walked by legends such as Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, Poker Alice and Potato Creek Johnny. Lunch is on your own and at your expense in Deadwood. Afterwards, enjoy a visit to "Tatanka: Story of the Bison" commissioned by Kevin Costner, with an interpretive center and 17 larger-than-life bronze sculptures, including three Indian hunters on horseback chasing 14 rampaging bison off a cliff. It is said that 30 to 60 million bison once roamed the great plains of North America. By the close of the 19th century, it was estimated that less than 1,000 bison survived…. this is their story. Next stop is for time to browse at the Prairie Edge & Sioux Trading Post. Shop the Native American inspired items including jewelry, blankets and quilts, fine art, books and music, headdresses, drums, robes and more. Tonight's included dinner and entertainment features the Fort Hays Chuckwagon Supper & Branson-style Music Variety Show.

DAY 6

Start the day with a hearty breakfast included to fuel you up for a full day of touring. First, you visit the Mt. Rushmore National Memorial which is situated above dense forests and a pristine stream. This stone carving symbolizes the ideals of freedom and democracy and is a tribute to four presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. From the history of the first inhabitants to the diversity of America today, Mount Rushmore brings visitors face to face with the rich history of our nation. Lunch is included today before you visit the Crazy Horse Memorial, a rock carving in memory of Lakota leader Crazy Horse, still under construction today, on privately held land in the heart of the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota. First begun in 1948 and once completed, this will be the largest mountain carving in South Dakota and the world. Finally, you visit Custer State Park and have a driving tour of the wildlife loop watching for bison, pronghorn antelope, deer, elk, prairie dogs, coyotes, mountain goats and bighorn sheep. You know there will be at least one "wolf" running the loop this morning "wink-wink". Your day ends with dinner included at a local restaurant. Following dinner, you return to the hotel for the night.

DAY 7

Today, you begin with breakfast included at the hotel before check-out and make a brief stop to view the planes on display outside the South Dakota Air & Space Museum, followed by admission included for a self-guided visit in the museum. The South Dakota Air & Space Museum boasts an extensive collection of artifacts and documents that capture the distinguished history of Ellsworth Air Force Base, the 44th Strategic Missile Wing, and the 28th Bomb Wing throughout the Cold War. Ellsworth AFB played a crucial role in national defense during this time period with an arsenal that included bombers such as the B-29 Superfortress, B-36 Peacemaker and B-52 Stratofortress. The museum also has four large inside galleries of artifacts covering the history and heritage of military and civilian aerospace achievements covering the past century. Next, you continue to travel east with your final destination today in Sioux Falls, SD. Rest and meal stops at your expense will be made enroute which includes a stop at the Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD to view the murals that adorn the facility and are crafted by skillfully placing various colored kernels of corn to create their masterpiece murals. Dinner is on your own along the way with an evening arrival in Sioux Falls to check-in at the Hampton Inn Sioux Falls (605-362-1700) for one night. The hotel features an indoor pool, fitness center and business center with complimentary Wi-Fi. Guest room amenities include a microwave, mini refrigerator, coffeemaker and complimentary high-speed internet.

DAY 8

Enjoy a continental breakfast included at the hotel prior to check-out and departure for Moline, Illinois. Lunch is on your own and at your expense during your travels. Upon arrival in Moline, you check in for an overnight stay at the Wyndham Moline on John Deere Commons (309-764-1000). The hotel offers an indoor heated pool, fitness center, 24-hour business center and onsite restaurant. Guest room amenities include a mini-refrigerator, coffee/tea maker, hairdryer, iron/ironing board and complimentary Wi-Fi. Your day concludes with a scenic dinner cruise on the Celebration Belle Riverboat along the Mississippi River. Enjoy a delightful meal included as the paddlewheel boat cruises leisurely through the water. You return to the hotel at the end of the cruise.

DAY 9

Once again, breakfast is included this morning prior to check-out. Then, visit the John Deere Welcome Center and Pavilion. They say nothing runs like a Deere, and here is the opportunity to hop inside different equipment, operate the simulators, learn how they are built, their history and the impact that they have on our world. Next, you board the motorcoach and continue traveling east with a lunch stop on your own and at your expense enroute to Toledo, OH for your final night's stay at the Hilton Garden Inn Toledo Perrysburg (419-873-0700), the same hotel you stayed at on the first night of your tour. Dinner this evening will be on our own and at your expense.

DAY 10

Following breakfast included at the hotel, you pack up and begin the last leg of your journey home, but not before one last stop in Akron, Ohio for a guided tour at the Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens. Built by F.A. Seiberling and family between 1912-1915, Mr. Seiberling was the co-founder of the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company. This beautiful estate features a historic 65-room Tudor Revival Manor House, Gothic Revival Conservatory, Gate Lodge and approximately 70 acres of artistically landscaped grounds and formal gardens. A boxed lunch is included before departing. Afterwards, you board the motorcoach to return home with a dinner stop at your expense on the way.

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***ALL WOLF'S TOURS - TIMES AND ITINERARY SUBJECT TO CHANGE**

B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, BL=Boxed Lunch, D=Dinner, DS=Dinner Show