Things to do in Great Plains
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Cattlemen's Steakhouse
OKC's most storied restaurant, this Stockyards City institution has been feeding cowpokes and city slickers slabs of beef and lamb's fries (that's a polite way of saying gonads) since 1910. Deals are still cut at the counter and back in the luxe booths.
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Mount Rushmore
Looking like they're either emerging from or being absorbed by the mountain, the stony faces of past presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt - carved 60ft tall in the granite of a Black Hills outcrop - are one of the most famous images in the USA and the top attraction in the state; the monument gets nearly three million visitors each year. You can't help but be impressed by its sheer scale and the massive physical effort of the team (led by sculptor Gutzon Borglum) that created it between 1927 and 1941.
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Galileo
This funky Paseo Arts District gathering spot has a menu spanning sea bass baked with lemon and cinnamon to meatloaf sandwiches to some tasty pizzas and it attracts just as diverse a crowd. There's art on the walls and the bar itself is a thing of beauty. Music or poetry most nights.
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Des Moines Art Center
The Des Moines Art Center is worth a look both for its interesting architecture and for its collection of modern art including American greats such as Edward Hopper and Georgia O'Keeffe. A highlight is IM Pei's sculpture garden, featuring Red Grooms' Germanic 'butter cow'. The museum stays open until 21:00 on Thursdays.
There is also a downtown branch at 800 Walnut Street (at the corner of 9th & Walnut Streets).
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National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum covers both art and history. Even if you come for just one, you're sure to be enthralled by the other. The excellent collection of Western painting and sculpture features many works by Charles M Russell and Frederic Remington while the historical galleries range from barbed wire to rodeos to cowboy hats.
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Eden Alley
Healthy eating never tasted better. The 'ultimate grilled cheese sandwich' is a work of art with four cheeses bubbling under an aioli sauce. Other options handle every variation on veggie eating and range from salads to falafel.
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Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbeque
KC's own style of BBQ is pit-smoked and slathered with heavily-seasoned vinegar-based sauces. Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbeque in Country Club Plaza is for people who'd rather dress up before dripping sauce on their pants.
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Java Joe's
The small menu covers a lot of ground: breakfast pastries, sandwiches, Indian dishes (lotsa lentils) and, of course, cupfuls of coffee. There's live local music many nights.
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Gates Bar-B-Q
Another famous KC sauce shack is Gates Bar-B-Q, where it is assumed you'll want a frosted mug of locally-brewed beer with your hickory-smoked, sauce-slathered beef.
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Ann's Chicken Fry House
Part real diner, part tourist attraction, Ann's is a Route 66 veteran known for its - you guessed it - chicken fried steak. Okra and cream gravy also star.
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Cherokee Antique Row
If you love antiques, you'll love Cherokee Antique Row in the appropriately historic Cherokee-Lemp neighborhood.
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d' Bronx
d' Bronx is a classic deli with 50 whopping hot and cold sandwiches to choose from, though the shining star is the crispy pizza.
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Wedge Pizzeria
Whenever possible, this colorful little spot uses organic and locally grown ingredients on its brick-oven 'zas.
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Deadwood History & Information Center
Deadwood History & Information Center, Like Vegas meets Bonanza, Deadwood juxtaposes the bright neon jangling of slot machines with Wild West storefronts, reenacted gunfights and eternal devotion to Wild Bill Hickock, who was shot in the back of the head here in 1876 while gambling. Settled illegally by eager gold rushers in the 1870s, Deadwood (inspiration for the hit HBO series) is now a National Historic Landmark. Its Main Street is lined with restored gold rush-era buildings. The town's hell-raisin' days are long gone, replaced by a gentler crowd of tour-bus poker players taking advantage of limited-stakes gambling, which jump-started the town's tourist appeal in the …
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Jewel Cave National Monument
)Another of the Black Hills' many fascinating caves is Jewel Cave, 13 miles west of Custer on US 16; so named because calcite crystals line nearly all of its walls. Currently 139 miles have been explored, making it the second longest known cave in the world, but it is presumed to be the longest. Tours range in length and difficulty; reservations are recommended. Make arrangements at the visitor center. If you'll only visit one Black Hills cave, this would be a good choice.
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Custer State Park
The only reason 111-sq-mile Custer State Park isn't a national park is that the state grabbed it first. It boasts one of the largest free-roaming bison herds in the world (about 1500), the famous 'begging burros' (donkeys seeking handouts) and more than 200 species of bird. Other wildlife include elk, pronghorns, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, coyotes, prairie dogs, mountain lions and bobcats.
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Saloon No 10
Saloon No 10 is hands-down the best saloon in Deadwood, with dark paneled walls and sawdust on the floor (though slot machines have slipped in to detract from the atmosphere). The original Saloon No 10, where Wild Bill took a serious loss at the gambling table, stood across the street, but the building burned to the ground and the owners brought the bar over here.
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Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge
About 20 miles east of Des Moines, near Prairie City, this wonderful, 5000-acre wildlife refuge is the site of an unprecedented tallgrass reconstruction project. See the film and displays at the Prairie Learning Center to learn about the ecosystems that have vanished. Outside are herds of buffalo and elk, plus a 5-mile auto tour and 2-mile hiking trail.
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Symbolic Memorial
The outdoor Symbolic Memorial has 168 empty chair sculptures for each of the people killed in the attack (the 19 small ones are for the children who perished in the day care center). It's next to a reflecting pool in the former building's footprint. People tie simple yet heart-breaking memorials to the fence on Harvey St.
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Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis
Under the big green dome of the stunning Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis, three blocks east of Forest Park, you'll find a Byzantine interior draped with 83,000 sq ft of mosaics - that's 41.5 million pieces. You can learn about the 80 years of construction (1907-87) downstairs in the church's museum.
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Headquarters
At the small temporary headquarters, you can take tours (free) of the launch complex where two people stood ready around the clock to turn keys launching missiles from this part of South Dakota. Visits are limited to six people per tour and there are only one or two per day. Call far in advance to secure a place.
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Fort Sill Museum
Fort Sill Museumincludes barracks furnished as it was in the 1870s and the guardhouse where Geronimo was detained after he had celebrated a little too much in nearby Lawton. Many old weapons are displayed nearby. Ask for a map to Geronimo's grave, which is located a couple of miles away.
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Gilcrease Museum
Northwest of downtown, off Hwy 64, the superb Gilcrease Museum sits on the estate of a Native American who discovered oil on his allotment. The impressive collection of American Western, Native American, and Central and South American fine art and archaeology is surrounded by some fine formal gardens.
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City Museum
Possibly the wildest highlight to any visit to St Louis, City Museum is a frivolous, frilly fun-house in a vast old shoe factory. The Museum of Mirth, Mystery and Mayhem sets the tone. Run, jump and explore all manner of exhibits. A new Ferris wheel on the roof ($5) offers grand views of the city.
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Crazy Horse Memorial
The world's largest monument, the Crazy Horse Memorial is, as author Ian Frazier describes, 'a ruin, only in reverse.' Onlookers at the 563ft-tall work-in-progress can gawk at what will be the Sioux leader astride his horse, pointing to the horizon saying, 'My lands are where my dead lie buried.'
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