Beautiful short hike around a lake.

The rangers at the visitor center directed us to this hike since it is dog friendly. The terrain is relatively easy, some very minor rock scrambling and one muddy patch from the recent rain, but otherwise normal hiking. There are several great photo ops both along the trail path and at the dock near the lodge, where you can capture the reflections of the rock in the water. A great hike.

Sep. 27, 2023

Unique and great art with a nice walking path to stretch your legs.

We've always meant to stop here when passing through South Dakota, and finally did this time. Admission is $10 apiece, and they are dog friendly. The art is unique and ingenious. Some of the poetry and story signs were a bit much, but if they don't pull you in in the first couple sentences, just move on. It takes about 30 minutes to walk through, and they do have a small set of souvenirs.

Sep. 26, 2023

A tale of two stays

The summary of my description is that this is a great place to stay when travelling with pets, or for a one night stay while passing through. Since we were travelling with our dog, it looked to me we really only had two options and chose the Thunderbird Lodge. We have stayed in Mitchell twice previously at the chain hotels just south of I-90. We knew we wouldn't have the same experience at Thunderbird, but the extra $ you pay at those chain places isn't reflected by the slightly decreased quality at Thunderbird.

We stayed here going to and coming back from western SD and NE, staying in room 25 the first time and 27 the second. Everything in #25 met our expectations except the bathroom, which looked a little beat up or unfinished - the door was pretty beat up on the inside, trim was missing and the caulk job on the tub and surround left something to be desired. The fixtures and flooring and wall tile all looked new though. Everything else about the room was top notch - clean, comfy beds, the furniture was in good shape, a large fridge and new looking coffee maker and microwave. The carpet looked good and the vanity area was very nice. The temperature control unit was also very robust, which we appreciated as it was plenty hot. Also a nice TV with plenty of channels. Four stars for #25.

#27 wasn't quite as nice. Large stains on the carpet and the curtain had a large rip right at the top. The bathroom looked about the same as #25, but otherwise everything else in #27 matched #25 in quality.
There is a large grassy area right next to the hotel which was great for the dog. The breakfast was very good - maybe slightly below the offerings at the more expensive chain hotels. You are not supposed to eat in your rooms, but there are several picnic tables just outside the breakfast area where you can sit with your dog. The staff was very helpful and friendly. We didn't have a chance to use the amenities, but they looked nice. Three and a half stars for #27.

Sep. 22, 2023

dog friendly? The food is fantastic, but ...

We thought it would be a great place to eat after checking out the menu on-line from our hotel. My wife called about bringing dogs, and she was told there was no outside seating and dogs weren't allowed inside. We went ahead and ordered for pick-up, and the food was fantastic, but there is definitely no dog friendly outdoor patio.

Sep. 21, 2023

Great food and beer. The patio isn't much though.

We ate here twelve years ago and upon returning the food was still great. We also returned here because this time we were traveling with our dog and their patio is dog friendly. The patio is not a real attraction though, as it overlooks the rail yard. It was nice and sunny though. I had the chicken fried steak with a cup of soup and a couple of beers and my wife had the club sandwich with a salad and a glass of wine. Our serving sizes were ample, but not over the top, and reasonably priced. They were also delicious. My soup was spiced up chicken, with just the right amount of bite. They also had a good beer selection. Our server was very helpful and attentive to us and our dog.

Sep. 21, 2023

Great food and pretty good beer.

We chose to eat here because I always like a good brewery, and we had our dog with us. We assumed we'd have to eat on the patio, but they seated us inside, just off the patio entrance. I had the rattlesnake brat with fries and my wife the wedge salad, and we also had the house made chips. Our server was super helpful and attentive. I can't really say my brat tasted any different than a regular one, but it was delicious, as were my fries and the house chips. My wife wasn't completely thrilled with her salad, but I don't understand ordering a salad when in Custer. It just seems wrong. The beer selection was large, but as a hazy or imperial IPA guy, it wasn't quite my cup of tea. Both of the lagers I had were good though.

Sep. 20, 2023

Great inexpensive food and a nice patio.

This is the breakfast spot if you are staying at the Bavarian Inn, or even if you aren't. We ate there both days during our stay, with my wife having a breakfast vegetarian burrito one day (which I finished off) and a vegetarian quiche the second day (which I also finish off). I had two of the several croissants offered on the menu. The food was delicious, and I thought very reasonably priced, and the staff very quick and friendly. We brought the food back to our room the first day, but when we saw that we could bring our dog with us and eat on the patio, we ate there the second day. The patio is very large and comfortable.

The only thing that seemed to be problematic is that the primary method of ordering is via a touch screen. They did start doing direct person to person ordering the second day when the line got very long. I know that this is the way the world is going, but it did represent a log jam as each person figured out how to navigate the menu.

Sep. 20, 2023

Great food and margaritas!

We chose to eat here because they are dog friendly. We assumed we'd have to eat on their street patio, but we were welcomed inside, as were some other people with their dog. Our server was very helpful and we had a nice discussion about our dogs. The food was excellent, and we had enough leftovers for lunch the next day. The margaritas were fantastic, and my wife had an additional shot of tequila from their large selection.

Sep. 20, 2023

Great dinner on the patio with our dog Rosie.

The patio has two separate sections with 5-6 tables and there were only a few other customers early in the evening on a Saturday in September. My wife had a glass of wine while I had a couple Nebraska beers. We ordered the garlic parmesan wings along with the hummus, roasted brussels, and shishintos peppers. Everything was delicious and we had plenty left over for lunch the next day at Scotts Bluff National Monument. Our server was very helpful with suggestions and was genuinely interested in our plans while visiting the area. The prices were very reasonable and the patio was great for people watching.

Sep. 20, 2023

Great room and grounds

We chose this place because we were travelling with our dog and they are dog friendly. The buildings and grounds are very cute and clean, and offer a lot of extras - pool, pickleball, a basketball hoop, a nice trail in the rear where we encountered deer and turkeys while walking our dog, and the patio area. The person at the desk on check-in was very helpful and friendly, and we also enjoyed the ice cold mild and delicious cookies both afternoons we were there. Our room was spacious and clean, the beds comfy, and we appreciated the large refrigerator. The TV had a good amount of channels available. Even though we were right off the road, we didn't hear a thing once we closed the French doors.

One weird issue was the temperature of the room. We were on the lower level with French doors and no windows. The unit above us had windows. It was warm during our visit, and we like things cool, so we set the temperature control unit to a temperature that should have made the room cool enough and to our liking. During the first night we had to lower the temp even more as we were too warm to sleep. Ultimately we ended up with the temp set as low as it would go, with the fan as high as it would go, with it still being too warm for us.

The temperature control unit was above the vanity, and the temperature there was comfortable, but that coolness just didn't permeate into the sleeping area. The morning we checked out I noticed that the unit above us had kept their windows about half way open all night, so maybe they were having the same problem. I'm not sure what the issue was - maybe the people in the room next to us were from Arizona and couldn't get their room warm enough to suit them. If we stay again when it is warm, we will request an upper level room.

Sep. 20, 2023

Great 2 day stay

Great location for vising Scotts Bluff National Monument, which is just a few minutes straight west of the hotel. The room was spacious, clean and quiet with very comfy beds and, a large refrigerator and plenty of TV channels, but no local or regional ones that we could find. The staff was friendly and helpful and the lobby featured a large TV and complimentary coffee and lemon water. The breakfast room serves as a small lounge as well, but the alcohol selection was limited. The breakfast offering was good, with the main course items changing during our two day stay. There are not many restaurants right nearby, but several in Scottsbluff, which is right across the river just a few miles away, with the hotel on the main drag which takes you straight to Scottsbluff main street.

Sep. 20, 2023

Great place for pets

We had no issues having our dog at the hotel. She was welcome in the main entry, elevator and the front outdoor patio - where we ate breakfast 2 of the 3 days we were there. The breakfasts were great, with a nice variety, and our room was clean, well kept, and quiet. The view from the front outdoor patio was spectacular. They have a nice little gift shop and the staff went above and beyond helping us with our questions.

The only issues were with getting our large amount of gear and supplies into and out of the hotel. Most of the hotel parking lot is located at the bottom of a slope outside the entrance, with steps leading up the slope to the hotel. There were a few non-handicap parking spots at the top of the slope, and temporary parking at the entrance was allowed while loading and unloading, but during peak arrival and departure times those spots could be filled up. At those same peak times there was a lack of luggage carts. Getting the luggage cart into the elevator on the main floor was not a straight shot either and required a little maneuvering. They could also use some automatic front doors as well.

If you have a small, or even average, amount of luggage and can get by without a luggage cart, or do your loading and unloading outside of peak times, you won't have any issues.

Oct. 05, 2022