Deadwood fans, listen up: If you watched Deadwood: The Movie on May 31 and you want to explore the town that inspired creator David Milch's work, you're in luck.
A customizable trip to Deadwood, South Dakota is available and now bookable through September 2, 2019. It's called Deadwood: Heroes & Villains, and it's a movie-inspired travel package that may include experiences like traditional stagecoach rides, authentic gold mine tours and cemetery visits.
The 15-year-old HBO television series and Deadwood: The Movie were inspired by the real Deadwood town in the Black Hills of South Dakota, which is a historic settlement made famous during the 1870s gold rush. The camp boomed with outlaws, gamblers and gunslingers—many of who doubled as goldseekers. Today, Deadwood is a resort and gaming town with bars, casinos, full-service spas and saloons—but not without historic charm or preservation.
"People don't even realize that Deadwood is a real place and that the characters are real Western legends," a representative for the South Dakota Department of Tourism told Newsweek.
Highlighted experiences include a ghost tour of the Historic Bullock Hotel (the site that one of the movie's main characters and historical figure, Seth Bullock, apparently haunts), a tour of Mount Moriah Cemetery (the resting place of Bullock, Calamity Jane and Hickok), a ride on a Deadwood stagecoach (the transportation depicted in the movie) and a tour through a real gold mine—not one created for entertainment—that dates back to 1878.
Many of the tours are billed to be led by informed re-enactors—people who really understand the history of the town.
There's also a lawman's patrol walking tour with an educated re-enactor of the town's first marshall, Con Stapleton, who discusses the history of the dynamics of the town as it was influenced by the discovery of gold, by the brothels and by the nightlife as well as the Deadwood's unique architecture and destruction by fire and flood in 1879 and 1883 respectively.
The rep says experiences aim to take travelers back in time through the hiring of re-enactors and dialing into life in the 1870s. For example, the gold mine tour is offered by candlelight, given that this was the way gold miners had to navigate the mines during the Gold Rush.
Scheduling is flexible, and experiences are customizable. Along with experiences, there are 34 options for lodging, which allows visitors to have autonomy in how they experience the town, depending on their priorities.
"If you want the most authentic experience, [The Bullock Hotel] has the most history," the rep says.
The hotel was opened in 1896, and Bullock, the town's past sheriff, was the establishment's original owner.
Prices vary greatly depending on lodging, activity preference and time of visit. The town is about 50 miles northwest of Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse Memorial, about 70 miles northwest of Custer State Park and Wind Cave National Park and 100 miles west of Badlands National Park.
To begin booking, click visit the Official Central Reservations System for the Black Hills & Badlands of South Dakota.
