AWESOME book

Reviewed by scientific mom, 2010-01-18

This book is awesome for trip-planning. I unfortunately paid cover price at a local brick-n-mortar bookstore, but I wanted to see all the brands of travel guides in person to pick one. The others available definitely lacked compared to this one - and for the same price. I'll know from now on I can always trust this series. The front has some basic maps to get you started, and the first few chapters are history and "the natural world" of the region. The following chapters split information into common-sense sections, such as "accommodations", "restaurants", "attractions", etc. Even "nightlife" (for the young couple) and "kidstuff" (for family vacations) and even a chapter listing annual festivals by the month they typically take place in! Each detailed entry includes the name, adderess, phone number, web address, approx price, and operation hours of the business/location. Much of the info is contributed by locals so you really get a feel for the place. Even better, in each chapter the info is split into regions. In this case, "northern hills", "central hills" and "southern hills" which I really like. I discovered most of what we want to do is in the central and southern hills, so I looked under "accomodations" at cabins to rent only in those regions.
The best part of all are all kinds of 'did you know' entries with historical information about various places to see. Everything from how the cave system was formed (and how they keep them clean!), to American Indian war history, to 19th century natural disasters, to the infamous Wall Drug and Sturgis motorcycle rally. I plan to read some of this aloud to the kids before we get to each location, so we can enjoy the sights without having to read all the history pamphlets.
Also included are things to do around the region, including eastern WY, central SD, northern NE. There are also chapters on relocation, education, child care, health care, retirement, and media, but I haven't touched those since we are obviously planning a vacation.