Our family wanted to spend a week in the Black Hills, so we needed to find someplace to stay central to everything we wanted to see. The Little Red Inn seemed to fit the bill. And now that we're back home, we can say it definitely did.

The grocery store, gas, and restaurants in Custer are all five minutes away. The entrance to Custer State Park and Stockade Lake are even closer. Iron Mtn Road, Needles Highway, Mt. Rushmore, and Crazy Horse Memorial are all a half hour or less away. Rapid City and Deadwood are about an hour. And Devils Tower and Badlands National Park are about two hours. We were able to do something new each day without spending too much time in the car, and without changing hotels every other night. All that convenience, and yet still a very quiet and peaceful location. We loved that the property backed up to the National Forest. We saw deer every day, and heard some turkeys and coyotes, and there was a nesting bluebird pair right behind the house in a hollow tree.

As for the house itself, it had all the room we needed for our two adults and three teen boys. We didn't do much cooking there (we preferred to try out some of the local restaurants, and what cooking we did do was simple stuff), but the kitchen seemed to have all the utensils, etc. we would have needed if we wanted to do something more elaborate.

There are some quirks, like with every property, that would be good to be aware of:

1. As noted in other reviews, there is no dishwasher. This didn't really bother us since we didn't cook much, and there is a sink with dish soap and scrubbers and we have hands. ;)

2. The yard outside is nice and big and flat. Great for throwing around a ball or frisbee. And the fire ring is great. But if you get lots of rain, the water will pool up and turn the yard into a marsh. Take this opportunity to do another trip around the state park's wildlife loop. ;)

3. There is an a/c unit in the living room, and ceiling fans in the other rooms. All the windows open easily to let cool air in during the morning and evening hours.

4. The curtains and blinds let in a lot of light in the early morning and will blow around in the wind if you leave them open at night - something to be aware of if you're a light sleeper.

5. We can't tell you if the TVs work because we never turned them on. Quite a feat for our family and a testament to the wonderful things to do around there. :)

In summary, a great home in the perfect location!