Two days in South Dakota barely left us enough time
to hit a few high points around Custer and its wonderful State Park. And two
days at the fabulous French Creek Ranch, with its beyond-bountiful breakfasts,
left us hungry for another visit to Custer and more of innkeeper Diane’s warm
hospitality.
Tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the
tourist town of Custer and the roar of highway traffic, French Creek Ranch
offered a quiet retreat for us after busy days of touring nearby Custer State
Park, the Black Hills, Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Memorial.
We love the unique experiences offered by staying in
bed-and-breakfast accommodations. French Creek Ranch offers the particularly
unique experience (for city dwellers like us) of spending time at a working
horse ranch that also welcomes equine visitors with stabling accommodations.
French Creek Ranch B&B is small in the sense
that it only has three guest rooms in the main house, but house is expansive
and offers an amazing array of amenities that include an in-house saloon,
sauna, game and billiards room, wet bar and large sitting area. Guests enjoy a
private patio for grilling and picnicking just steps away from outdoor
activities on the ranch like horseback riding and fishing.
French Creek also welcomes guests traveling by RV
with level sites featuring complete hook-up facilities.
One couple staying in their RV at French Creek Ranch
during our visit served as assistant ranch hosts through a work-and-travel
program, helping the innkeeper with ranch chores and helping visitors make the
most of their time in the area. Their advice steered us to driving the Needles
Highway, where we took some of our best photos of our trip.
French Creek Ranch proudly eschews the fussy
Victorian décor found at some B&Bs for a sophisticated take on ranch living
featuring Western and Native American furnishings and artwork. We settled into
our Cowboy Room, which fully lived up to the promise of “refined but rustic”
furnishings with its comfortable lodge-pole bed, Western theme decor and scenic
countryside view.
Diane also offers a small selection of regional
artwork and craft items from local artisans for sale, like the lucky iron horse
shoe and cross combo that now hangs over the doorway of our family room.
As fabulous as the house and ranch are, the
hospitality at French Creek rates as its best feature.
Days start with a breakfast beyond belief for
someone like me, who usually makes do with an ice tea, a carton of yogurt or a
couple of cheese sticks for breakfast at home. When the Web site advises guests
to come hungry for a “full breakfast”, believe it!
Diane’s breakfasts feature entrees with Southwestern
flavors like breakfast enchiladas or migas (a scramble with eggs and tortilla strips
or chips), in addition to fruit or pastries and bottomless cups of coffee or
tea. The breakfast table also featured an easy conviviality where Diane chatted
with guests as she bustled around her kitchen and her RV camper hosts helped us
plan our day.
We’d originally stopped in South Dakota for a couple
of days at the end of a trip out to Wyoming and Montana with the intention of checking
out the area as a possible destination for a longer stay in the future.
After visiting French Creek Ranch, we can’t wait to
return to the ranch’s warm Western embrace and again experience Diane’s
generous spirit and beyond bountiful breakfasts!
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presidents
© Dominique King 2009
I so want that Southwestern breakfast.
Posted by: gypsyscarlett | March 04, 2009 at 03:10 PM
A working hourse ranch sounds like a fun experience. I love to ride and it looks like French Creek offers my idea of what a B&B should be. And I want that Southwestern breakfast too!
Posted by: Fly Girl | March 05, 2009 at 08:18 AM
Gypsy-Breakfasts were a big deal at French Creek, and Diane's breakfasts were definitely worth eating lightly the rest of the day so you could enjoy every bite in the morning!
Fly Girl-We don't ride, and French Creek was fun for us. I can only imagine how nice it would be for someone like you who loves riding.
We've stayed at a lot of B&Bs, and French Creek was among our most enjoyable visits. I especially like the small B&Bs (with maybe fewer than a half dozen rooms) where the owners live on site and really take an interest in making sure you enjoy your stay. It's always a bonus when the place has a truly unique feature--like French Creek and it's horse farm.
Posted by: Dominique | March 05, 2009 at 10:03 AM