WAGON WHEEL BAR & GRILL

A few years back, I went to the Badlands, South Dakota, in the month of April. As the weather can still be a bit cold and snowy, April is still considered the off-season in the Badlands. And, in the Badlands, when it’s the offseason, it is really the offseason. As we drove and hiked about, we pretty much had the place to ourselves. I am an anti-social kind of guy, so I mostly considered that a good thing. But, there was one downside. We stayed at the Cedar Pass Lodge within the park. The lodge has a restaurant in it…and, its the only place to eat in the park. However, in the offseason, the dining room closes at 4:30 pm. The hours do expand in season. Anyway, I may be on the higher side of middle age, but I am not so old that I going to eat at 4:30 pm. My wife and I may still be enjoying the sites, or perhaps a cocktail. I don’t want dinner. And thus, the story leads us to the Wagon Wheel Bar and Grill in Interior, SD.

Before I left for the trip, I noticed that the town of Interior, SD, was just outside the south park entrance…very close to our cabin. According to Google maps, there were two places that provided options to eat…the Horseshoe Bar and the Wagon Wheel Bar. First, as to the town of Interior, it is more of a biker oasis than a town. On the surface, Interior does not exactly scream…”WELCOME TOURISTS!” My wife and I drove by the Horseshoe Bar. When I am with my wife, my chivalrous nature prevents me from taking chances with her safety. Perhaps it was an unfair judgment, but we did not enter the Horseshoe. So, on to the Wagon Wheel. You can see the old metal building in the picture. It’s not much to look at, but our hunger drove us to give it a chance. I was very glad that I did. Not including the bartender, there were 3 other people in the bar. The people were very friendly. We sat at the bar and really enjoyed ourselves. I did get PBR in cans. Your choice of food was pizza, bison burger, or chicken nuggets, I think. I mentioned that my hometown hockey team was playing in a playoff game. The drunk guy at the end of the bar took the TV remote and found the game on their Direct TV. We had good company, good beer, acceptable food (anything would have been acceptable at that point), and my hockey team won! We also returned the next night for dinner again. The bartender remembered our names and welcomed us as regulars. My apologies for almost missing this experience because of bad judgment. If you need a break from the Badlands cafeteria, give the Wagon Wheel a chance. You could also get carryout liquor on the way out the door. Life is Good. PT