State Game Lodge Dining Room

The State Game Lodge Dining Room in Custer State Park occupies one of the most historically significant hospitality spaces in South Dakota, set within a stone-and-timber lodge that served as the Summer White House for Presidents Calvin Coolidge in 1927 and Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953. The dining room maintains a commitment to wild game and regional proteins that aligns with the park's identity as home to one of the largest publicly owned bison herds in North America. Buffalo short rib, slow-braised until the marrow-rich meat falls from the bone, is the kitchen's most celebrated preparation — an emblematic dish for a restaurant situated within view of a free-roaming bison herd. Pan-roasted pheasant, a nod to South Dakota's status as the nation's leading upland bird hunting state, is prepared with seasonal accompaniments that reflect the park's surrounding landscape. Walleye, a freshwater staple of the Great Plains, rounds out the protein program with a lighter option. Breakfast service provides a more casual entry point into the dining room, with standard American plates supplemented by bison sausage and local eggs. The room itself carries historical weight: high ceilings, a stone fireplace, and period-appropriate furnishings create an atmosphere of understated grandeur. Dinner reservations are strongly recommended; guests staying at the lodge have priority booking access. The dining room is seasonal, operating May through October in alignment with Custer State Park's primary visitor season in South Dakota.