Deadwood Alive
Deadwood Alive
4.5
12:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Monday
12:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Tuesday
12:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Wednesday
12:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Thursday
12:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Friday
12:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Saturday
12:00 PM - 9:00 PM
About
Witness the infamous trial of the man who killed Wild Bill Hickok. Six nights a week (no shows on Sundays). The capture of Jack McCall takes place in front of the Old Style Saloon No. 10 At 7:35 PM. The Trial of Jack McCall takes place at the Wild Bill Theatre on Main Street at 8:00 PM. Shootouts and entertaining shows with the Deadwood Alive troupe throughout the day, starting at 1:45 on Deadwood's Main Street, Memorial Day weekend - September 26, 2020.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
317 reviews
Excellent
251
Very good
46
Average
12
Poor
6
Terrible
2
Miranda
108 contributions
Jun 2024 • Solo
The actors put on a great live action show in the middle of the street for free! It's about the murder of Wild Bill! Then at the end of the night you can buy a ticket for the reenactment of tial of Wild Bills murderer! It was actually really funny and the cast is great! They pull people from the audience up to play along. It really was a great show! Worth the money and time!
Written August 13, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
KJ
Saint Paul, MN8 contributions
Jun 2021
Me and my sister wanted to experience the stagecoach ride but the temperature the day we stopped in was nearly 100 degrees and for the safety of the horses rides were not being offered. Completely understandable! We returned the next morning only to be entertained by “the sisters”! No, not sisters in the religious sense, but two siblings who were so darn funny that I just had to mention them! They helped us get a seat on the stagecoach and the ride was great fun. We are still chuckling over the sisters.......maybe it’s because they remind us of an older version of ourselves, I don’t know.......but they unknowingly provided a little extra something to our visit!
Written June 20, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We are so glad you were able to take a stagecoach tour of Deadwood. Sally and her sister are hilarious! Thank you for your wonderful feedback.
Written June 22, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Angie
2 contributions
Jun 2022 • Family
On our trip to the Black Hills, we stopped in Deadwood and were "utterly" delighted to stumble upon Deadwood Alive. Our 5yo daughter was chosen to be juror #3 and to say she was excited would be an understatement. The guys (actors) were so sweet to her. It is something she will always remember, and a memory her dad and I will cherish. Some of her concerns before going on stage: will they shoot me? Do I say "did you kill that guy or not" and "welcome to the show." Needless to say, her performance was hysterical. The actors did such a great job, so funny and sweet. A priceless memory, thank you all so much!!
Written June 12, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Wow, Angela, it’s awesome to hear how much you, your daughter, and your husband enjoyed your visit to the Trial of Jack McCall. I can’t tell you how much it means for us to hear that this will be a priceless memory for all of you. The Deadwood Alive reenactors work so hard to entertain all of Deadwood's guests, but especially the children and their families.
Written July 6, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Melanie
Hudson, WI36 contributions
Jul 2024 • Couples
I tried multiple different ways to buy tickets for the Trial of Jack McCall and the stagecoach. First tried online through the link on their website. Page not found. We figured we would just get them when we hit town. No one seemed to have a place to walk up and buy them. We tried to get them at the visitor center and they sent us back up the street to look for the chuck wagon because they would have tickets there. We walked back up the street to where she told us and even looked farther and couldn’t find it. Saw it later being towed back to the visitor center so it must have been somewhere. We went to the other visitor center by the train depot and they didn’t have them. There we were told to either call Andy at a number they circled on a flyer or the 800 number. Called Andy and left a message. That was two days ago and have heard nothing. Called the 800 number and got a message saying sorry they were closed and to call tomorrow. Called the next day. Same thing. Last ditch effort to buy them at the Franklin when we saw the theater there. Nope, gotta call Andy. We gave up. Unfortunate as we wanted to do both things.
Written July 24, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for sharing your experience, and we sincerely apologize for all of the inconveniences you faced while trying to purchase tickets. Your feedback is invaluable, and we're working to improve our ticketing process to prevent this from happening in the future. We're sorry for the frustration this caused during your visit and appreciate your patience. If you're willing to give it another try, please contact me directly so we can assist you personally and ensure a smoother experience. My office number is 605-722-4800.
Thank you for bringing this to our attention. Rose Speirs, Deadwood Alive board chair
Written July 29, 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Audra C
Vineland, NJ576 contributions
Aug 2020 • Family
It lasted for ten minutes but was free and really cool. My husband loves guns, I love history and acting, and this combined all 3 in one! We didn't have enough time to stay for the trial of Jack McCall due to our parking permit time going to expire, but the shoot out was awesome. Where can you get a show like this for free? A must see in Deadwood
Written September 6, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your wonderful review! We are so pleased you had time to take in a shootout. Hopefully next time we can get you a better parking situation so you can stay and see the Trial of Jack McCall. We do hope to see you in Deadwood again.
Written September 8, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Gazinda
Boise, ID20 contributions
Jul 2020
A fun time! If you are here for a Wild West experience this is a don’t miss. Start with the shooting of Wild Bill at the number 10 saloon followed by the arrest of Jack McCall which are free and fun! You need a ticket for the trial which can be purchased ahead or at the door. It is an audience participation too if you are so inclined.
Written July 15, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for the great review!
Written August 5, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Laura F
37 contributions
Sep 2021 • Family
We drove to deadwood for the 6pm shootout. Couldn’t hear AT ALL so it ended up being sort of lame. Could be so awesome with more action, better mikes. I hope they will give it a reboot. What I understood of the plot was thin, but based on reality??? NEW PLOT. 5 ppl polled: 1, 1, 1, 3.5, 3. Potential 5 star event though.
Written September 5, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your feedback, Laura. We sincerely apologize that the mics and sound were not good. I will share your review with the executive director and the programming committee and see what we can do to improve the experience. We appreciate your visit to Deadwood and hope to see you again.
Written November 3, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
mlorahga
Augusta, GA1,507 contributions
Sep 2020
Started my day in Deadwood with a stagecoach ride and tour and shootout on Main Street. Deadwood was a thriving gold mining town in the late 1800’s. This attraction is part of Deadwood Alive which also includes historic recreation shootouts on the street. A very unique way to tour the city.
Written November 13, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your great review, Mark. We are so pleased to hear you enjoyed the stagecoach ride and the shootouts on Main Street. We hope to see you back in Deadwood sometime!
Written June 7, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
visitorlives
20 contributions
Jul 2014 • Family
This is a great way to spend the day and evening in Deadwood that isn't gambling. They have something going on almost every half hour during the day which really helps as there isn't a lot to do in Deadwood during the day for families and just as entertaining for people without kids. I live in the area and always bring my family and friends to Deadwood when they visit.
I was surprised to read the one review that said it was just for kids. Obviously, they didn't watch all the gunfights or the trial or they wouldn't have said that.
People should definitely spend the day in Deadwood to watch all these shows. They do them every day but I don't think they do them on Sundays. All the shows during the day are free, and the trial of Jack McCall show cost $5 for adults (seniors and kids were less) but it was worth the money.
You can almost spend the day following these actors around as they are almost always doing a show. Calamity Jane tells stories and is wonderful to listen too.
Gunfights
• They have 4 street gunfights during the day that are based on what really happened back in the early days.
• Before the gunfights, the sheriff asks for the little kids to come out and he swears them in which gets the kids excited and their parents, too. You can tell he likes kids. The majority of the crowd laughs and smiles at watching this. From what I understand, there weren’t a lot of street gunfights back in those days.
• Every gunfight is different, and the actors are pretty darn good.
• They explain who was involved in the gunfights and what really happened so they do tell history.
The Jack McCall trial is at 8:00 PM and only an hour long.
• Some of the actors are musicians and they play some great songs in the minutes leading up to the play and near the end.
• They said that it is based on the actual trial which I am sure is pretty dry so I appreciate their adding a little humor to keep us alert.
• They include kids to sit on stage as jury members which help them keep entertained and paying attention.
• Audience members are picked to read the parts of the witnesses.
• While we were leaving I heard several people comment it was the best time they had that day.
• The actors greet you at the door and tell you thanks.
• It's a hidden treasure in that town.
Saloon 10 show
• Watching the show about Wild Bill getting shot was good, but the place is too crowded and noise from the machines and the music in the bar area were distracting.
• Too many people had to stand to watch, but the show lasted less than 30 minutes.
• Wild Bill has to scream for everyone to hear what he says.
• Also, I didn't like the recorded story playing in the background. It would be better without it.
If you want to see blood and guts, go watch an R rated western at home. If you want to learn a little history and get entertained at the same time, then definitely watch their shows.
I was surprised to read the one review that said it was just for kids. Obviously, they didn't watch all the gunfights or the trial or they wouldn't have said that.
People should definitely spend the day in Deadwood to watch all these shows. They do them every day but I don't think they do them on Sundays. All the shows during the day are free, and the trial of Jack McCall show cost $5 for adults (seniors and kids were less) but it was worth the money.
You can almost spend the day following these actors around as they are almost always doing a show. Calamity Jane tells stories and is wonderful to listen too.
Gunfights
• They have 4 street gunfights during the day that are based on what really happened back in the early days.
• Before the gunfights, the sheriff asks for the little kids to come out and he swears them in which gets the kids excited and their parents, too. You can tell he likes kids. The majority of the crowd laughs and smiles at watching this. From what I understand, there weren’t a lot of street gunfights back in those days.
• Every gunfight is different, and the actors are pretty darn good.
• They explain who was involved in the gunfights and what really happened so they do tell history.
The Jack McCall trial is at 8:00 PM and only an hour long.
• Some of the actors are musicians and they play some great songs in the minutes leading up to the play and near the end.
• They said that it is based on the actual trial which I am sure is pretty dry so I appreciate their adding a little humor to keep us alert.
• They include kids to sit on stage as jury members which help them keep entertained and paying attention.
• Audience members are picked to read the parts of the witnesses.
• While we were leaving I heard several people comment it was the best time they had that day.
• The actors greet you at the door and tell you thanks.
• It's a hidden treasure in that town.
Saloon 10 show
• Watching the show about Wild Bill getting shot was good, but the place is too crowded and noise from the machines and the music in the bar area were distracting.
• Too many people had to stand to watch, but the show lasted less than 30 minutes.
• Wild Bill has to scream for everyone to hear what he says.
• Also, I didn't like the recorded story playing in the background. It would be better without it.
If you want to see blood and guts, go watch an R rated western at home. If you want to learn a little history and get entertained at the same time, then definitely watch their shows.
Written July 14, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you kindly for your review of the Deadwood Alive shootouts and Trial of Jack McCall! We believe it is great entertainment for both children and adults, so thank you for making that clear in your review.
Written July 19, 2014
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Hilary M
Flower Mound, TX125 contributions
Aug 2015 • Family
We were skeptical about how this hour long show would be for our family including 5 and 8 year olds, but we all loved it. I would avoid Deadwood in the future except for this one bright spot. The town is otherwise not very suitable for children.
Written August 15, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your very positive review of Deadwood Alive on TripAdvisor. We are always happy to read how much children enjoy the Trial of Jack McCall. Thank you for your visit.
Written August 26, 2015
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
About how long do each of the reenactments take throughout the day?
Written February 13, 2019
DeadwoodRose1892
Deadwood, South Dakota
The Shootouts last about 15 minutes or a little less. The Trial of Jack McCall is one hour. The Saloon No. 10 also offers reenactments of the shooting of Wild Bill (not the same as the Deadwood Alive shootouts which tell various stories of real shootouts that occurred in Deadwood).
Written March 4, 2019
Do you have any performances during off season. I am planning to come the weekend of May 18/18. If so what? ( indoor plays, street performances etc.) Thanks.
Written January 27, 2018
DeadwoodRose1892
Deadwood, South Dakota
Hello,
Deadwood Alive will be performing on Fridays and Saturdays from March 23 - May 19 from 1:00 PM - 4:30 PM on Main Street. Walking tours and shows. The shootouts and Trial of Jack McCall begin Memorial weekend.
Written January 29, 2018
Will the the afternoon reenactments still occur in the case of rain?
Written September 1, 2017
hi there. the street shows almost always go on if mild rain or shine. only heavy rain would stop a show. its always best just to ask and you can find them at the #10 saloon.
Written September 1, 2017
What time of day do they do the Deadwood Alive reenactment?
Written May 2, 2016
DeadwoodRose1892
Deadwood, South Dakota
Hello: Deadwood Alive begins the summer season on Saturday, May 28 through Labor Day. Performances are Monday - Saturday beginning at 2 PM with the shootout in front of Tin Lizzy Gaming Resort. Shootouts are at 2, 4 and 6 PM. There are also shows on the street throughout the afternoon, with the capture of Jack McCall at 7:35 PM in front of the Saloon No. 10 and the Trial of Jack McCall at 8:00 PM at the Masonic Temple. Please check out the Deadwood Alive website for more information. We hope to see you in Deadwood!
Written May 2, 2016
Good morning,
Ever do anything off season for school field trips? Interested in a show if at all possible. Would love to hear from you ~
Written April 14, 2016
DeadwoodRose1892
Deadwood, South Dakota
Hello, Lacy: If your school group can come to Deadwood on a Friday between now and May 21, we can certainly work with you. If a Friday will not work, we can possibly make other arrangements. Please contact Dawn at the Deadwood Chamber, 578-1876 and she can help you set something up.
Thank you,
Rose
Written April 15, 2016
Are there live music shows in deadwood during June 2016? And if so, what are the shows performance days and times?
Written February 14, 2016
DeadwoodRose1892
Deadwood, South Dakota
Yes, the Deadwood Chamber hosts Wild Bill Days on June 17 and 18 with live music on Main Street. For more specific information, check out the Deadwood Chamber website. Plus, Deadwood Alive performs shootouts and live music Monday - Saturday from 2 - 6 PM with the Trial of Jack McCall at 8 PM. There is live music prior to the trial at the Masonic Temple. And the Deadwood Mountain Grand hosts a variety of great live entertainment in June and throughout the year.
Written April 15, 2016
DeadwoodRose1892
Deadwood, South Dakota
Hello,
Deadwood Alive's last performance for the summer (Shootouts and Trial of Jack McCall) will be on Labor Day, September 7.
Thank you, and we look forward to having you visit Deadwood.
Rose
Written July 29, 2015
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