In second season, S.D.’s only child-free luxury resort finding its niche

By Kate Meadows, for Pigeon605

The Shortgrass Resort, perched on the northern edge of the Black Hills, is heading into another sold-out weekend.

Owner Rachel Headley and her husband, Cappie, are in the second season of welcoming guests to their secluded, all-inclusive property that remains the only child-free luxury retreat in South Dakota.

“It’s like one more brick on the crazy wall,” Headley said with a laugh as she reflected on the year’s growth. “But we’re hitting our stride.”

Last season, Shortgrass quietly opened its gates after six years of dreaming, planning and building. Set on 52 acres of rolling grassland and riverbank north of Spearfish, the resort features eight Danish-designed luxury tents, a wellness studio and a private restaurant, Meander, where the meals rival the views.

In that first season, marketing was minimal. The owners were, in effect, still building the plane. They didn’t feel comfortable advertising, Headley said, because infrastructure was still going in.

This year feels different. The guest calendar is full. A pool complex is under construction. The greenhouse – only a dream last year – is thriving now.

And Meander has become a destination in its own right, open year-round for reservation-only dinners. Reservations must be made at least there days in advance “because our chef is that kind of chef,” Headley said. Each meal is a multicourse tasting experience curated by Chef Dan Gullickson, whose resume includes Michelin-starred kitchens and time as a personal chef for a Denver Broncos player.

“We’re really counting this year as our first full season,” Headley said, adding that the property is becoming a special place for locals as well.

They’ve refined a few things since opening, including how they describe the resort. After conversations with European travel agents, Shortgrass began using the term “child-free” instead of “adults-only,” which better conveys the resort’s atmosphere of calm and retreat.

“That’s really the point,” Headley said. “It’s about offering a space where adults can come to rest. People arrive wound tight, and by Sunday, you practically have to drag them out of here. You can just see their stress levels come down every day.”

It’s a formula that’s resonating. Guests come for anniversaries, group getaways and celebrations. One Washington, D.C., couple — both federal agents and parents of young children — found the resort in Outside Magazine and booked a weekend away.

“They were just charmed by South Dakota,” Headley said.

Others discover Shortgrass through curated travel agencies, social media or word of mouth. This year, group tours have become an unexpected but welcome part of the experience. Trek Travel brought in a group of cyclists. They’d bike during the day, return to their bungalows, change into swim trunks and spend the rest of the day swimming in the Redwater River – a mile and a quarter of which flows through the Shortgrass property.

A woman, her daughter and granddaughters planned a birding weekend. There have been 50th anniversary parties and yoga retreats. A highlight was a hot air balloon event, where guests stepped out of their bungalows at dawn and into a basket.

“We sold packages for that one,” Headley said. “A beautiful meal, a quiet night’s sleep, then you walk out your door at 6 a.m. and go up in a balloon.”

Resort staff work with a large group of international travel agents, mostly from Europe, who service high-end clients. These travel agencies bring people to Denver and send them to the Tetons. In her extensive market research, Headley learned that travel agents wanted to send their clients to the Black Hills but saw it was lacking in the luxury market.

Enter Shortgrass Resort.

“It was a really great reminder that the market we’re serving, the people we’re excited to welcome — they’re ready to have an amazing stay,” Headley said.

With each new offering, the resort’s footprint stays intentionally small. There are still just eight bungalows, each with a king bed and private deck. The guest list remains “delightfully short.” And Headley is quick to say they plan to keep it that way.

“We’ve stuck to our recipe. We want people to have the South Dakota experience. You get the fresh air, the privacy and a team of adult professionals and a retreat-like setting without having to worry about anything.”

The mixologist, Alex Spiekermeier, creates artful cocktails in the bar. According to Headley, he is “a master at creating interesting cocktails.” Executive concierge Candace Gustafson continues to work one-on-one with guests to craft personal itineraries, whether that means a private bison tour, a Devils Tower climb or simply a long weekend of peace and quiet.

From a new dock and an “old-school” diving platform on the river to the peach trees ripening in the greenhouse, there’s a sense that Shortgrass is still unfolding — carefully, beautifully and always with intention.

“We’re not trying to be everything to everyone,” Headley said. “We’re just trying to do a few things really, really well.”