South Dakota’s first adult-only, inclusive resort opens with ‘nature-forward’ approach

By Kate Meadows, for Pigeon605

Rachel Headley is taking a rare but much-needed break from planting on a 100-degree day as she sits down to discuss her family’s newest business venture.

She and husband, Jared “Cappie” Capp, are the new owners of Shortgrass Resort, north of Spearfish.

And this isn’t their first entrepreneurial adventure.

Before they became resort owners, they became reality television producers. Capp and stepdaughter Alex Headley are the leads in “Building Outside the Lines,” a top-rated show on the Magnolia Network, which follows them as they build unique creations such as a swimming pool out of a shipping container.

Now, the couple’s focus has expanded this summer with Shortgrass Resort, South Dakota’s sole adult-only, inclusive experience.

The resort is a “true luxury property,” said Headley, who also works closely with company executives as CEO of the consulting firm Rose Group International.

Headley and her husband, both native South Dakotans, recognized a drought here when it came to executive-level retreat options. They envisioned a serene, beautiful and intimate space where they could invite adults to experience South Dakota the way they do – with a “nature-forward mindset” and personal, meaningful connections with the land, as well as with people.

“We want to bring people to the Black Hills,” Headley said. “We want to give people a relaxing experience.”

They recognized the beginning of that opportunity when they purchased 52 acres north of Spearfish in 2018.

It was six years in the making, but when the resort opened in June, it offered a world of possibility for potential guests. Three eye-popping meals a day in the private restaurant, Meander, prepared by the resort’s executive chef, are included in a stay.

Eight luxury Danish tents dot the property, each with a private deck, and a stay includes a mile and a quarter of Redwater River access.

A wellness studio provides TheraBands for stretching, and a massage room and an infrared sauna invite opportunities for ultimate relaxation.

“This is our place,” small and private, says the resort’s website.

Executive concierge Candace Gustafson works one-on-one with guests to design a perfect and custom getaway. Guests can book personal tours of private bison herds, a guided climb of Devil’s Tower or build out their own vacation with unique requests of their own.

“By promoting sustainable tourism and supporting local vendors, we aim to enhance the visitor experience while respecting and protecting the environment,” Gustafson said. “Our commitment to showcasing the unique charm of South Dakota and the local area helps to strengthen the state’s reputation as a premier travel destination.”

Even with so many options to design a getaway, Headley said most guests choose to spend their entire time on the Shortgrass Resort property.

“We’re 90 minutes from 4 million acres of public lands,” she said. “I thought people would day trip out of here.”

But so far, she said, most guests choose to linger on the property during their whole stay.

In the six years between purchasing the land and opening the resort, Headley and Capp visited other similar-style resorts across the country to get a feel for what amenities were popular and what they liked and did not like about each experience.

They participated in an agrotourism program sponsored by the South Dakota Department of Tourism and SDSU Extension and talked to other entrepreneurs who were facing challenges unique to starting a business in rural South Dakota.

“Participating in that program really helped us nail down things like what do we want to offer and what don’t we want to offer, who we want to work with and how to leverage existing resources,” Headley said.

The result is a luxury resort that prides itself on having a deep connection to the surrounding Black Hills communities, they said.

“Shortgrass Resort’s mission is deeply rooted in celebrating and preserving the natural beauty and cultural heritage of South Dakota,” Gustafson said.

Added Headley, “We are evolving into local experience, local food, local culture.”

One of the many unique features of the property is the luxury tents, imported from Denmark.

Headley said she and Capp were open to all sorts of possibilities as they searched for types of shelters to put on the property. They considered covered wagons, domes and yurts – “everything you can imagine,” she said. “We really wanted something that felt sophisticated.”

While the resort caters in big ways to spending time outdoors, Headley said she felt it was important to keep a strong sense of luxury in the resort’s identity.

“We love being outside, but we don’t want to give up the way we live,” she said.

Being on the northern tip of the Black Hills, it can be windy, she pointed out. “We have real winter. So we needed something that felt very secure. That’s part of luxury: not worrying about anything,” she said.

She and Capp learned about an extremely durable, 12-foot-high tent made in Denmark. People who live there set up the semipermanent tents on beaches on the North Sea, leave them up all summer and spend weekends at the beach. Because the North Sea beaches sustain a lot of high wind, durability is critical.

Now with eight Danish tents of their own on their property, “the wind can be howling outside, and you don’t even know what’s going on,” Headley said. The resort is “very carefully designed to provide a special experience while thinking through all the peccadilloes of our weather.”

Shortgrass Resort is a seasonal operation, open from May 1 to Sept. 30. Next year, a pool and a greenhouse will be added to the property.

As Headley and Capp continue to build out the dream, they envision welcoming more couples with big anniversaries to celebrate, companies that want to rent out the entire resort for a work retreat, honeymooners, folks organizing family reunions and more. They look for professionals who are interested in luxury travel and luxury lifestyles.

“We are committed to an exceptional experience,” Headley said.