The Black Hills Mount Rushmore Crazy Horse Memorial Custer
State Park and the Badlands
Rapid City is centrally located to visit the Black Hills, Mount
Rushmore, the Crazy Horse Memorial, Custer State Park and the Badlands.
Western
and Native American Heritage throughout the city you will find
Native American history exhibits, fine arts displays, and interactive museums
like the:
The
Journey Museum
takes you from the formation of the Black Hills over 2.5 billion years ago to
the continuing saga of the Western frontier. Interactive exhibits and displays
present the geography, people and events that shaped the history and heritage of
this region.
Dahl Arts Center located
downtown, is a city-owned art museum that offers a variety of cultural
exhibits, as well as classes, seminars and free art adventures.
APEX Gallery located on the
South Dakota School of Mines & Technology campus, you can explore
Rapid City’s ancient past at one of the finest fossil and mineral museums in
the country.
Main
Street Square
in Rapid City with daily activities and entertainment and City of Presidents
and get your picture taken with life‐size bronze statues of our
nation’s presidents.
Rapid
City has two historic districts for your enjoyment. The first is the historic
downtown with notable buildings such as the 1914 First National Bank building
at 7th and Main. Across the street you will find the 1911 Lions Head Fountain,
which was once a watering station for horses. The West Historical District is
residential in character; portions of 18 blocks contain examples of the city's
finest late 19th century and early 20th century
structures.
Mount Rushmore carved from a mountain of granite, Mount
Rushmore is located only 17 miles from Rapid City. Visit the park year-round,
see mountain goats and walk the Avenue of Flags.
Badlands National Park consists of 244,000 acres of sharply eroded
buttes, pinnacles and spires blended with the largest, protected mixed grass prairie
in the United States. Wall Drug,
a tiny store, built in 1931, has boomed to become internationally known for its
offering of free ice water, specialty shopping, and a unique backyard
experience. While in Wall, also visit Wounded Knee: The Museum and learn
about the last, bloody conflict between Native Americans and the US Army
Cavalry.
Custer State Park is home to wildlife including one of the
nation's largest free roaming buffalo herds and the Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway,
a 66-mile scenic route, the Needles Highway and Iron Mountain Road.
Crazy Horse Memorial is the world's largest sculpture-in-progress.
When completed, it will stand 563 feet tall by 641 feet long. See the
mountain carving in progress, museums and laser light show.
Stavkirke - Chapel in the Hills - is a
replica of an 850‐year‐old church in Norway. Outdoor enthusiasts will enjoy the Outdoor Campus West featuring
educational outdoor activities. Tour one of the Black Hills Gold jewelry factories and watch as each piece of
jewelry is hand‐crafted.
Fort
Meade Museum,
home of the 7th Cavalry, re‐formed after the disastrous Battle of the Little Big Horn in
1876.
Deadwood area attractions include the Black Hills Mining Museum, the Homestake Visitor Center in Lead and Mount Moriah Cemetery where Wild Bill
Hickok and Calamity Jane are buried.