Rapid City
On top of a high mountain, there is charm and culture.
Rapid City is famous for being close to many national parks and huge sculptures on the sides of mountains, like Mount Rushmore, which is only 25 miles away. But if you go to the heart of the Black Hills in southwest South Dakota, you’ll be amazed by the many outdoor activities, the charming historic downtown, and the Native American heritage museum.
Four iconic faces
You can stay in Rapid City and take short trips to the six national parks nearby. These are Badlands National Park, Devils Tower National Monument, Jewel Cave National Monument, Wind Cave National Park, Minuteman Missile Silo National Park, and Mount Rushmore National Memorial. not to mention the Crazy Horse Memorial that is still being built.
There is no way to get around this area without seeing the four carved faces of U.S. presidents on the rock on the side of Mount Rushmore. Once you get there, you’ll understand why this huge art (each face is 18 meters high), which took 14 years to build, draws almost 3 million people every year. In the Black Hills, not far away, someone is carving into another hillside. When it’s done, it will be the biggest sculpture in the world. It shows the famous Lakota fighter Crazy Horse riding a horse. The goal of this memorial is to keep the North American Indians’ traditions alive.
The Journey Museum & Learning Center has displays that cover about 2.5 billion years of history, from the formation of the first rocks to Native American cultures and the capture of the West.
Adventures in real life
Hiking, biking, fishing, kayaking, climbing, watching wildlife, and going off the beaten path are just some of the outdoor things that people can do here. All of these national parks have a lot of different types of scenery, such as mountains, hills, canyons, valleys, streams, and lakes.
Enjoy the great outdoors in the Black Hills National Forest and all of its secret gems, such as the Stratobowl Glade, which was once used as a hot air balloon launch site. If you go to Custer State Park, you can drive the Wildlife Loop, which is 18 miles of rolling hills and fields where more than 1,300 bison are free to roam. You can find out what other kinds of wildlife to look out for at the Wildlife Station Visitor Center. The George S. Mickelson Trail, which was once a train turned into a trail, goes through the Black Hills and is about 175 kilometers long. It has 15 trailheads, tunnels, and bridges.
A cultural city
Rapid City is known for its strong Native American arts and culture, as well as its food, wine, and beer scenes and its past that is deeply connected to native peoples. Sculpture Project: Passage of Wind and Water is a public art project by artist Masayuki Nagase that will last for five years. During the summer, the artist carves granite pieces by hand in Main Street Square. As you look around the city, you should check out the City of Presidents project. It is a set of 43 life-size bronze statues of past American presidents, four of whom are also buried at Mount Rushmore.
Comfort is very important in Rapid City, whether you stay in a small hotel, a big resort, a holiday rental, a tent, or a bed and breakfast. You might stay in a place that has been visited by some leaders.