Any time I mentioned our trip to friends they all had the same response, “Oh Mount Rushmore!” As if it’s the only thing they knew about South Dakota (I was guilty of the same thing)!
After visiting I am blown away we hadn’t been before. Just a couple hour plane ride or 10 hour drive, it is totally accessible from Utah and SO worth a trip! And yes, Mount Rushmore completely exceeded my expectations, but there is so much more to see and do there.
I want to share our MUST DO’s now:
Oh my goodness, my jaw hit the floor. It is SO so beautiful and unique from anything I had seen before. We took the most scenic drive through admiring the colorful rock layers (formed due to erosion during the Cretaceous period) and mountain goats right by the road! I thought this place couldn’t get better but THEN we went back out to experience sunset, which I had heard was beautiful (huge understatement). The rocks slowly turned bright red… we truly felt like we were walking on another planet!
The Reptile Gardens: Wild Animal Park (Rapid City)
Okay, I take my kids to A LOT of “kid attractions” similar to this, but WOW this one stood out in so many ways. It’s family run and you can feel it in the best way! Everyone seems so happy and like they love their jobs. The array of creatures was so impressive… we got to spend 30 minutes with two 100+ year old tortoises and never felt rushed. The grounds are impeccable, full of flowers and greenery, and it didn’t feel overly crowded.
First off: the scenery itself is unreal. Set into the mountain, covered in trees and greenery.. This was definitely one of our favorite activities with the older kids (5+). There is a coaster, “soaring eagle” zipline, shooting bandits interactive ride, and the ropes course (which had many different skill levels). We also happened to go on a “locals” day, which means they had live music in a couple locations outside.. Really added to an already great activity.
Mount Rushmore National Memorial
Okay, I know it’s cliche, but it really is pretty dang cool. I actually wasn’t very excited about it (after hearing some underwhelming reviews in the past). The whole experience felt really patriotic… not to mention CLEAN and easy to park/get to. When you walk up to the main viewing area, there are flags along the path framing it in as you walk up, which I loved. We really felt like an “all american” family checking this off the list! Also, the Thomas Jefferson vanilla ice cream completely lives up to the hype; a must get while you are there!
I’m excited to share a post next featuring our whole itinerary.. We discovered so many fun stops and restaurants! South Dakota certainly surprised us and we want to go back again to visit soon!