Things to do in The Black Hills, South Dakota

Mount Rushmore, the mountain with four carved US presidents, may not be as popular outside the United States, But, it is on many American’s travel wish list and a popular stop for road trippers. This has been on our travel wish list for awhile and I’m so glad we finally made it. This was our two-day itinerary and things to do in the Black Hills, South Dakota region including and beyond Mount Rushmore.

DAY 1 – Black Hills Itinerary

1. Visit Mount Rushmore

Mount Rushmore was the main reason we did this trip so we started early and got here at 9AM. We were all excited at this first glimpse of the four presidents carved on the side of the mountain. It was hard not to miss it as we approached the area.

George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln were the presidents chosen to be memorialized on this granite mountain. The sculptor, Gutzon Borglum, selected them believing they embodied the American beliefs and represented major turning points in American history.

Surrounded by the beautiful Black Hills, it took 14 years and a lot of dynamite to complete this sculpture. They used dynamite to carve 90% of the mountain. It was a massive project that involved almost 400 people enduring extreme temperatures and at times, climbing 700 stairs to the mountaintop.

Do the half-mile Presidential Trail to get a different perspective of the 60-foot faces and feel a little closer. Unfortunately, part of the trail was closed during our visit but it was still worth doing the short walk.

They have a wonderful visitor’s center to spend some time in. Be sure to go around and look at the exhibits and watch the film about Mount Rushmore’s history. It gave us a better appreciation of this massive project and everything the workers endured to create this masterpiece.

Tips for Visiting Mount Rushmore

• Admission is free. Visitors just need to pay $10 per car for parking, $5 for Seniors (62 and older) but free for active duty military. Surprisingly, there was a nice multi-level garage here.
• Try to get here early. There were noticeably more people here as the day progressed.
• Let the kids do the Junior Ranger activity booklets to earn their badges. The booklet was full of interesting information and they will learn a lot.
• Their food court area offered great selections for reasonable prices including some bison meat. Don’t forget to try the ice cream using Thomas Jefferson’s 1870 recipe.
• During May to September, there is a lighting ceremony by the amphitheater with a video, veterans’ salute and flag lowering ceremony.

2. See the Crazy Horse Memorial

I have heard about this attraction for many years and it has always piqued my curiosity. It helped that it wasn’t too far from Mount Rushmore so it was worth a stop. This has been dubbed the “world’s largest Mountain Carving in progress.”

The mountain’s first blast occurred in June 1948. As of today, the sculpture of the Native American leader, Crazy Horse, is only partly finished. Below is the vision of the finished product with the horse (1/34 scale) and behind is what the mountain sculpture currently looked like. They have a lot more work to do.

We really liked the visitor complex here. The foundation and the complex were built to honor the North American Indians’ culture and heritage. There were two theaters here plus museums.

The Indian Museum of North America and the Native American Educational & Cultural Center were very well done. It was also fun to visit the sculptor’s (Korczak Ziolkowski) studio, family home and his workshop.

There were many exhibits that showed artifacts and art from beautiful paintings to wonderful sculptures. During the summer, there are various Native American artisans showing and selling their products. We were lucky enough to be here when a couple of dancers performed against the backdrop of the memorial.

Tips for Visiting Crazy Horse Memorial

• Admission: $35.00 per car for more than 3 people; $30 for 2 people (prices for MAY 26 – SEPTEMBER 30, 2023). It is $5 less for other dates.
• Watch the film on how a sculptor from Boston and a Native American chief started this mountain carving project. It also shows the project’s history and future plans.
• Get a free photo souvenir near the Wall of Windows in the orientation center.
• Bus rides can take visitors to the base of the mountain for an extra cost ($4 per person).

3. Descend into Jewel Cave National Monument

This wasn’t originally in our plan. But, with the summer heat blazing in the afternoon, we decided we needed to seek shelter somewhere cool. Luckily, Jewel Cave National Monument was nearby and was the ideal respite from the sun.

This was part of the US National Park System and the world’s third longest cave. So far, only 195 miles of it are mapped and so much more of it undiscovered. Visitors are required to join various guided tours to enter Jewel Cave. We didn’t make any advanced reservations since this was a spontaneous stop but were lucky enough to get on a tour with only a 30-minute wait.

We did the 1-hour and 20-minute Scenic Tour. There were about 20 of us on the tour including a few children. We descended the equivalent of 30+ floors down into the cave. The cave was a constant 49°F/9°C year-round so bring light jackets.

It was a spectacle of calcite crystals and many other formations like cave popcorn, boxwork and our favorite, cave bacon. These pictures don’t really do them any justice. It was vastly different from other National Park caves we’ve visited like Carlsbad Caverns.

Tips for Visiting Jewel Cave National Monument

• Reserve tickets early if coming here during the summer and if you know this is part of your itinerary. Advanced sales are only available for the Scenic Tour. Tours within 72 hours are available at the ticket window.
• All visitors must wear shoes that are fastened to the feet. No sandals or flip flops. They will ask you to change or refuse entry.
• Wear comfortable walking shoes. We walked and climbed a lot of stairs (about 723 steps) and navigated our way through some narrow pathways. It’s about a ½ mile loop.
• Leave belongings in the car. We were not allowed to bring backpacks, purses, camera bags, food, drink or tripods. Cameras and phones were allowed. Child carriers and strollers were also not allowed.

4. See Wildlife at Custer State Park

This 71,000-acre park in the Black Hills is a can’t miss attraction. The park is filled with wildlife and natural wonders from mountains and forests to prairies. Summertime fun includes swimming, boating, canoeing and fishing on its lakes.

We did the 18-mile (one way) loop road which was recommended as the best place to spot wildlife. It didn’t take as long to spot these prairie dogs along the plains.

There were so many of them. It was so interesting to watch them come out of their holes and make squeaky sounds.

There are about 1,300 bison that wander around the park. We really wanted to meet a bison or two along the road but it wasn’t our lucky day. Though, we saw this herd of bison with their calves from a distance. What a sight!

This mama doe and her fawn greeted us as we exited the park. It was like watching Disney’ Bambi cross the road. It was a great way to end our visit to this fantastic park.

Tips for Visiting Custer State Park

• Admission Price: $20 per car and good for seven days.
• The Loop Road didn’t have many areas to stop. Bring snacks, water and gas up. The stores by the campgrounds didn’t have many choices and weren’t cheap.
• Time your visit here during early morning or at dusk for better chances of spotting wildlife.

Disclosure; This was a long day that started early. We were able to accomplish quite a bit because the sun didn’t set until close to 8 PM.

DAY 2 – Flower Fields and Badlands

5. Look for Sunflower Fields

We found out that South Dakota is one of America’s leading producers of sunflowers. We didn’t set out to find any fields but came across one near the town of Wall.

If you’re here during July and August, look out for them. It was hard to miss the bright yellow fields from afar. These weren’t the average size sunflowers. They were huge!

It was also a pleasant surprise to find so many sunflower fields on the back side of Badlands National Park near Sage Creek Road. My daughter loves sunflowers so she was in total bliss to be among so many here.

We couldn’t figure out how to get to the farms but there were some open areas along the road to see the sunflowers up close. It really was such an amazing spectacle.

6. Explore Badlands National Park

We love exploring America’s National Parks and the Badlands was one of the most unique parks we’ve visited. The landscape was filled with unique formations of various colors and shapes. It was an otherworldly scenery as we drove through the Badlands Loop road – the park’s main thoroughfare.

There were plenty of scenic overlooks throughout this road. Of course, we stopped at all of them despite the heat and wind. Some have picnic areas too. We found a couple of bison, many prairie dogs and big horn sheep during our visit.

This vast area was once a part of a large salt water sea. As the sea floor rose up and the water emptied out, it left a treasure trove of fossils and mysterious looking formations. Don’t miss the Fossil Exhibit Trail to see some of the ancient animals that used to roam this region.

Read about our trip to Badlands National Park here.

7. Shop at Wall Drug

Over the years, I’ve seen friends and family stop at one of the country’s most popular rest stop. We couldn’t pass up stopping here since it was by the entrance of Badlands National Park. Nothing can really prepare you for what Wall Drug offers.

It started out as a tiny drugstore in 1931 offering free ice water to drivers and travelers. It has now become the world’s largest drug store.There were plenty of knickknacks to shop for and even a traveler’s chapel.

They also have various interesting signs for many miles along the interstate to keep the drive interesting. This store really knew how to make people want to stop here.

Wall Drugs had plenty of free things that entertained our family for a couple of hours. There were over 300 oil paintings scattered around here rivaling some museums.

My kids loved the Back Yard which had a roaring T-Rex, giant jackalope, animated displays, and a mining/panning experience. Don’t miss this if you’re in the area.

8. Enjoy Rapid City

We stayed in South Dakota’s major hub – Rapid City. It was surprising to see such a bustling and quite large city with plenty of stores and restaurants.

The downtown area wasn’t very big but it had a very interesting scavenger type attraction called City of Presidents. There were about 44 life-size bronze statues of US presidents around the downtown area’s sidewalks. Visitors can do a walking guide and download an interactive map to find more information about each president and statue.

Where to Eat in Rapid City

Firehouse Brewing – We really enjoyed our dinner at Firehouse Brewing in downtown Rapid City. The restaurant was the former home of the original Rapid City firehouse in 1915. There were plenty of seating inside and outside.

They offered great food at reasonable prices and for the adults, plenty of beer choices as South Dakota’s oldest brewery. It was very family-friendly and kids get free fire hats. There are also free tours with beer and wine samples for ages 21+.

Armadillo Ice Cream – Touted as Rapid City’s best ice cream, we had to stop and try out the ice cream at Armadillo’s Ice Cream Shoppe. It was refreshing and great value. They also sell hot dogs, sandwiches, soups and nachos. Try one of their 20 different sherbet flavors.

Due to our limited time, we couldn’t fit in many other attractions the Black Hills area had to offer. We would gladly do these on a return trip but I hope you can fit it in your schedule and itinerary.

Here are other interesting things to do in the Black Hills

9. Wind Cave National Park

We debated about going to another cave system a couple of days after Jewel Cave but decided to save this one for later. Wind Cave National Park has the world’s largest concentration of boxwork which is a rare and unique formation.

Many other formations like popcorn, frostwork calcite crystals are also found here. Visitors can only go on the cave through ranger-guided tours. No advance ticket sales are available. Kids can also earn their Junior Ranger badges here.

10. Rushmore Tramway Adventures

If there was one place my kids were most disappointed about missing; it was this adrenaline filled outdoor park. The Aerial Adventure Park has an obstacle over the trees that included suspended bridges, log ladders and zip lines along eight different courses.

They also have a 2,000-foot Alpine Slide allowing visitors to bobsled minus the snow. If you’re an adrenaline junkie, you can do a 25-feet free fall from the Jump Tower’s ledge. For a more relaxed ride, there is a scenic chairlift that whisks visitors to the top of the mountain.

11. Minutemen Missile National Historic Site

This is a worthy stop for history buffs. From 1963 to the early 1990s, the western part of South Dakota had 15 launch control facilities that controlled 150 launch facilities or missile silos that held Minuteman Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles.

These missiles were armed and ready to fire should anyone launch a nuclear attack on the USA and its allies. According to their site, the park “presents an opportunity to reflect on a peaceful prairie that once held the power to destroy the world.”

Visitors can do a 30-minute guided tour of the Delta-01 compound (one of the launch facilities) and the underground control center 31 feet below. Tours must be reserved in advance online.

The Visitor’s Center is free and has several exhibits about these nuclear weapons, the personnel stationed at the launch sites and about the Cold War.

12. Black Hills Wild Horses Sanctuary

Take a two-hour guided bus tour to see hundreds of wild horses running across the prairie and up close. There was also a visitor’s center and gift shop. My daughter really wanted to see this but it was a major time commitment.

13. The Mammoth Site

This attraction has the world’s largest concentration of mammoths. Visitors can do tours of the active indoor dig site which has over 1,200 Ice Age fossil bones of ancient animals. Some haven’t been completely excavated.

There were several exhibits and replicas around the site too. Kids can be part of the Junior Paleontologist Excavations classes during the summer (reserve in advance). Visitors can also see the scientists in action here.

14. Reptile Gardens

If you’re a reptile lover, you’ll enjoy visiting the world’s largest reptile zoo. Exhibits with bald eagles, giant tortoises and crocodiles will entertain and educate. They also have family-friendly animal shows and interactive experiences including snake handling demos and conversing with parrots. There is also an outdoor playground for kids and a tropical garden under the Sky Dome for a stroll.

*Have you visited or stopped at The Black Hills of South Dakota?

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