Fascinating highlight of Needles HIghway. If you're going through this Custer area, whether to…read morevisit Mt Rushmore, Custer SP, etc, it's an enthralling experience to traverse this fun tunnel (or funnel) once. Just make sure you're driving like a sedan/SUV to clear it, cuz boy it sure is narrow!

Had spent the morning in the southern area of Custer State Park, and the afternoon was going to be…read morethe Needles Highway, followed by Mount Rushmore. It was a little bit drizzly, but the sites were still amazing as we drove the ever winding path. The tunnels were pretty crazy, one in particular being extra narrow! We were in a big SUV, but we were following a big SUV, so I figured if the car in front of us made it, we would! This is a great drive to make if you're in the Rapid City area.

Caveman Glenn was hilarious and almost guessed my age. Really great thing for the whole family.read more

This may be the cave to visit in the Black Hills. Wonderland Cave is open all year round and has…read moremany signs in the region. The cave is a little awkward to visit, but it is roughly between Deadwood and Rapid City along the interior roads. It is not just off I-90 and does require a bit of driving, but it is a great stop for those wanting to avoid the crowds at the national parks. Parking is good, but all gravel roads and lots. The final road to the cave is not paved, but it seemed well maintained and fairly easy to drive. I had a 4WD Jeep, but I think even compact cars could make the trip. It is a little long, so be prepared. Once you arrive, there is a small gift shop where the tours begin and end. They have some upgraded pit toilets for visitors too. The tour was really nice, but I will warn everyone of the stairs. It takes 160+ stairs each way to climb in and out. The steps are small and wet and can easily wear you out since the caves are at high elevation too. It made my legs sore for a few days, but I did enjoy the cave anyway. The tour is about an hour and walks through some very nice formations. Lots of cave bacon and wet cave features. The guides know their stuff and give a lot of information including when and where to duck. Tall guys like me need extra caution as I bumped my head several times. After the stairs, the walk is pretty easy and nice. I highly recommend Wonderland Cave when visiting the area. It may be a little out of the way, but the overall experience is exactly what you want in a cave experience. Several people said this was better than Wind and Jewel Cave, but I didn't visit either so I cannot confirm. Nevertheless, the location and hours are great and the experience is perfect - if you can handle the stairs!

Rapid City is the 2nd largest city in South Dakota. We were here 18 years ago & it's now a…read morecosmopolitan city. There is a mall, hospital, university & all of the usual chain stores & restaurants. There are a few Starbucks, Target, Bass Pro Shop, Culver's, Spencer's, Panera, ... Many ethnic restaurants are here now Indian, Italian, Mexican, Thai, Chinese ... The major hotel chains, car dealerships, gas stations, fast food restaurants....The city is very excited as they are getting their first Barnes & Noble's, although I find the independent book store is much more interesting.

Love the night I stayed over, got too see downtown, art alley, a couple of the brewery's, Mount…read moreRushmore and some black hills gold . Nice place to visit!

Shay is my mail delivery person! she has always been amazing. mail is on time and in good…read morecondition! she has brought many items right to the house for me without hesitation. she really goes out of her way to get your mail to you! I only have good things to say about her and I believe she does all her power to get mail out to everyone in a timely manner! Stephanie Ales Hermosa

OK we have a new Mayor in town. He is Jason Salamun. He won the elections this past June 6th, 2023…read moreand I'm already seeing changes in the city!! Wooohooo YES!!! We definitely need what he is bringing to the table!!! One amazing thing I saw today when I was walking through Downtown Rapid City, it's a new campaign that the city has started to end panhandling and encourage people to donate to Real Causes. So besides some signs, I also saw a Donations or Giving Meter on some corners of the Downtown!! The Donations made in the Meter will go to Local Charities!! I find that to be a genius idea!! It couldn't be more straight forward, and it's a way to keep crime down!! GO MR SALAMUN!! I can already tell that you are in office!!! :)

Best public library we've ever visited!! The staff is friendly, helpful & knowledgable!! Awesome…read morestaff!!!

A temporarily placed statue of Pres. Lincoln outside the Hotel Alex Johnson, Don Perdue came up…read morewith the idea to put a life-sized statue of every U.S. President on the sidewalks of Downtown Rapid City. Each statue is privately funded, then a local artists is selected . They research the president ; learning their passions, hobbies & achievements during their presidency. Well known mannerisms or characteristics are incorporated. This information helps to decide on the pose, facial expression, clothing, and all the amazingly tiny details found on each statue. After they have their concept the sculpting work can begin. It can take up to 9 months for each statue to be created. All the statues match the height & weight of the president except one. Pres. Taft's statue was trimmed down from his actual weight to make the monument affordable. A new audio tour allows us to get to know each as people, not just presidents. We can now dial in or scan the QR code found in the brochure to read along. The audio will even point out those tiny details the artist added info we might overlook.

We were in the area for Mount Rushmore, and were looking for other historic things to do/see. The…read moreFounding Fathers exhibit is really a unique experience. Being able to walk around a display with that kind of detail is impressive. I just wish that there was a bit more included in the price. It is $12 per person (discounts for large families/groups). This price includes a light and audio show (about 20 min) of a life size replica of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. For $30 per person, you get to see the show and shoot 3 shots from a musket at the range out back. The light and audio show was a pretty standard museum type explanation of the events surrounding the Declaration of Independence and the people involved. It's well done and fun to look at. They have information around the room to look at afterwards that gives you a background of all the people mentioned. The stories on them are worth taking a few minutes to read and was probably my favorite part. We really just didnt get enough out of it to make it worth the stop, especially for the price. We were in and out of there in less than an hour. We loved the idea of being able to shoot the replica guns out back and it would have been a fun way to complete the experience, but for $30 each it just didn't make sense. I'm glad we checked it out, but its needs a bit more included to make the detour worth it.

Dattebayo! *slurps ramen* All future hokage must visit Mt…read moreRushmore at least once. It's a rite of passage. I love how NPS laid out Avenue of Flags as a way to gradually approach the exciting national monument on foot as you grab many patriotic photos with your loved ones. Pleasant huge seating area to relax and soak in the magnificent views of the brilliantly sculpted stone faces. Also love the 1-km protected trail with ups and downs as you catch various angles of the visages. There's also a museum to learn more about the history of the planning and construction of these countenances. $10 parking. Visiting Mt Rushmore was an elating experience. Believe it!

We've been before, this time we came for the night show and lighting of the monument…read more The rangers speech and the video were both great! I read online you should come 1-2 hours early if you want a seat, at least at the end of may that was to early, 30-45 minutes early would be plenty. The park is very clean, the parking garage was easy in and easy out. And the gift shop has nice things not all cheesy stuff.