39 Best Sights in Rapid City and the Central Black Hills, South Dakota

Stalagmites, stalactites, flowstone, ribbons, columns, helictites, and the "Big Room" are all part of the worthwhile tour into this privately owned cave. In 1876, miners found the opening to the cave while digging a flume into the mountainside to carry water to the gold mines below. The cave was opened to the public in 1927, just before the carving of Mount Rushmore began. The attraction also features the Soaring Eagle Zipride, Rushmore Mountain Coaster, Wingwalker Challenge Course, and other theme-park-style activities.

On the west side of Rapid City is Storybook Island, a park on the banks of Rapid Creek that lets children romp through scenes from fairy tales and nursery rhymes. A children's theater troupe, sponsored by the Black Hills Community Theater, performs regular shows on a modest outdoor stage here and hosts workshops and acting programs.

Artifacts of regional ranchers and pioneer families are showcased in this museum's interpretive exhibits. You can see historical photos and items from the everyday life of 19th-century homesteaders, such as saddles, branding equipment, dolls, clothing, and dinnerware. The museum occupies a spacious building near the bank of the Belle Fourche River. The grounds include a relocated gold-rush cabin and a monument celebrating the Belle Fourche area's distinction as the geographic center of the United States (when Hawaii is included).

This outfit offers bus tours from Rapid City to Mount Rushmore, Black Hills National Forest, Custer State Park, and the Crazy Horse Memorial, as well as other tours tied to special events such as the Mount Rushmore Independence Day festivities and the Custer State Park Buffalo Roundup.

Crystalline chambers, reflecting pools, and limestone fill these underground caverns, named in honor of Sioux holy man Sitting Bull. Check out mirrorlike Diamond Lake, the abundant dogtooth spar crystals, and the aboveground nature trail.

The easiest way to get from Deadwood to Rapid City is east through Boulder Canyon on U.S. 14A. However, it's worth looping north and taking the long way around Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway, on this 20-mile scenic route past 1,000-foot limestone cliffs and some of the most breathtaking scenery in the region. Cascading waterfalls quench the thirst of quaking aspen, gnarled oaks, sweet-smelling spruce, and the ubiquitous ponderosa pine. The canyon is home to deer, mountain goats, porcupines, and mountain lions. Near its middle is the old sawmill town of Savoy, a jumping-off point for scenic hikes to Spearfish Falls and Roughlock Falls. In fall, changing leaves rival any found in New England.