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

One of the nation's most iconic attractions, the giant likenesses of Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt, lies just 65 miles west of Badlands. An excellent interpretive center, trail network, and patriotic night lighting ceremony make the trip even more memorable, as does a Youth Exploration Area added in 2015.

Encounter black bear, elk, sheep, and wolves at this drive-through wildlife park just outside Rapid City, which has been entertaining guests for more than 40 years. There's also a walk-through wildlife center with red foxes, porcupines, badgers, bobcats, and lynx. The Babyland area features bear cubs and young otters.

Don a hard hat and take a guided tour through an underground gold mine, get some free gold ore samples, explore the mining museum, and do a little gold panning yourself at this authentic-looking facility built into a hillside along Battle Creek.

Amethysts, logomites, calcite crystals, and other specimens fill this 60-million-year-old, privately owned cave, formed slowly by water trickling through limestone rock and first documented by gold seekers in 1882. Half-hour and hour-long walking tours, as well as gemstone and fossil mining, are available. Tours depart approximately every 20 minutes.

Hundreds of miles of hiking, mountain biking, ATVing, snowmobiling, and horseback-riding trails crisscross this million-acre forest. The boundaries encompass most of the Black Hills, but there are many "inholdings" —pockets and parcels of privately owned land, most of which are old mining claims that predate the national forest designation. For advice on how to best explore the forest, stop at the visitor centers in Rapid City, Custer, Spearfish, or even Sundance, Wyoming, if you venture across the border on a day trip. There's an additional visitor center open seasonally at the Pactola Reservoir.

Starting with movie sets from the epic Dances with Wolves, this attraction is evolving into the South Dakota Film Museum, chronicling some 50 films produced in the state since 1914. See props, posters, and historical photos. A seasonal chuckwagon dinner show is also held here, and a Buffalo Hunt coaster ride soars above the surrounding scenery

The small, quiet mountain town of Hill City is the gateway to Mount Rushmore. Despite having just 950 residents, the community claims four art galleries, a world-renowned dinosaur research institute, five wineries and craft breweries with tasting rooms, a vintage steam railroad, and a popular visitor center on its eastern flank.

When Korczak Ziolkowski agreed to carve Crazy Horse at the invitation of a Lakota elder, he determined that he wouldn't stop with the mountain. He wanted an educational institution to sit at the base of the mountain, complete with a center showcasing examples of Native American culture and heritage. The construction in 1972 of the Indian Museum of North America, built from wood and from stone blasted from the mountain, was the initial step in that direction. The permanent collection of paintings, clothing, photographs, and artifacts represents many of the continent's tribes. There is also a space for temporary exhibits that often showcase works by modern Native American artists.

The interactive exhibits at this museum explore the history of the Black Hills from the age of the dinosaurs to the days of the pioneers. Its five permanent collections cover Native American and pioneer history, geology, paleontology, and archaeology. Special programming and exhibitions occur throughout the year.

This attractive, outdoor plaza in downtown Rapid City is a focal point for a wide array of special events throughout the year, including movies under the stars, food festivals, a farmers' market, musical performances, and, in the winter, ice skating and fire pits. In the summer, the square features interactive fountains, gardens, and a large oval lawn. Giant, sculpted stone slabs called Passage of Wind and Water surround the site, and there are shops and restaurants all around.

Beginning in Deadwood and running the length of the Black Hills, the Mickelson Trail incorporates more than 100 converted railroad bridges, four tunnels, and 15 trailheads along its 109-mile-long course. Although the grade is seldom steep, parts of the trail are strenuous. A $4 day pass or $15 annual pass are available at self-service stations along the trail, some state park offices, and from the South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks. A portion of the trail is open for snowmobiling in winter.

Between the park entrance and the Avenue of Flags, the Mount Rushmore Information Center has a small exhibit of photographs detailing the carving of the presidents' faces. The information desk is staffed by rangers who can answer questions about the area. Here you can rent an audio device for a self-guided tour, and a nearly identical building across from the information center houses restrooms and vending machines.

This museum on the university campus of South Dakota Mines has a fine collection of fossilized bones from giant dinosaurs. It also contains extensive collections of agates, fossilized cycads, rocks, gems, and minerals. Younger travelers love the hands-on Kids' Zone exhibits. Shop for a sparkly treasure in the gift shop.

A project of the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish, and Parks, this attractive education center opened in 2011. It couples a hands-on museum featuring native habitats—including a freshwater aquarium—with a 32-acre outdoor campus offering outdoor activity classes and equipment rentals year-round. There are 1½ miles of hiking trails on the property.

This easy hike along a boardwalk and down some stairs leads to the very base of the mountain. Although the trail is thickly forested, you'll have more than ample opportunity to look straight up the noses of the four giant heads. The trail is open year-round, so long as snow and/or ice don't present a safety hazard.