Overview
- Rapid City, founded in 1876 by gold prospectors John Brennan and Samuel Scott, is South Dakota’s second-largest city.
- Known as the City of Presidents, Rapid City features 43 life-size bronze presidential statues downtown near Mount Rushmore.
- Rapid City sits in the banana belt of South Dakota with warmer temperatures and more sunshine than many major U.S. cities.
- A devastating flash flood along Rapid Creek in 1972 killed more than 250 people and caused massive property damage.
- Dinosaur Park, built in the 1930s by the Works Progress Administration, showcases concrete dinosaurs near real prehistoric track discoveries.
Attraction
1880 Train
The Black Hills Central Railroad operates the 1880 Train between Hill City, South Dakota, and Keystone, South Dakota, on the Burlington Northern Railroad's former Keystone…
Attraction
Art Alley
The Rapid City alley between Main and St. Joseph streets and connecting 6th and 7th streets isn’t some sort of tribute to New York City…
Attraction
Berlin Wall Exhibit
The Berlin Wall exhibit in Memorial Park was installed in 1996. It was originally part of a traveling Berlin Wall exhibit that visited the South…
Attraction
Bullock Hotel
The Bullock Hotel is a historic landmark located at the corner of Wall Street and Main Street in Deadwood, South Dakota. It was built by…
Attraction
Chapel In the Hills
The Chapel in the Hills, a prominent Rapid City landmark, replicates the famous Borgund Stave Church in Norway, dating to the 12th century. The Rapid…
Attraction
City of Presidents
The City of Presidents in downtown Rapid City is a collection of life-sized bronze statues representing each former American President. More than 40 bronze President…
Attraction
Crazy Horse Memorial
Crazy Horse Memorial in Custer County, South Dakota, is a monument currently being constructed on privately held Black Hills land.
Attraction
Custer State Park
Custer State Park includes more than 71,000 acres and is South Dakota’s first and largest state park. The state park and wildlife reserve is home…
Attraction
Dinosaur Park
In the 1930s, work began on Rapid City’s quirky and beloved Dinosaur Park. The idea originated after dinosaur bones and footprints were found in the…
Attraction
Founders Park
The 60-acre Founders Park sits on the site where the original “founders” of Rapid City camped in 1876. Most of the land, which serves as…
Attraction
Mount Moriah Cemetery
Mount Moriah Cemetery, established in 1878 in Deadwood, South Dakota, is the final resting place of several famous Wild West figures, including Wild Bill Hickok,…
Attraction
Mount Roosevelt Friendship Tower
The Mount Theodore Roosevelt Monument, also known as the Roosevelt Friendship Monument or Friendship Tower, is a 31-foot-tall stone tower in the Black Hills National…
Eat & Drink Venue
Delmonico Grill
Eat & Drink Venue
Firehouse Brewing Company
Firehouse Brewing Co., which opened in 1991 in downtown Rapid City, is the oldest brewery still in operation in South Dakota.
Eat & Drink Venue
Legends Steakhouse
Eat & Drink Venue
