‘Far more than just Mount Rushmore': Take a closer look at South Dakota's second largest city

CNN

26-06-2025

See More Videos Nestled in the Black Hills of South Dakota, Rapid City is a scenic urban getaway that hasn't lost its small-town vibe.
While it's the state's second largest city, visitors can explore its greenway, museums, art and history, or indulge in craft beer and increasingly diverse dishes — all within a few minutes' drive, walk or bicycle ride.
And the surrounding landscape is home to enough natural and manmade wonders — from the Badlands to the Crazy Horse Memorial — to keep you busy for a week or more.
Rapid City promotes itself as the City of Presidents, a nod to its location 24 miles from South Dakota's most iconic attraction, Mount Rushmore National Memorial.
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Share your picks for our top towns in 2026 In town, locals know summer's in full swing when tourists are snapping selfies with bronze statues of Harry S. Truman and Richard Nixon. Street corners throughout Rapid City's historic downtown are home to life-sized sculptures of nearly all US presidents. (President Donald Trump's statue has been unveiled and will be installed in fall 2025, and President Joe Biden's statue is in progress).
The trail of presidents, which launched in 2000, is a self-guided, interactive adventure. The visitor center downtown has a City of Presidents Guide, or you can download a digital version , to take a walking tour or scavenger hunt.
'People love touring and looking at all the statues,' said Ally Formanek, CEO at Visit Rapid City, the city's tourism office. 'It's a fun and unexpected way to learn about history.'
Founded in 1876 by disheartened gold prospectors, today downtown Rapid City is a mix of historic landmarks such as the 1928 Hotel Alex Johnson and the 1912 Elks Theatre, along with restaurants, coffee shops, specialty stores, boutiques and art galleries that reflect the busy modern city. An indoor aquaponics farm, sourdough and gluten-free bakeries, a meat market and deli specializing in locally raised beef, and a comedy club are some of the new additions to downtown, just in the past year.
Main Street Square, downtown's anchor, hosts about 150 events year-round in and outdoor public space that offers interactive fountains in the summer and ice skating in the winter.
Jess and Cody Skinner own The Silver Lining Creamery, an ice cream shop at Main Street Square. Jess Skinner compares Rapid City to 'a mini Denver' with fewer crowds but plenty to do and see.
'We have such a unique downtown with all these local businesses,' Jess said. 'I've been to a lot of different cities and downtowns, and I think ours is one of the best.'
'We always get compliments about how friendly everyone is here … that everyone is so nice,' Jess said. 'Tourists can stop and (ask for directions) and people here are so kind and so helpful.'
Be prepared for plenty of walking while you're shopping and exploring the area and note that downtown parking can be a challenge.
For a stress-free way to see Rapid City, the narrated City View Trolley Tour highlights local landmarks and history. The tour's only stop is at Chapel in the Hills, a 56-year-old Norwegian stavkirke, a traditional time-framed stave church found in Scandinavia, with a meditation trail on its grounds.
'It's a place to slow down and catch your breath. People tend to linger here,' said Brian Kringen, managing director at Chapel in the Hills, a striking wooden structure with an elaborate tiered roof.
Ask locals what they like most about Rapid City, and the answer often is the natural beauty.
While many visitors come to the area for the otherworldly landscapes of Badlands National Park, roughly 60 miles east of the city, or the wildlife viewing at Custer State Park to the south, the city offers its own unique scenery.
Rapid City borders the Black Hills to the west and prairie grasslands to the east. Rapid Creek meanders through town and an adjacent greenway connects much of the city's 1,650 acres of park land.
Two beloved decades-old parks — Dinosaur Park and Storybook Island — have recently been upgraded to be disability accessible. Wheelchair-friendly Dinosaur Park includes seven life-size dinosaur statues and panoramic city views. At Storybook Island, six pieces of playground equipment are wheelchair accessible and have Braille panels and sensory panels for children with autism. The park is renowned for fairy tale character playsets, an antique carousel and a miniature train. Admission to both parks is free.
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Mountain bikers and hikers favor the panoramic views from trails within the 150-acre Skyline Wilderness Area, or from spots along the more than 20 miles of trails in Hanson-Larsen Memorial Park, where M Hill pays tribute to science and engineering university South Dakota Mines. All of these trails are located within city limits.
Jason Kingsbury is a tourist-turned-resident who relocated largely because of the city's outdoor recreation. Kingsbury is an avid camper, mountain biker and fly fisherman.
'I was absolutely blown away with how much there is to do in Rapid City,' Kingsbury said. Accessing outstanding outdoor recreation in just minutes is unique, he said.
'A lot of people do not have that experience. They can go to Memorial Park and ride world-class (trails). They can ride there from their hotel — that really impresses people,' Kingsbury said.
'What a lot of people always say is 'I can't believe how cool this is. I never thought South Dakota had things like this,'' he said. 'They realize real quickly we're far more than just Mount Rushmore.'
South Dakota is cattle country, and while steak and burgers will always be on local menus, Rapid City's food culture is evolving — in part thanks to tourists and new residents.
Kingsbury, for example, opened Cohort Craft Brewery here in 2021. This year, he's adding a second location in nearby Hill City. Cohort is part of the craft brewing scene that's emerged in the past 15 years. The Black Hills region has 13 craft breweries; seven are in Rapid City.
'We are such an underrated beer destination,' Kingsbury said. 'I don't think people really know what we have in the Black Hills and Rapid City. If they're into beer tourism, we are definitely a place you have to go. If you want excellent beer but love the intimacy of small breweries, we cannot be beat.'
The city's food scene is growing, too.
Especially in the past five years 'people migrated here from around the United States and with that, they upped the ante a little bit,' said Jarred Bren, chef and owner at Tandoor Bocado, which opened in 2024. 'They started to raise the level of food knowledge.'
Tandoor Bocado's New American menu and cooking methods incorporate flavors and techniques from France, Asia, Peru and beyond.
Another recent addition to the dining scene, Bokujō Ramen opened in 2021 and bison stars in some of its savory dishes.
Locals appreciate the growing diversity, with restaurants throughout the city now serving Indian, Bangladeshi, Thai, Vietnamese, Mexican, Italian and Japanese cuisines.
'People appreciate that something is happening with the food around town,' Bren said. 'One of the biggest compliments (I hear) is, 'Thank you for bringing something new to Rapid City.''
Performing arts abound in Rapid City, which is home to three community theater groups, a symphony orchestra, a chamber music society, plus a wealth of local bands and singers. The Black Hills Jazz Festival debuted in 2025.
Visual arts thrive too. In Art Alley, local artists continually add to a community gallery of murals painted on the brick walls of an alley downtown. Dahl Arts Center houses a permanent collection of more than 300 artworks, plus rotating exhibits.
A wealth of Lakota art, music and talent wows visitors. The Black Hills are sacred to the Lakota, who celebrate their culture at the Black Hills Powwow, art markets, festivals and local galleries such as Prairie Edge and Dakota Drum.
The Journey Museum houses the Sioux Indian Collection, one of the finest collections of Lakota art in the nation.
'It's very special. We are in a part of the country where our history with the United States is still relatively new,' said Marty Two Bulls Jr., an artist, educator, enrolled member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe and interim executive director of Rapid City Arts Council.
'We still have a lot of cultural practices and languages. The Native arts here are strong,' Two Bulls Jr. said.
Two Bulls Jr. created a photo collage for a local art collection displayed inside the new Oyate Health Center. Original paintings, drawings, beadwork and four permanent murals, one of which is Two Bulls Jr.'s collage, are displayed in the clinic's public spaces.
'They have one of the best contemporary Native art collections in the region,' Two Bulls Jr. said.
Nearby, a new 25-acre memorial, Remembering the Children, was dedicated in 2025 to honor Native American children who died at the Indian Boarding School in Rapid City between 1898 and 1933. At its center is a sculpture titled 'Tiwahe,' which means 'immediate family' in Lakota.
Rapid City is surrounded by parks, attractions and historic towns, all of which are within an hour's drive or less.
In the hour-away range lies the rugged beauty of Badlands National Park, where rich fossil beds, mixed-grass prairie and wildlife await within the park's 244,000 acres. Nearby, Wall Drug, which dates back to 1931, is an iconic pit stop for refreshments (homemade doughnuts and free ice water, for starters) and souvenirs.
Mount Rushmore National Memorial, about a half-hour southwest of town, draws about two million people a year to see George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln preside over Black Hills landscapes. This year is the 100th anniversary of the beginning of construction.
About 30 minutes from Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse Memorial is a mountain carving in progress of Oglala Lakota warrior Crazy Horse. The memorial includes The Indian Museum of North America, cultural events and activities.
Custer State Park, roughly 30 miles south of Rapid City, maintains a free-roaming herd of about 1,400 bison (often referred to as buffalo) and hosts an annual Buffalo Roundup and Arts Festival. Visitors can dine at the park's State Game Lodge, which was President Calvin Coolidge's 'Summer White House,' or take in a live show during the summer at the Black Hills Playhouse .
The list of day-trip options doesn't stop there. The Wild West town of Deadwood is nearby. So is Sturgis, of motorcycle rally fame. There are Reptile Gardens, a recently renovated air and space museum and more.
An often-heard comment from visitors, Formanek said, is that Rapid City is a place where they want to spend more time.
'They'll say 'We should have stayed a couple of extra days' or 'There's so much to do. We'll have to come back,'' she said.
Tanya Manus is an award-winning journalist and freelance writer who lives in South Dakota.
A showstopper when it comes to scenery