South Dakota was always a fun road trip. The drive wasn’t too long, the weather was perfect in the summer, and there was so much that was fun for kids to do there. Like all of our road trips, we would hit the road before the sun came up. The drive from Denver to Rapid City was around 7 hours, with maybe a stop or 2. Some of the top things to do there were to visit Bear Country, Reptile Gardens, Storybook Island, Dinosaur Park, and of course, Mount Rushmore. Maybe not exactly a kid attraction, but we thought Mount Rushmore was pretty cool. Another interesting spot (maybe not as much for kids) is Badlands National Park.

Bear Country USA is a drive-through wildlife park with lots of bears, elk, wolves, buffalo, and other North American animals. The length of the drive is about 2 miles long. The wolves don’t stand out in my memory, but I definitely remember driving through with so many black bears walking around the car and also close-up views of the buffalo. We always thought it was so awesome getting to see them up close. You don’t realize just how big buffalo are until seeing one in person. The cost to enter the park is currently $24 for adults and $19 for kids ages 5-12, with a maximum price of $80 per vehicle. I wonder what the cost was back in the 90s when we went…

Another spot place to see animals was at the Reptile Gardens, which is just a 6-minute drive from Bear Country. At the Reptile Gardens you’ll find…reptiles! They have alligators, snakes, frogs, lizards, and giant tortoises. The giant tortoises are what I remember most about going there. I was so amazed on how huge they were and how old! It was exciting getting to touch them and be right next to them. They’re so calm and sweet. They also have shows – snake shows, bird shows, and gators and crocodiles show. Tickets for the Reptile Gardens are $25 for adults, $21 for kids ages 11-15, and $19 for ages 4-10.

Next place in the list is Storybook Island, which is 15-minutes from Reptile Gardens. Man, we could spend hours there. It’s an adorable playground with so many attractions based on children’s books. It was fun and exciting for us since we knew all of the storybook characters like the Wizard of Oz characters, Pinocchio, Three Little Pigs, Snow White, etc. I’m sure though it would still be fun for kids who aren’t familiar with those stories. I know my kids aren’t familiar with most of them. I tried to get them to watch Bambi once, but they had no interest in those dated graphics! On our last visit to the park as an adult (16 years ago!), it was pretty dead, but it seems it’s been updated since then. What’s wonderful about it is that’s it’s a non-profit and they just ask for a donation. Not much is free these days, especially something as charming as this place so, I find that pretty awesome.

Next fun place for kids that we absolutely loved was Dinosaur Park, just 7 minutes from Storybook Island. Dinosaur Park has a bunch of cement dinosaurs that you can climb on for fun pictures. It’s also on a hill with great city views, making it even cooler. Definitely a great spot to stop at with kids, especially with it being free. A decent amount of time can be spent there just climbing the dinosaurs, walking around, and taking in the views. My favorite one to climb was the stegosaurus and I also loved how huge the brachiosaurus was.

Now for the most well-known spot – Mount Rushmore National Memorial. This is southwest of Rapid City (where the other attractions are) and about a 30-minute drive. We would enjoy just walking around and were amazed at the sculptures in the mountains. We also enjoyed it for the gift shop! In the evening they have a lighting ceremony, which I thought was cool. Other than just admiring the presidents in the mountain, there’s also a sculptor’s studio and a nice trail for a decent-length walk. There are also some exhibits. The fee to enter Mount Rushmore is a $10 parking fee, which isn’t bad.

There are obviously many other places that look amazing, hiking-wise, but we never did a whole lot of that during South Dakota visits when I was a kid. As an adult, we had stopped at a place called Roughlock Falls, which were so beautiful and it had a nice trail. That’s about an hour from Rapid City so, a bit out of the way unless you’re doing other trails and sights in the area. There’s also a cute and quick little spot 7 minutes from Storybook Island – Chapel in the Hills. It’s a replica of a 12th-century Norwegian church that’s nestled among trees and was interesting to stop and see. If you’re in Rapid City for everything else, it’s definitely a good stop since it’s nearby.

Next up – Barcelona